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| President's Report |
Bible Hill Youth Club – Social Development & Research Centre
Annual Report 2010
In a follow up to the 2008-09 program activities and findings, we continue to focus on streamlining of national policies like MGNREGS and Gender Equality. The year 2009-10 shows various findings especially from planning meetings with the local stake holders from Tipaimukh area where Rs. 1, 30, 000 was budgeted and Rs.1,20,600 was spent. Our overall fund raise total to Rs.51, 49,020 on activities and programs which includes support to PLHAs, Public Rally, Seminars and Workshops, Training on Gender Equality, Cultural Program, Youth Development Program, Environmental awareness campaign and some major event observations.
All our planning meetings was focused on Gender program and possibility of ensuring alternative livelihood means for the poor hill tribes to stop Jhuming or shifting cultivation. Discussions were held on rehabilitation packages of the Tipaimukh Dam, government policies and what the community needs. The government or the Agency does not envisage any rehabilitation packages for the 43,200 population covering 30 villages, except some minimal compensation to cultivators.
The villages’ chiefs association and the community stressed on the need for alternative livelihood means, and protection of the rich Bio-diversity of the area. The Tipaimukh Dam is coming up and large area of the forest and villages to be submerge, there is no alternative livelihood means for the community, they lamented. No rehabilitation packages have been offer by the government of the [rivate agency taking up the Dam construction.
Out of the 43,200 population from 30 villages, 80% of them do not have any other options other than Jhuming or depending on forest products, they do not know how to protect the Bio-diversity especially the rich Cancer Medicinal Plant locally called Hnathap. The Cancer Medicinal Plant abundant in the forest will be submerged by the Dam water, and there is no proper maintenance of the value plant.
More than 90% of households live under One USD a day, or below Rs. 80/- per day. The only source of their daily income is from the national NREGS program Job Card. They utilize this work to their daily needs and women get much lesser than man, which is Rs.80 a day.
In our training for Gender Program, women indigenously develop the Cancer Medicinal plant and sold it to nearby Mizoram, however, this practices cannot survive or growth because of its indigenous practices. The plant juice is use for stomach ailment, headache, indigestion and animal wound treatments.
Women want to be free from going to the forest, and would like to earn something to support their families and sent their children to good schools. All government educational and health institutions are hopeless, they said. Some women groups (unorganized) try to help themselves by raising some income, but with very limited facilities. They do not have ideas or the support for such a program.
One particular woman who has this, locally developed weaving machines made from wood, can earn Rs.200-500 a day with simple design, and Rs.2500-6000 a month with better design. She said she and her family does no more of the Jhuming practices, since they can depend upon the weaving machines. She uses to spend 8-12 hours a day on the machine, and there is no need for her to go to the forest.
Majority of the women cannot afford such a machine which cost Rs. 10-15,000. They want to earn and be able to support the family. They wanted go less to the forest and be able to support the family by working at village or town level. They do not have any options for alternative livelihood means or whom to approach for even a soft micro-financing.
As a whole, 95% of the women in the area are unemployed and necessitated to go the forest in search of food or commodities to be sold. Besides, women are also involve in dangerous venture like Charcoal burning, and this charcoal burning practices is the major cause for felling down of trees. More than 20 villages and community forest abound with the Cancer Medicinal Plant is going to be submerge by the Dam water, and the people of these villages does not have any rehabilitation program even from the government. Some have move out to Mizoram but with no better options for survival.
On another program that we done on HIV/AIDS prevention in Churachandpur, although the number of transmission has decreased, the stigma and discrimination attached with the disease is still persisting and PLHAs lacks support from the general community. The prevalence rate in the district has also come down but, still in some parts it is spreading secretly.
Working with other NGO in Drug Addiction treatment, we found that Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) is presently the best effective treatment for the drug addiction disease. 20% of the IDU in the district are enrolling under this program. However, the larger parts of the community are still at risk. Here, too, women are the worst sufferers in terms of stigma and discrimination. Health seeking behavior is also very low among women PLHA, because of the stigmatization.
Overall, we have built up a good network link with the local stake holders, especially the church and the private business establishment who begins to recognize our existence and our works, and the impacts is more or less positive.
- Joseph Joute, President & MD.
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