Livelihood Security for Unorganized labor by Development Initiative DI Belpahar, Jharsuguda district

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Livelihood Security for Unorganized
laborbyDevelopment Initiative (DI)Belpahar,
Jharsuguda district, OrissaReviewers Austin
and MilwaukeeChandrika, Gayathri, Jogendra,
Srikanth
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Timeline

• Aug 2002 First proposal received by AID
• Aug-Dec 2002 Initial review by AID-Milwaukee and
  AID-RPI. No decision taken
• Jan 2003 AID-Austin and Milwaukee decide to take
  it up again
• Feb 2003 Detailed set of questions sent to NGO
• March 2003 Answers, revised proposal. Detailed
  teleconferences with NGO.
• April 2003 Proposed site visit

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About DI

• Highly recommended by Madhusudan (AID-Saathi from
  Orissa) and Prasad (AID-Pune volunteer)
• Recent projects
• Well-documented government sponsored study on
  status of kendu leaf pluckers and beedi workers
• Public hearings, Self-help groups (SHGs)
• Telephone conversations
• General feeling Committed group, understand
  issues well, good ideas, limited experience
• Philosophy
• Sensitization and training of affected community
  to help themselves

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NGO Motivation

• Continued work with the local community
• DI volunteers arrested along with protesters
• Current project is in some ways a follow-up of
  their study
• Focus on training and empowerment of womens SHGs
• Community participation is stressed and essential
  for success of their project
• Community contributions and degree of
  volunteerism will be established through pending
  site-visit

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LOCATION

• Area known for coal mines, Hirakud dam, thermal
  power plants and other recent industrial projects

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Target Community

• Jharsaguda District population 4.46 Lakhs
• 32 ST, 17 SC
• 52.6 literacy
• Employment
• Agriculture affected due to Hirakud dam and
  displacements due to industrial projects
• Kendu leaf/beedi making employment during lean
  season
• Target Group
• 20 villages of Jharsaguda block
• 400 women mostly from kendu leaf pluckers and
  beedi rolling families
• Unorganized laborers exploited by middle-men and
  beedi industry

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Project Details

• Need for intervention
• Industry exploitation no regular wages, avoid
  health care and PF, use middle-men, force beedi
  rollers to use own kendu leaves
• Lack of awareness of rights, dependence on
  middle-men for income
• Strategy
• Sensitization of community to problems
• Promotion of womens self-help groups
• Common approach to awareness and empowerment
• Sustainability
• Depends on success of SHGs
• Replicability
• SHG model is being replicated after successful
  past experiences

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Execution

• 3-day leadership training (2/year)
• 2-3 women from each SHG
• Group management dynamics, public speaking,
  planning.
• Community workshops (12/year)
• Village level meetings
• 1 rep/family
• Community sensitization of issues of beedi
  workers
• Opportunities for SHGs to contribute
• Unorganized workers meet (2/year)
• Common problems, consensus building,
  case-studies, campaign planning, etc.
• SHGs
• Micro-credit and savings, developing alternate
  vocations, leadership to community, promote
  awareness and demand rights

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Budget
Total () 5600
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Beedi Making
Sorting and grading
KL trade in Orissa worth 150 crores/yr
Finished product
Beedi rolling