STILL A LONG WAY TO GO

At a time when Bihar government is contemplating on calling off the relief operations, UDAI volunteers have reasons to stay back in Bihar. Team 6 of UDAI programme of University of Delhi explored new areas at Deenapatti and Kumarkhand which are still isolated and completely cut off from the mainland due to flood water. Villages like Hanumanpatti, Bhelni, Khusropatti, Santhalpatti, Rampur etc. are still waiting for the responses not only from the Bihar or Central government but also from the Civil Society Organisations. A mobile medical unit of UDAI under the leadership of Dr. Priyadarsh went to the Deenapatti area and stayed there in the night to provide the medical intervention to the villagers. The team felt helpless when the villagers said that you are the first one to reach them. The similar was the response at Kumarkhand area where in some villages nobody has not yet gone to take care of the affected population. The callousness of the state needs no description at this juncture but more saddening part of the story is that the media is also hiding the facts. For national dailies it is a dead story now – stale. For the rest of the country, it was once – long back – that the flood had come in Bihar – around three months before. However, “… when we go to the field we count each and every second, and at the end of the day, I feel simply – HELPLESS, HOPELESS & WORTHLESS,” says Mr. Vinod Koshti, team leader of team 6. Bihar needs thousands of UDAI at this time to recover from the long-term damage. Let us all unite and consolidate our efforts so that no one feels at the end of the day – hopeless, helpless and worthless…

RCH intervention intensified at Bhutahi Baandh

Initiated by team 4, the RCH component of the UDAI intervention at Bhutahi Baandh was intensified by the following teams. All the pregnant women and lactating mothers were identified by visiting each and every jhuggi at the Baandh. These identified women were given counseling by the UDAI volunteers. A special kit was made for the pregnant women which was given to all the women in their eight-nine months of pregnancy. The doctors of Hamara Asptaal are also complementing the efforts by identifying and referring such women to the UDAI counselors. Team 6 has made attempts to combine the RCH component of UDAI intervention with the Hamara Milan, wherein all such women can come together at a common platform and share their experiences as well as concerns and problems.

DEEPAWALI celebrated at Bhutahi Baandh, Dafarka village by Team 6

After the unending struggle of the people of Bhutahi Baandh, Deepawali came as a light of hope to thousands of families and especially children when the team 6 of Department of Social Work, University of Delhi planned to celebrate it with the community. For the first time a wave of happiness was found and the feelings of joy and celebration was prevailing everywhere. Team 6 discussed the idea of celebrating the Deepawali with the local people and the support came from every corner.

A grand gala cultural evening was organized in the presence of the local media which was attended by more the 1,500 children and 1000 local inhabitants. This programme had two-fold objectives – (a) to celebrate Deepawali with the community; and (b) to generate awareness in the community through the children regarding issues of health and sanitation. More than 25 cultural programmes consisting of progressive songs, dances, poems, rhymes, speeches were presented by the students of Hamari Pathshaala and members of Hamara Sankalp and Hamara Milan. All the components of the intervention of Department of Social Work converged together to organize this programme as it was a joint and collaborative effort of the Hamari Paathshaala, Hamara Milan, Hamara Sankalp, and Hamara Asptaal. The cultural programme on the eve of the Deepawali was widely appreciated across the section at Bhutahi Baandh.

On the same day, the UDAI volunteers distributed large numbers of packets to the families living on the banks of the Bhutahi Baandh. The students of Hamari Paathshaala were given new clothes and uniforms.

Hamara Milan

Hamara Milan is the similar 'meaningful engagement' but with the adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers. It was conceived by team 5 with the idea of providing some life-based domestic skills to the local girls which includes vocational training also. However, reshaped by the team 6, Hamara Milan now has a broader canvas which includes in itself also the pregnant women and lactating mothers of the community along with the adolescent girls. The core principle of the concept, Hamara Milan is to provide RCH (Reproductive and Child Health) services along with imparting the domestically useful skills. Considering the social structure of the community, it was difficult to bring the girls and boys together at a similar platform. Hence a separate platform was created for the girls of the community. Hamara Milan is a platform wherein the girls can come together to discuss their issues and get the opinion of others as well. The experiences of the initial days were very rich. It was found that initially the girls were not sharing their problems, however with the rigorous attempts of our volunteers; these girls are now actively sharing their views. Hamara Milan has also motivated two girls to volunteer for Hamari Paathshaala run by DSW. Although in its embryonic stage, the components of Hamara Sankalp and Hamara Milan are already yielding results for the process of community development at Dafarka, Triveniganj.

Hamara Sankalp

Initiated by team 5, Hamara Sankalp was basically a meaningful engagement of the youth of the community. Through Hamara Sankalp, the youth of Dafarka community are provided significant exposures to lots of critical issues related to rights, health, society, environment, as well as career opportunities. One of such session conducted at Hamara Sankalp was on Right to Information Act, 2005 also. Through this forum, a cadre of volunteers was being prepared which can act as a social construction agent in building a new social fabric based on the secular-democratic ethos of our Constitution. At least 15-20 youths of the community attend sessions of Hamara Sankalp everyday at Bhutahi Baandh, Dafarka village, Triveniganj Block, Supaul District.