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Daiya-Ambasa SVD-Mission

‘SAMBHAV’

Towards ‘Social Animation of Marginalized, Backwards, Helpless And Vulnerable’

SAMBHAV is a Centre for ‘Social Animation of Marginalized, Backwards, Helpless And Vulnerable’ initiated and coordinated by the members of Divine Word Society, Indore since October 2016. The evolving Centre ‘SAMBHAV’ is committed to motivate, accompany, support for an organized livelihood opportunities through Self Help Group formation, small savings income generating activities, health care and education of the rural children in 4 Gram Panchayats: Daiya, Kawel, Lathuni and Ambasa. Thereby social orientation, empowerment of women, village leadership, monthly saving, increase of family income,  health awareness and health checkup activities are realized, where in men, women, youth  and young children make collective effort towards bringing tangible changes, where justice, peace, integrity and respect  for every human person is experienced.

SAMBHAV (Daiya-Ambasa Mission is situated in Rajasthan state) based at 610 km away from its head office called St. Arnolds Seva Sadan, Indore (India Central Province) Madhya Pradesh, which is 120 kms away from Catholic Diocese, Bishop’s House Udaipur. There are over 4000 tribal families with 20000 people living in the area. These villages are located at the very border of Rajasthan and Gujarat states, but all come under Rajasthan state government. The people living in the area depend 50% on agriculture products and 50% on forest products, goat rearing and from daily wage earnings. 90% of them are migrants belonging to Bhil tribes moved in search of land and livelihood from Gujarat state and now they are settled and enrolled as members of Rajasthan state.

The houses of these people are found scattered in mountains and forests. They have built the huts and houses in their own land holdings, occupied land of forest department and on the vacant government land. None of the houses are constructed in a planned way. No infra-structure facilities are available in any of these villages. People live in mud made or bolder assembled handmade-tiles-toped-sheds, some have covered with sacks, plastic sheets, bamboo mats or old clothes. Since unplanned, there are no pavement ways to get in to the tattered houses or shelter of these people. Most of the people, keep their domestic animals like bullocks, cows, buffalos, goats etc within their living premises for the fear of theft and robbery which cause adverse effect on their health  conditions and its’ surrounding areas.

Garbage, human/animal wastes, open sewage lines, filthy surroundings and stone pits helps to brood mosquitoes and flies which threatens the health aspects of every individual, especially infants and children below certain age group. As health and sanitation of mothers have got direct correlation with the new borne, the society itself is under threat. Most of the young mothers lack basic knowledge of health and hygiene; hence they are unable to provide initial and necessary health care to the new born children. There are also a few cases found that young women and children die during or after the delivery due to ignorance of the people and lack of safe delivery facilities.

Generally women are house wives and confined to their households, farm and cattle. There are a very few coordinated women associations or Self Help Groups where women come together, express their thought and ideas and to make collective decisions for their family welfare. There is hardly any opportunity for women to go out of their village and see other developed areas and people. The decision for village leadership and election of village representatives are generally made and executed by men. Women do gather together for social celebrations at the occasion of engagement and marriage, at the birth of a child or death of a villager and on the any festive occasions.

Approximately 65% of the middle age and older men and women are illiterate. A very few women in the present generation are found educated up to 5th, 8th, 10th & 12th. Now many girls are showing interest for education but lack basic and good educational facilities. Generally girls get married between the ages of 15-20.

The children of villages lack basic facility of education. Those children going to schools learn very little in the school and as they return home they forget everything. Parents are not able to attend to their home works, and unable to guide them for relearning the daily lesions. As a result the children do not perform well in the schools; the children are tortured mentally and physically since they fail to reproduce the lesions taught. The regular failures make children feel inferior and humiliated. Therefore children stop going to school any more.

A very few villages have essential infra structures such as availability of drinking water, electricity, approach road, government schools, health care centre but with minimum facilities. Most of the days school teachers and health workers are absent from their institutions, which creates great problem to the vulnerable children and to the deprived suffering patients.

Since a year now SAMBHAV has organized 29 women Self Help Groups in 18 villages with over 388 women members engaged in small savings and there are over 400 rural children being provided basic educations. Time to time health awareness seminars for women and adolescent girls organized, at the same for the sick and ailing members of the village medical checkup camps are organized once a year at different village locations. To empower the SHG leaders, orientation training program and exposure visits to new places is also organized by the SAMBHAV staff.  

 

 

 

 

SAMBHAV is very grateful to the generous supporters from St. Gabriel Mission Office Austria and Mr Peter Brighton and Mrs. Mandy Brighton the SVD associates from Australia, who have extended their valuable and timely financial support to the ongoing Social Animation Program.

Fr. Albinus Kujur SVD

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