CYSD

Being a skilled person, Ranjan Mohanta from Kundala village in Mirigikhoj Panchayat of Saharapada block, Keonjhar district was working as a technician in a private company in Maharastra. His monthly income was just sufficient to meet his family’s needs. The unpredicted Corona pandemic, followed by lockdown and shutdown, has taken away his job. He was forced to come back to his native place struggling throughout his journey. A happy family’s all hopes and aspirations were ruined by the unseen virus. His family members found it challenging to meet their daily needs. Life became a living hell! Ranjan was on the verge of losing his energy and confidence. Without any livelihoods option, he completely got disappointed.

“While I was thinking about how to survive, fortunately, I got a telephone call from the Citizens’ Support Centre of CYSD, asking me whether I want to undergo reskilling on Mushroom Cultivation. I could not imagine that such an opportunity will come to me at this critical hour. Without any second thought, I replied, certainly, yes”, shares Ranjan. He enthusiastically contacted the point person, got himself registered and received the Reskill Training on Mushroom Growing being organized from 10 – 14 October 2020 (at the Rural Livelihoods Training Centre (RLTC) of CYSD at Kapundi. He got an alternative way to start-up. “Now, I have started my own set-up as a mushroom supplier and earning my livelihoods reasonably”, says Ranjan, a renewed agri-entrepreneur.

“Because of the abrupt lockdown and shut down owing to Covid-19 pandemic, I had to return to my home leaving the workplace. I lost my employment. Livelihood became a big challenge for survival of my family. Covid-19 pandemic ruined all my dreams”, shares Sabitri.

Sabitri Mohanta from Barbir village in Saharapada block of Keonjhar district was working in a Tamil Nadu based private garment company. Somehow, she was managing the needs of her family with the limited income. She was hopelessly wondering, if an alternative option of earning could be available locally.

“I received a call from CYSD’s Citizen Support Centre asking me, if I will be interested to join a training programme on Mushroom Cultivation for an alternative source of livelihoods. I could not control my happiness, immediately I replied, Yes, without any hesitation”, shares Sabitri.  Following the procedures, she registered her name and received a five-day training (from 5-9 October 2020) on Mushroom Growing organized at the RLTC of CYSD in Kapundi. With limited investment she has started her own enterprise. “On an average, I am producing 2 kg of mushrooms per day and selling @200 rupees per kg in local market. Besides, my family consumes the surplus mushrooms as nutrition supplements. Indeed, mushroom cultivation reskilling has given me rebirth. I am planning to set up a permanent enterprise in my village investing some more amount”, says aspiring Sabitri.

The worldwide spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been severely affecting the global economy and as per the recent updates almost one-third to half of the global population have gone through the critical and compulsive lockdown and shut-down for a quite long period. More than one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in just past few months – no work, no pay. Vulnerability has crept into their daily life; unrest like situation has arisen everywhere. The risk is higher particularly for daily wage workers with minimal social security; and the implications on the rural poor and marginalized sections with inadequate economic and social safety nets is severe. They are back to their native villages for a safe life. The surge of returnee migrants to rural pockets of the State throws a challenge of acute unemployment while the agri-allied sector creates an opportunity for these migrants’ engagement to address the zoomed employment crisis.

In this context, CYSD in collaboration with RCRC Network has taken an initiative towards skill development of the returnee migrants. About 150 returnee migrants were identified in Saharpada Block of Keonjhar district through a quick assessment, those who expressed their interest for alternative livelihoods in and around agri-allied sector.

The study reveals that there is demand for mushroom in the local market and has good return on the investment along with additional nutrition supplement. In this process, 83 migrants (53 female & 30 male) who had shown their interest and committed for initiating alternative livelihoods were trained as Mushroom Growers and Spawn Producers. The design of the programme is aligned with NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) framework. The 5 days training programmes conducted in batches by Kalinga Mushroom Research Unit were residential and held at CYSD’s Rural Livelihoods Training Centre at Kapundi in Saharpada Block.

Life of a woman is full of challenges and obstacles, right from shouldering household responsibility and commitments at home and managing fulltime at workplace. The life of a working woman is revolving and juggling with numerous responsibilities at work place, some of them are loaded with daily routine life at home. Many women are grinded between these two phases of life running behind office work and managing all domestic affairs. Previously women were educated for the sake of getting married to better candidates and starting new family. But, nowadays they utilize their education and skill productively. Here is a story of a village girl, Manjulata Mohanta, who struggles to reconcile her commitments for the family.

