… Samaveshi Sheher – Empowering Inclusive cities
Samaveshi Sheher – Empowering Inclusive cities – Improving residential, occupational & social issues in urban poor communities is IGSSS (Indo–Global Social Service Society) supported Program is an initiative of inclusive city. An inclusive city is one that values all people and their needs equally. It is one in which all residents—including the most marginalized of poor workers—have a representative voice in governance, planning, and budgeting processes, and have access to sustainable livelihoods, legal housing and affordable basic services such as water/sanitation and an electricity supply.MAJOR PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES:
Strengthening Collectives
Strengthening and empowering community (Urban Poor) towards improving residential, occupational, social & income generation security is the main objective of Samaveshi Sheher project. Sangathan Nirmaan (Formation of collectives) in the form of Shelf help group (SHGs) and CBOs (Civil based organizations) were formed in project areas.
Regular meeting/ Focus group discussion (FGD)
This activity is an ongoing process throughout the year. The objective is to interact with community to identify different basti issues, sharing latest schemes, formation of people organizations’ in different forms such as unions, workers’ collectives, SHGs, identity focused organizations and other constructive local alternatives, which evolve and strengthen. We focus that people’s organization do not just restrict its area of work to the community specific issues instead expand its scope and intervention to outside the local or native area.
Capacity building workshops /Trainings
Capacity building workshops and training programs were conducted for beneficiaries on different government schemes / program, policies, skill development programs, filing & writing public petitions & application, advocacy strategies, updating labor code & laws, Accessing civic basic amenities , personality development & leadership building etc.
Interface discussion with line department / liaison meetings
This activity is for face to face interactions between beneficiaries and related stakeholders like MLA , Government officials , peer NGOs, Ministers ,Lawyers , local political leaders as well as departmental visit like social welfare department , government hospitals , Block office , JNAC (Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee) , Pragya Kendra , Banks , UID registration center etc. for relation building with respective stakeholders.
Facilitation meeting for Ward/Mohalla Sabha
Most of the intervention slums are situated on lease land of TATA Steel and there is no Urban Local Body (ULB) instead JNAC (Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee) is working as ULB hence implementation of 74th constitutional amendment is not possible. We sensitize community about concept of ward sabha / mohalla sabha.
Linking with Income generation program (IGP)
6 SHGs (Shelf help groups) were formed in project area in this reporting period which are actively functioning and linked with DAY-NULM program under which they receive Rs.10,000.00 (per SHGs) as revolving fund and eligible to start small business to improve their socio economic condition.
Adolescent / Youth Mobilization
Strengthening and formation of adolescent/youth group to empower coming generation is key tool of samaveshi sheher 2 program. Linking them towards education, skill development programs, awareness on sensitive social issues like child marriages, child labour, climate change as well as basti issues by organizing different activities.
- Sensitization events on slum issues (child rights, child labor , health issues, RTE, Child Addiction etc)
- Youth leaders’ exposure to other cities / state
- Social Mapping and Climate change mapping
Coalition (Housing and Eviction)
To create strong network among six cities of Jharkhand i.e Ranchi ,Jamshedpur , Hazaribagh , Jharia , Chas , Chaibasa on basic civic services issues , housing and eviction issues , Domestic workers issues , construction workers issues. Preparation of charter of demand (COD) in order to create pressure on state government to take essential action on these issues.
- City level joint meetings
- Political Advocacy
- Campaign
Emerging Constituency (Transgender)
With the support of the project, we got an opportunity to work with Transgender community and organized capacity enhancement program. This helps us in building strong network TG groups across the project partner cities. For cross learning their issues, a brain storming workshop was organized by IGSSS in Kolkata on Sep 2019 where charter of demands was prepared by the TG groups from respective cities for presenting it to respective state ministry.
CHANGE ENABLED during last year:
- Strengthened leaders through leadership building
- Developed ownership of the collective leaders:
- Active participation in ULB meetings and other slum Governance meetings for raising their issues
- Strong linkages and follow up with the departments & local duty bearers for getting access to schemes & entitlements and annual municipal allocations for pro poor services
- Developed strong bonding with ULBs & municipal corporations
- Developed strong networks with local peer NGOs/ CBOs, alliances etc
- Undertook campaigns on the issues (slum eviction/ DW’s minimum wage & other right base issues) by the collectives. Development of charter of demand (COD) with the issues and presented to duty bearers through campaigns
- The collective leaders become very popular and supported by the slum dwellers of neighbor non project slums, city networks & alliances
- Adolescent/Youth leadership
- Critical role played by local duty bearers (MLA/ MP) due to advocacy
- Strong group dynamics to local SHGs, Mahila Aarogya Samiti (MAS) etc change in positions of slum women.