Presentation

Social Action forFemale &

Environment

A community driven & community sustained NGO

Addressing the most pressing community needs in its own settings

Ham Yahan Milenge……..

Vision

founded with a vision to advance the cause of critical enabling factors for holistic human development. The constructive participation of the organization includes capacity building and creating opportunity of each unit like child, family, institutions etc… both independently and collectively that affects the overall development of women in the society. Further like Female, the Environment, too, need immediate attention and plan of action, Saffe is an endeavor towards the issues envisaging on the one hand to create awareness and attitude towards environmental concerned policy or overuse of resource and other hand to act towards policies that help the poor and increase their resource services like safe drinking water, sanitation & health.

Mission

Create community awareness about health, Sanitation, education and environmental issues.

Empower communities to identify challenges that negatively affect their environment and health, especially those of women and children.

Empower communities to identify available sustainable resources within the community, to overcome these challenges.

Enhance and improve the educational level of girl child belonging to the marginalized section of the society.

Background & Motivation

Social Action for Female and Environment originated in 1999 in small urban area in the Madhepura District of Bihar. The aim of the organization was to improve the health and social status of women and also improve the environmental health in the community. This began as a social movement by few educated youth from this underdeveloped place, who volunteered to stimulate inner conscious of people around them; to act for the betterment of society and environment. Saffe made women the center point for its empowerment efforts in the community because women, in spite, of having a better vision about the welfare of the family, are the least empowered to take lead in any positive action. Saffe began as a social movement and has remained so through these years, because it is community driven and community sustained, addressing in its own capacity, the most pressing community needs.

Because of its unique working style, it drew attention of health professionals, media persons and social activists and developed a wider network of people across India, who volunteered to share their national and international experience for the support of the organization. Thus it became National level registered society in June 2003. Presently it has more than 1000 volunteers network at the grassroots level with extensive support from local authorities, community leaders and village representatives. A dozen of experts in public health, clinical work, education, media, analysis, social work, research and other field across the India volunteer their expertise as per the need. 

Project Program

Education

Project- SristiProgram:

Saffe Girl child education program (Sristi) was started by Saffe community volunteer to initiate the process of education amongst the girls from Socio-Economically deprived sections of the society in Murliganj (2001-2003) and among Desia/Polia and other backward class in Hindu and socio-economically deprived section of Muslim community in flood affected area of Katihar district of Bihar (from-2007).

Vision & Work : Child labor is dominant in the area with untouchability, exploitation, poverty,

illiteracy and consequent lack of awareness plaguing the community. The vision is to use education as a tool for initiating a social movement whereby empowering such marginalized communities & the resources were mobilized from members and other individuals in the absence of external resources without compromising the expected outcomes.

The Program acts as a bridge school to integrate children into the government run School. Empowerment comes from education that extends into spreading awareness about issues plaguing the community in this rural part of Bihar.

Sanitation

Total Sanitation Campaign

Associated with TSC since 2006

Work includes- • Generate felt demand for sanitation facilities, • Promote hygiene education and sanitary habits among

students & villagers, • Encourage cost effective and appropriate technologies in

sanitation, • Setting up production centre & sanitary mart, • Eliminate open defection to minimized risk of contamination

of drinking water sources and food, • Convert dry latrines to pour flush latrines and • Eliminate manual scavenging practices, wherever existence in

assigned areas. 

Health

Marginalized Women Health Care Project

This program in Murliganj urban area focused on elderly orphan women who are socio-economically deprived and provided health care to them. The work started in November 1999 with the inclusion of 100 vulnerable women identified through voluntary community mobilizers. Health care professionals and doctors supported this project on voluntary basis. All these women were followed up with periodical health check ups and were provided essential health care till Dec.2002

Maternal Health Care Project

MHCP with its initiation in August 2000 with organization of health care and treatment camp for pregnant women from socio-economically deprived communities/ sections identified through voluntary community mobilizers. Management of malnutrition, pregnancy related conditions and other health problems were done once in a month through camp approach using voluntary support of health care professionals and doctors. The need of frequent provision of health care was identified during monthly camps. In the year 2001 health camps were modified in to weekly health care provision days and were organized at a fixed place through trained personnel with added referral service to voluntary doctors and primary health center. Further it was noticed that the some women from the most deprived sections of the Indian society were not able to attend health care provisions. Therefore instead of fixed place health care, service was shifted to community in 2002 by organizing maternal health care in strategic locations. In 2004 the program is in transition to self-sustainability; through voluntary community mobilizers doing mobilization of pregnant women to the voluntary doctors and primary health centers for essential maternal care.

Research/Study

• A qualitative research on dangerous method of abortion used by local quacks and traditional birth attendants in Kosi area. Results from the research have been used to create awareness against such practices in the community

• HIV related knowledge, attitude, believes and practices (KABP) study among health care professional of Koshi- Mahananda region of Bihar. This a questionnaire based cross sectional study

• A quantitative research to find the association between leaving conditions and health status in a rural city of Bihar. This was a cross sectional questionnaire based household survey done in Murliganj of Madhepura district.

Advocacy/Awareness

• Advocacy and awareness for increased community participation in antenatal, intra-natal and postnatal care; pamphlets were printed, distributed and education was imparted through voluntary community mobilizers

• A project for HIV prevention among interstate migrants in railway station Katihar. This project reaches interstate migrants in the railway station using innovative methods (2004-2006).

• A project for HIV prevention among family of interstate migrant laborers at Murliganj, Madhepura

• Grass-route support to polio eradication by social mobilization and other essential support

• Wall writing on health issues like HIV / Maternal & Child Health Program

Female & Environment

International Presentation

A review of Female Infanticide and Feticide, its socio-demographical impacts in India using census data and other publications was done in 2004. The paper prepared was accepted for poster presentation in “7th World conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion” in Vienna June 6-9, 2004

Advocacy/Awareness

During maternal health care provision, in some locations it was identified that some pregnant women were experiencing severe Domestic Violence. Separate questionnaires were designed to identify pregnant women suffering from domestic violence. Family and spouse counseling of such women were done through female voluntary community mobilizers to get support for such women to prevent domestic violence.

Endosulphan awareness: In the Koshi-Mahananda region endosulphan is used by “jalmafia” to catch fish by poisoning them in the ponds and rivers. One to one communication is done to make fishermen aware about dangers of its use.

Plastic use awareness: Social awareness is created about the dangers of usage of polybag through workshops and lectures

Emergency

Koshi Pralaya

The devastating floods in Bihar, one of the worst in recent history, have wrecked havoc in the lives of people, causing the displacement of over two million people. Saffe. has responded immediately to the need by providing emergency rescue and relief assistance to affected families. Saffe has provided immediate relief to people as per their need. With the increasing risk of the outbreak of water-borne diseases, Saffe is also actively involved in training people on maintaining basic hygiene in flood affected area & relief camp. For many people in Bihar, life will never be the same again. The floods have destroyed their possessions and their very lives are in danger. Thousands of people continue to face the fury of the floods. As people continue to struggle for their basic needs, we struggle to change their lives.

In the Pipeline

Setting up Resource Centre for the betterment of Women & Child in the all blocks of Katihar, Madhepura & Supoul district of Bihar.

Our Strength

Community Volunteer

A network of nearly 700 proactive grassroots level Community Volunteers called “Hitaishi” in Madhepura, Supoul & Katihar districts of Bihar.

Member• Mr. Ramesh Mishra (G.S.) - Is a journalist and social worker. He combines

professional media experience with a vast exposure in communication research. He has gained deep understanding of social issues and its multi dimensional impacts in grass root level while doing several researches and documentation. Possess experience of over 11 years in Professional Journalism and Social Work with hands-on experiences in Print & Television media. Have been working with reputed International media houses like Network18 (CNN-IBN, IBN7, CNBC) and NGO like W.H.O. in Bihar

• Dr. Vivek Singh (Founder Member) – Is a Public Health professional who has worked with W.H.O., as Surveillance Medical Officer, for over 5 years in the districts of Katihar, Saharsa, Sapaul and Purnia. He has done Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Emory University in Atlanta, GA (US) on a Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) future faculty fellowship.

• Dr. Vittal Mogasale (Founder Member) – a Public Health professional who has experience of working with W.H.O. as a Surveillance Medical Officer in Madhepura district of Bihar. Vittal did his MPH from Isreal and worked as a consultant with Family Health International’s HIV program in India. Currently Vittal is persuing PhD in Health Economics from University of Melbourne.

Professionals

• Dr. Navneet Anand, PhD (Sociology of Communication): Is an academic journalist. He combines professional media experience with a vast exposure in communication research. Possess experience of over nine years in professional journalism and media education with hands-on experiences in print, television and radio media. Has worked with reputed Indian media houses like The Indian Express, Media Transasia and Times of India. 

• Dr. Maya Tiwari – Academician and Social Activist with extensive working experience in various social issues at grass root level especially related to female. 

• Mr. Kamlesh Mishra: Is an electronic media person with more than 7 years of working experience in pertaining to various social issues.

• Mr. Nand Kumar, (PG in Economics): Worked as Probationary Officer in the Department of Home, Government of Bihar. Currently working as Lecturer of Humanity in Delhi College of Engineering. 

• Dr. V.N. Biswas, MBBS, MD: Health Expert with more than 20 years of working experience. 

• Mr. Mayank Mishra; Is a media specialist currently working with Network 18 as a senior news producer.

Contact DetailsRegistered Office

Block WP 105/A, Pitampura, Delhi- 88, India.

Branch OfficeH/o- Madan jha, New Officer Colony, Mirchaibari, Katihar,

Bihar. H/o-Ramesh Mishra, Safe, Main Road, Murliganj, Madhepura,

Bihar.

E-mail & Contact

[email protected], [email protected] /(+91) 9430927890 Key Contact Person

Ramesh Mishra (General Secretary)Mb.+91 9939959404/E-mail: [email protected] &

[email protected]

Legal Status

Registered Name Social Action for Female and

Environment

Status Registered in India under Societies registration

Act 1860 (Reg. No-S/46226/03) and 80G of I.T.,

Founded in November 1999.