Manjulata, is a volunteer who serve as a connect between the school and parents. She supports the school teachers as well as parents in ensuring that children are regular in schools, not engaged in domestic work or whiling away time, they get school uniforms, bags, stationery, properly cooked mid-day meal, etc.

Manjulata was born and brought up in a farmer’s family along with five siblings – four sisters and one brother. Her father used to do agricultural work and daily wages work, and her mother is engaged in cooking midday meal in a government run primary school. From an early age, she understood the survival strategy like fighting back the poverty boldly and bravely. Despite financial hardship, she had completed her higher secondary education.

Her dream of studying higher education remained in halfway due to financial constraints. She was compelled to acquaint with daily labour work like, pond digging, iron rods lifting or cutting, leaf plates making, and continued to supplement her family income. During that period, she got a marriage proposal from her boyfriend having government job. Unfortunately, the young man betrayed Manjulata and created nuisance, even one day she was kidnapped by his friends and sexually abused and harassed for three days. After some days the kidnappers released her and threatened to kill her if she suits any Police case. Initially, she couldn’t sleep being plagued by nightmares. It became difficult for her to trust people. Due to heavy stress and depression she attempted to commit suicide by jumping to the waterfall at Bhimkund. But, the will of God was something else! Immediately some local people rescued her and admitted in hospital.  She got a new life!

Two local UP School teachers namely Mr. Biswanath Bindhani and Mr. Nalaraj Sethy counselled Manjulata to overcome from the tragedy. She got engaged in different co-curricular activities of the school. In 2007, she found a job in ‘Pratham Odisha’ as Block Coordinator where she was facilitating training to Cluster Resource Coordinators on teaching techniques. She became independent and self-reliant when received handsome monthly salary. She could spend some amount of money on her sisters’ study and marriages. She reflects, “Now, I am self-reliant, earning through a dignified job and living an independent life. Why should I go for suicide instead of giving back to society using whatever I have learnt, getting a new life?’’

In 2010, she resigned from Pratham Odisha and applied for a job in government sector but could not succeed. Then she joined CYSD as a ‘Community Teacher’ in its Child Development Project at Thakurmunda for girls’ impact education program. At the closure of impact education program, she was recognized as the best teacher out of 36 teachers.

Then, she was involved in “Combatting Child Domestic Labour” program of CYSD, as community volunteer-teacher and assigned to look after Benuadhar village of Bhaliadal Gram Panchayat, Thakurmunda. For easy and better monitoring purpose, she used to stay with the community people. Having long experience in education systems, she applies those in community special coaching centers. She has been guiding and counseling young girls regarding menstrual hygiene and sex education to protect themselves from harmful diseases.

Due to single, sometime people of her community pass filthy comments, but this does not make any different for Manjulata. She reconciles to live alone. She is determined not to tie the knot, because she knows the art of living without a man’s support. She owns a motorcycle for movement, has saved some money in bank and able to support her family out of her monthly income.

Moreover, Manjulata is well capacitated in the area of interpersonal development which helps her leading a confident and dignified life in the social sector. She has drawn a bead on awareness building of youth to respect women and protect young girls.

Manjulata says, “I don’t wish people to look at me and feel pity. Like a light, the time will pass away.  I’m still alive. I thank God for giving me such lesson! And I want to help prevent this not to happen anyone else.” 

“All our lives, we were dependent on agriculture for our livelihood. We have faced a lot of problem in accessing drinking water and irrigation due to shortage of water. During the summer months we had to walk around 3 km to collect drinking water from a nearby forest spring for which we had to suffer many hardships”, says Madhaba. He never expected that a small initiative of minor irrigation support through a dug well on a small piece of farmland would one day change his fate and ensure sustained income for his family.

Madhaba Muduli is a small tribal landholder from P. Sujuli village in Nandigam Gram Panchayat of Koraput district. With technical support and guidance of CYSD programme team, he along with a fellow villager Chittam Paraja decided to dig a well of 25ft depth on his own land for better irrigation. In the FY-2019, along with support of Rs.138500/- from ITDA, Koraput under the MGNREGA Plan, the well was successfully dug.

In tribal hinterland of Koraput, agriculture work mostly depends on the rains. Given the facilities of micro irrigation, the people here can irrigate their farm land throughout the year and bring better yield. “Better irrigation facilities have brought us more yield and has improved our lives,” says Chittam Paraja. “The dug well helped us irrigate approximately 5 acres of our own land and improved our cultivation along with ensuring the availability of clean drinking water. With expert advice, we applied cow dung for the revival of the soil nutrition; took measures for preserving the soil erosion; and made the soil suitable for varieties of crops as well. Last winter the farm land brought good yield of vegetables, like beans, cauliflower, tomato, zinger and eggplant, etc., which helped us to earn around Rs.28000/- in both phases of the season. This dug well has become one of our permanent assets, and we look forward to cultivating seasonal vegetables. The endeavours have changed our lives for good and enabled our children to get proper education too,” says Madhaba.

Madhaba and Chittam have set an example for rest of the village farmers. It is path breaking to see such efforts come to fruition and this would pave the way for the rural farmers and those whose earning is based on agriculture to improve their lives.

The mantra of Gopabandhu “Let my body mingle in the dust of my motherland and let my countrymen walk across it; and let my flesh and bones fill in the potholes of my country’s self-independence”, always encourages me to work selflessly in this Covid-19 pandemic situation, says Umachanda Baral, a community organizer. For the last couple of years, he has been working in different parts of Malkangiri districts and helping the poor and distressed primitive tribes.

Sudden lockdown declared by the Government owing to the pandemic created fear and anxiety in the minds of innocent tribal women, children and old age people. Umachanda, was the first person who motivated a band of volunteers of CYSD to create mass awareness among the tribal people, especially in Bonda Ghati (the most underdeveloped area of Malkangiri). From 23rd March, 2020 Umachanda also mobilized other volunteers to join his crew and organized awareness campaigns in the communities about use of facemask regularly, practices of frequent hand wash, maintaining social distance, etc. using loud speaker / mike. He covered around 42 villages, distributed survival kits to 150 families and hygiene kits to 120 families.

Both the Block Administration and District Administration were amazed seeing the enthusiasm of Umachanda. To his surprise, the PD-DRDA helped in obtaining a Covid-19 Entry Pass through the BDO, Khairiput and allowed him to continue this novel work in this pandemic. The BDO and PD-DRDA sought the support and cooperation of Umachanda during their relief mission at Bonda Ghati for helping the Bonda people. This mission would not have become successful without Umachanda’s active involvement.

From that day Umachanda never looked back. He contacted CYSD Project staff in Malkanagiri and sought the technical support on how to facilitate job opportunity to the vulnerable families during the Corona pandemic. He was advised by the Livelihood Promotion, Expert to create job demand for the people under MGNREGS work and help them engage in Mo Upakari Bagicha scheme through Odisha Livelihoods Mission.

Till now, Umachanda has facilitated job opportunity for 85 families under MGNREGS and linked 75 families in Nutritional Kitchen Garden (Mo Upakari Bagicha) scheme with the help of Sarapanch of concerned Gram Panchayats.

Pravati Pujari, an adolescent girl of 12 years from Mendukuli village of Dalpatiguda GP in Mathili Block studies in Std. V. Her five-membered family includes – father, mother, one brother, a sister and herself. Being marginal farmers, her parents work in the agricultural field. Apart from the agricultural work, they used to do daily labour to supplement their income for the survival of their family.

In the meantime, the Government of Odisha made provision for promotion and implementation of “Mo Upakari Bagicha” scheme to help enrich the nutritional deficiency of adolescents, pregnant and lactating mothers. Pravati’s parents prepared a nutritional kitchen garden in their backyard field. Pravati being a sponsor child of CYSD, the project supported her family with technical guidance and facilitated vegetable seeds from Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM) to initiate nutritional gardening. Pravati with her siblings’ support took proper care of the kitchen garden. Gradually, the garden grew up with varieties of vegetable plants like, Bitter gourd, Ridge gourd, Spinach, Brinjal, green chili, lemon, green banana and Palak leaves.

During Covid-19 pandemic, as an impact her father could not get job opportunity regularly to fulfil the basic needs of his family. Green vegetable and leafy items for their food plate was a dream. But, surprisingly the initiative of Pravati supported her family with green fresh veg food intake.

“I am utilising my leisure hours after my study in the nutri-garden, only 15-20 days’ effort is enough to get green vegetables for a small family on a daily basis. I am thankful to CYSD for giving us the idea with necessary training and facilitating seeds support from the Government free of cost,” says Parvati.

After Kharif they are also planning to continue vegetable cultivaion in Rabi season. Like Pravati many adolescents have adopted kitchen gardens and engaged themselves in nutri gardening work and taking green vegetable in their food plates to reduce nutritional deficiencies.

Pravati’s father says, “During this Corona lock down, he has earned Rs. 2000/- from vegetable selling apart from fulfilling the family requirements. My sincere thanks to CYSD for facilitating my family to get enrolled in ‘Mo Upakari Bagicha’ scheme through OLM, Malkangiri”.

Continuous advocacy process with local government institutions can bring changes in the lives of poor aged persons. This has become possible in Muduliguda village of Koraput district where more than 40 poor tribal households live.

Boipariguda being the operational area of CYSD, while in the process of expanding reach of social protection schemes and entitlements to the marginalised individuals and families in Muduliguda village of Kollar Gram Panchayat under Boipariguda block, it was found that five eligible household heads, like Padu Petia, Bendri Chhendia, Samari Badnayak, Bati Badnayak and Damai Badnayak have crossed 60 years of age and eligible for getting entitlements like old-age pension from the government, but were debarred from it. After getting deeper into the matter and further discussions, one of the beneficiaries, Ms. Samari Badnayak, age 62 years, said, “We have visited to our Panchayat office several times to apply for the old-age pension, but no officers including the Sarapanch listened to us. We lost our last hope and everything left on the God”. With the intervention of CYSD team, a village level meeting was organised where it was decided to write a letter to the concerned Sarpanch to consider the application of five aged beneficiaries for the pension. CYSD team continuously visited the Panchayat office to follow up the matter with Sarapanch. After constant engagement and persuasion, the Sarapanch enrolled the 5 eligible aged persons and they have been receiving the entitlements starting from September 2020.

“This pension benefit came to me as a blessings during this Corona pandemic. With this meagre amount I am managing to survive”, says 63 years old Padu Petia.

Mushroom Cultivation offers Chaitana a New Lease of Life:

Chaitana Santa, a young man of 30 years, is basically a farmer from Boipariguda Block of Koraput district. But his income was not sufficient to maintain his family, because of which he had opted for seasonal migration to nearby town of Jaypure & Koraput in search of job. But this Covid-19 pandemic created a lot of problem for him when he was not able to move anywhere for work. His hardship became worst as he could not sell the harvested farm produces during the period March-August 2020.

In the month of September, he came to know about the mushroom cultivation training opportunity created by CYSD from a Community Resource Person of his area. Chaitana shown his interest to undergo Mushroom production training and undergone through all the selection process. Finally, he was enrolled in the mushroom cultivation training at RLTC, Baipariguda. Being a proactive young man, he explored the prospective of mushroom cultivation and successfully completed his training and obtained a certificate.

During post training follow-up, CYSD team got to know that Chaitana has started mushroom cultivation in his village and engaged other two youths in this initiative. “Mushroom cultivation has offered me a new lease of life to fulfil my dream”, says Chaitan in cheerful face.

Basanti proves herself as a Woman Agri- Entrepreneur:

Basanti Mali, a passionate and courageous woman of 45. She works as a migrant labourer in nearby town, like Jyapore & Koraput to supplement her family income along with  her husband, a daily labour. Still the income was not sufficient for maintaining the entire family. Due to Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and shutdown, Basanti was totally disheartened. She was not allowed to go outside for work. Being at home and sitting idle, she was desperately wondering for an opportunity for livelihood. Luckily, she got to know about the Mushroom Production Training program of CYSD and went through the need based assessment process. Finally, she enrolled herself in the training program, completed the training, and obtained a completion certificate.

After 3 days of training completion, Basanti called CYSD Skill team and informed “I have initiated mushroom cultivation in my courtyard by raising 6 mushroom beds and proved myself as a woman agri-entrepreneur”. Now, Basanti is a known entrepreneur in mushroom production and able to engage 4 potential women in her venture