IND / 70652 Half yearly report of the project (jan june'16)

Manos Unidas-Spain

(January – June’ 2016)

Report by:

Association for Community Training (ACT)Mugaiyur – 605 755

Villupuram Dist,Tamil Nadu, India.

Phone.No.04146-240239 Cell.9443641288,9443335501Email: [email protected]

www.actmugaiyur.org

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Project title:

Empowering unorganized women workers and Adolescent girls as potential Income Generators and Budding Contributor for Environment protection

Objectives:

To mobilize unorganized Women labours and adolescent girls as a workers group

To promote a technical system for Waste Management

To pilot a energy efficiency model

To empower the unorganized women works as a potential financial contributor

To create awareness on environment protection

To promote Environment Sustainability

Duration of the project:

1 Year ( January’2016 – December’ 2016)

Beneficiaries:

Unorganised women workers and adolescent girls from 23 Panchayats of Mugaiyur block are the

beneficiaries of this project. These identified beneficiaries are between in the age group of 18 to 60

who are migrant labours, bonded labours, unorganised labours, Quarry workers, widows destitute

and unemployed adolescent girls.

Villages selected for the 1st phase January – June (1st Installment): 8 Villages:

S.No Vilages

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1 Alampadi2 Arcadu3 Kandachipuram4 Kodungal5 Mugaiyur6 Sennakunam7 Sithathur8 Veeracholapuram

Villages selected for the 2nd phase July – December (2nd Installment): 15 Villages:

S.No Vilages

1 Adukkam2 Ayandur3 Pilrampattu.s4 Kadaganur5 Karanai6 Gudalore.a7 Melakondur8 Emappair9 Melvalai10 Othiyathur11 Paranur

12 Sathiyakandanur

13 Sithamur .v14 Thanikalampattu15 Veerangipuram

Context of the project:

The project is proposed in Mugaiyur block of Villupuram district, Tamilnadu state, India which is identified as backward blocks in the parameters of poverty, education, health and industrial establishment ( Ref: www.tn.gov.in/spc ).

11873 families are living below the poverty line in this block. Agriculture is the main occupation of these families. Due to the monsoon failure even agriculture is not the source to earn the daily bread of the people now a day. To manage the financial crisis, these people go for daily wages and some of them migrate to nearby states or city in search of jobs. Among these workers women and adolescent girls are the one who affected most.The workers involved in unorganized labour work are involved in unprotected labouring. These workers also migrate frequently in search of job. Because of the frequent migration in search of job also affects the education of the children. Some of their children are forced to work in a unsafe situation. Their capacity to think for another stable income source is very low or nil.

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The low income they earn from unorganised labouring, they could not meet their family expenses completely. They are unable to afford to provide nutritious food to all the family members. They maximum live in a hut. Their health practices unhygienic. They drink and use the water which is available at the working place which makes them to fall in sick frequently. They also do their defecation near to their living place which is the main cause for the spread of diseases.

This project indents to address the main problems that the unorganised women workers face often. The project also contribute for the protection of the environment

Proposed activities of the project:

• Organising Unorganised women Workers and adolescent Girls in to working Group

• Imparting training to the members of workers group on solid waste management and environment Protection

• Procurement of Tricycle( to collect degradable and non degradable wastages at village level)

• Procurement of vehicle( to collect degradable and non degradable wastages at block level)

• Construction of Waste Management pits

• Collection of waste and processing them into product elements

• Conducting awareness programmes on waste water management, Solid waste management, Solar energy & Protection of Environment

• Preparation and dissemination of IEC Materials

Activities Carried out ( January – June’2016)

Project Planning & Administrative level Meetings

Administrative level meetings were conducted and discussed about the implementation of the project. Action plan for one year was developed in the meeting.

Appointment of Staff

Potential people were identified and appointed as a project staff.Programme coordinator, Cluster coordinator, cluster level waste collectors and village volunteers were appointed.

Project Orientation to the Staff & Village Volunteers

The staffs and the village volunteers were oriented about the project and its component in the training programme organised in ACT campus. The responsibilities were allocated to the staff.

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Project Orientation Meeting

Formation of Workers group

Village level meetings were organised in 23 villages, beneficiaries of the project were identified and the workers group was formed in each villages. There are 32 members in each workers group.

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Village level meetings & Workers group Formation

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Village level meetings & Workers group Formation

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Training to Workers Group

2 days Training Programme was organised to all 23 workers group in ACT campus. Project component and the techniques of Solid waste management process was explained to them.

Training programme organised for Workers Group

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Training programme organised for Workers Group

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Training programme organised for Workers Group

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Purchase of materials:

Purchase of Load CarrierLoad carrier was purchased to collect the wastages from all the village and transport to block coordination centre.

Fr. Arumai Selvam (PMSSS Director) and his colleague blesses the purchased carrier in Show room

Purchse of Tricycle

8 Tricycles were purchased to collect the wastages at village level

Tricycles purchased for waste collection at villages

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Identification of Common place in the villages:

Common place was identified in each villages to construct waste management pits and to segregate the wastages as degradable and non degradable. In some places the place was given by the local panchayat authority(Panchayat President). In some places the commonplace was given by one of group member.

Common Place for Waste Management process are identified

Launch of the project:

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Formal launch of the project took place on 8th March 2016. Fr.Arumai Selvam, Director of PMSSS – Pondicherry was the chief guest of the ceremony. Mr. Rock, Manager- PMSSS, Panchayat President of Mugaiyur, Mrs. Synthiya president of ACT were the other chief guests who participated and encouraged the beneficiaries. 260 beneficiaries from 23 villages participated in the ceremony.

Launching ceremony of the Project

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Beneficiaries are taking Oath to actively involve in the project

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PMSSS Director & Manager address the gathering

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Launching ceremony of the Project

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International Women’s day awareness rally:

In order to make the women in workers group to aware of women empowerment and women rights, Mega rally war organised in Mugaiyur. About 250 women from the workers group participated in the rally. The rally started in Theppakulam, Mugaiyur and ended in ACT campus.

Awareness rally beginning

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Women walk around the village raising slogans

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Distribution of Materials to the workers group:

In order to collect the wastages at panchayat level, the tricycles were distributed to the workers group. Fr. Arumaiselvam, Director- PMSSS handed over the tricycles to the group members. The tricycles were given to the group after making the legal agreement between ACT & Respective workers group. The agreement says that at any situation the tricycles should not be used for individual’s benefit.

PMSSS Director hand over the tricycles to the workers group

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Collection of waste and processing them for sales:

On weekly basis the group deputes 2 to 3members and collect the wastages in the villages by using the tricycle. They gather all the wastages in a common place and segregate them as Degradable and non degradable. The degrable wastages are dumbed in waste management pits for vermin compost and the non degradable wastages are sent to ACT for recycling purpose. ACT collects all the non degrable wastages from all panchayats and sends to purchasing agencies. The income is distributed to the groups as per the quantum of wastages they collected for recycling.

Workers Group members Involved in Waste collection in villages

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Workers Group members Involved in Waste collection in villages

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Women involved in Segregation of Wastages

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Wastages are segregated

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Recyclable wastages are loaded in Vehicle for Sales

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Degradable wastages are dumped in waste management pits to produce vermin compost

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Vermin-Compost Preparation and packing

The degradable wastages in each village are gathered and dumped in the pit and necessary steps are followed to convert the wastages in to Vermin Compost.

Vermin – Compost produced in villages are packed by workers group

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Vermin – Compost produced in villages are packed by workers group

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The Packed Vermin – Compost Bags

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The packed vermin compost are sold to the people for agriculture purposes

Individual waste collection and working card is developed and distributed to every group members to track the quantum of waste collected and worked hours by every member.

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Monitoring of Activities:

ACT staff visits the groups regularly and monitors the activities. Staffs also provide the guidance where ever it is necessary.

Quarterly Evaluation:Quarterly evaluation meeting was organised in ACT. Project staff and leaders from each workers group participated in the training. The progress of the project was evaluated. Most of the group leaders have shared that the project have taken off well and it is producing good result in the villages. Particularly the wastages of each house is not thrown outside now a days.

The project staff and the leaders of the workers groups were also provided guidance for improving the activities at field level.

Evaluating the progress of the project with group leaders

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Evaluating the progress of the project with group leaders

Press release of the project activity

Press release in a leading Tamil magazine which is about Solid Waste Management Project and the Training to workers group in ACT campus

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Achievements of the project( January2016 – June 2016)

• 23 workers group in 23 villages are formed. Each group is comprised of 32 members.

• 736 women and adolescent girls are trained in solid waste management process

• 1 load vehicle has been purchased and involved in collection of wastages at cluster level

• 8 tricycles have been purchased and given to 8 workers group. These tricycles are used to

collect wastages at panchayat level

• 8 waste management pits were constructed in 8 panchayet levels

• The wastages are collected in a weekly basis in 8 villages. The recyclable wastages are

processed and sold for recycling. The degradable wastages are collected and processed for

vermin compost.

• 32000 INR worth recyclable wastages are collected in 6 months time and sold for recycling.

13000 INR worth vermin compost are prepared through degradable wastages and sold. The

income is distributed to the members of workers group in 8 villages.

Difficulties Faced

• The project area is comprises of people from different political parties, traditional leaders,

Leaders of tribal community and religious elites. Each activity which took place in the

villages included all these people. At this time there are interferences of these leaders in the

project activities and they try to influence the activities.

• Different type of caste people are living in the same villages of our project area. People from

the dominant caste raise voice against the other caste peoples when they are involved in the

project activities.

• People who are not covered by this project create some sort of problems in the

implementation of project activities.

• There is a chance of providing false information of the project among the community is

sometimes being provided by the external people who will be negatively affected by the

project. (ex: private vendors, other community based organisations…)

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• When the members collect the recyclable wastages and sell it through their workers group,

local level vendors are opposing their activities and sometimes they threaten the members

• Since there is no provision in the project for safety kit, the members are facing difficulties to

collect wastages.

• Since the project area is so large, the cluster coordinator suffers lot to cover all the area by

bus travel. A two wheeler provision may strengthen the activities in future.

• The infrastructure facilities in the block coordination centre are little less to process huge

amount of wastages at one time.

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