We have entered into the new millennium but still have failed to provide basic necessities to the masses. Health and education being the minimum for a self-reliant and empowered society has not been accessible to masses. The current pattern of development has been directly affecting the lives of the poor and marginalized section of the society through reducing their accessibility as well as increasing the cost of these services. It is thus important to strengthen people’s effort to gain access to health and education. The organization with support from India Literacy Project, USA at present is running 08 Bal Mitra Centers in Surajgarh block to provide basic minimum literacy to out of school children, drop outs and children lacking access to education due to socio cultural ethos.

We are also intervening for the universalization of elementary education in Surajgarh and Alsisar blocks of Jhunjhunu in collaboration with SSA in our district. We aware the parents of the rural children to send their wards to the schools run under the SSA. A regular monitoring of the schools for the quality assurance is a major component of the work. This particular job is not funded by any agency but we do this activity to actualize our objective of strengthening education system in our target area.

Health

We at SRKPS under our health programme focus on improving quality and access of existing government health services. We have been working on bringing behavioral and attitudinal change among the people. It also includes influencing the health. Our organization was felicitated for its work in the area of family welfare by the Medical, Health and Family Welfare department, Government of Rajasthan on the World Population Day, 11th October 2003.

The organization in collaboration with Care-India (Rajasthan) is implementing the Integrated Nutrition and Health Project-II (INHP-II) in eight blocks of Jhunjhunu district and two blocks of Churu district. This project has an objective is to assure 100% target achievement by the health and nutrition services given by health department and ICDS department. In the project our intervention is on 10% of the total AWCs, which we are working to develop it as a demonstration site (DS). In these sites (AWCs) there are some innovations to track the LOs/DOs of the services. There is a social map in each DS, which has the tracking of all beneficiaries like Pregnant and Lactating women as well as children under two years. A MCH day is celebrated once in a month on which the health and nutrition services are provided simultaneously. There are five Change Agents (CAs), which are trained by us, and they help the AWWs to track the LOs/DOs.

Another project is being implemented at Churu Rural block of Churu district called Graduation Plan, which is funded by Care-Rajasthan. In this project the INHP intervention is done under the leadership of PRIs of the target area. This project is being implemented in 35 Gram Panchayats of the block. The PRIs are taken as main stakeholders of the services given by the ICDS and Health department. They are being sensitized to monitor the services of these departments in order to ensure 100% quality services to the beneficiaries. The main objective of the project is to hand over the works of the NGO as it was in INHP to the PRIs for future sustainability of the INHP interventions.

We in collaboration with Mamta Health Institute for Mother & Child, New Delhi have launched a new initiative namely ”An Action approach for reduction of early marriage and early pregnancy among young people in Rajasthan” and are currently working in 19 villages of Alsisar and Surajgarh block of Jhunjhunu district. This project has an objective of reducing the incidence of early marriage and early pregnancy in the district. This project is pilot project. On evaluation of the impact it will extend its coverage area. In this project intervention is done on different levels i.e. village level, panchayat level. Block level, district level with different stakeholders. The main work is done with adolescents who need much care about their sexual and health rights. We work through Peer group approach so that the messages could be expanded in the adolescents in a vast area.

SRKPS has also started implementing a project entitled ