Newsletter October

Interventions in Integration

Integration among thematic interventions necessitates the much needed holistic development of the communities. DHAN believes community as a whole has a lot of scope for several development interventions, per se, the foundation has been achieving it through the concept of community organizations since its inception.

The different functional groups, in the community organizations, at their respective levels tries to accommodate themes like water, education, health and the various others of the DHAN collective.

“Jawadhu Hills of Tamil Nadu, Adilabad of Telangana, Koraput of Odisha – are some of the DHAN’s integrated location in Tribal context”

The various thematic interventions will always be demand driven rather than supply driven; addressing the demands of the vulnerable and downtrodden in the communities. The practice and pace of integration varies across the contexts. Community organizations’– otherwise called as people institutions; because they’re administered and managed by the people – sustainability plays a significant role and sometimes acts as one of the deciding factors for the new interventions and integrations of various themes.

Adilabad region in an integrated location with Vayalagam Foundation addressing farmers, Kalanjiam Foundation sufficing the women needs, Rainfed programme preserving the indigenous practices and Jeevidam programme
Koraput region in Odisha has integrated Kalanjiams, Small Millet Foundation and SUHAM Health care to bring about holistic development at community level

DHAN’s entry point into a particular community could be any of one of the themes of DHAN collective, but over the course of journey, DHAN aims to have integrated approach through its community organizations.

SMALL MILLETS FOUNDATION

DHAN Collective has been engaged in identifying and addressing the members with co-morbidity. Envisaging zero death among the member families, special care has been ensured towards co-morbidity members by collaboration with health departments at the different levels of administrations. With the co-morbid members prone to high risk of casualty, DHAN believes it is the need of the hour for the communities to practice dietary diversification and to in-take nutrition rich, fibre content rich foods. Supplementing paddy with millets and pulses ensures the much needed dietary diversification for the people.

For the benefit of the community, Small Millet Foundation conducted a research study on the production and consumption of Little millet, Horse gram and Niger in the location. Study analysis reflected the range of market prospects for the little millets, wherein Jeevidam programme is ensuring in the procurement of the millets and devising market plans for the millets through its FPOs, aiding the much needed financial upliftment of the millet farmers.

-Jawadhu Hills, Tamil Nadu
Millet farmers have been trained in Improved Package of Practice viz., System of Millet Intensification, Line transplantation, Line sowing, Jeevamurtha preparation and practice, Timely weeding, Intercultural operations, Log rolling, in order to enhance the productivity of the produce, thereby improving the socio-economic conditions of the farmers. 5,428 farmers have been trained in Improved PoP methods.

-Koraput, Odisha

With 33 varieties of plantation, finger millet biodiversity block has been created in Admunda village. - Koraput, Odisha

JEEVIDHAM

Jeevidam programme is a livelihoods initiative of DHAN, aiming at sustaining the production and market requirements of the primary producers at grassroots. One of the prominent contributions of Jeevidam is Farmer Producer Institutions. FPIs are promoted as collective institutions like Kalanjia/Vayalaga/Uzhavar/Neithal Jeevidam to cater the livelihood needs of women, tank farmers, rainfed farmers and fishermen of various thematic federations respectively.

In September, through Jawadhu Farmer Producer Company Limited (JFPCL), Little millets (35 kgs), Foxtail millets (105 kgs), Kodo millets (110 kgs) and Barnyard millet (105 kgs) was marketed; and 25 kgs of Honey was sold through Jawadhu Hills Small Millet Producer Company Limited (JHSPCL).

-Jawadhu Hills, Tamil Nadu
Annual General Meetings were organized between 28th to 30th September to Eleven Farmer Producer Institutions in the regions.
1224 shareholders in eleven FPIs participated in the AGMs.

-Adilabad region, Telangana

MIGRATION also called ‘Displacement Due to Poverty’

Outbreak of the pandemic made the migrants to realize there is no security for health and economics in the urban spaces. Yet, it will take no time for the people to again start migrating in search of livelihoods; which already started in most of the states. Deprivation of the livelihood opportunities among their own communities necessitating the members and their families to migrate.

Providing employment and creating market linkages ensures the people to stay back. Making efforts toward that, Jeevidam ensured creating market linkages for the millets and honey.

11,035 kitchen garden seeds have been distributed to members. Continuous monitoring during sowing, growing have been done. Some Kalanjiam members already started reaping the benefits of their sowings.

-Koraput, Odisha

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

In the September month, 4700 silver oak samplings were distributed to 15 farmers.


In collaboration with Horticulture department, CCA team provided training to the farmers on plantation and irrigation procedures


100 farmers were trained on organic farming and were oriented with various organic farming incentive schemes


-Jawadhu Hills, Tamil Nadu

SUHAM Health Activities

Ensuring Healthy Practices

Napkins were distributed to 262 adolescent girls

Addressing the Iron Deficiency

1916 adolescent girls were provided with IFA tablets

Habituating New Normal

2132 families underwent Sustainable Behavioural Change Communication oriented through SUHAM’s SBCC posters

-Jawadhu Hills, Tamil Nadu

314 napkins were distributed to adolescent girls at Deoghati village, Koraput, Odisha

Co-morbidity screening tests – BP and Sugar – were carried out among 332 members; 12 were identified as comorbidity high. Through the community call centres in Semiliguda and Koraput, 93 members were reached checking their co-morbidity status and three persons were identified as co-morbid.
- Koraput, Odisha

DHAN Core Values

  • Grassroots action
  • Enabling
  • Collaboration
  • Innovation
  • Excellence
  • Self-Regulation

Contact Us

  • DHAN Foundation
  • 1A, Vaidyanathapuram East
  • Kennet Cross Road
  • Madurai - 625016
  • Tamil Nadu, INDIA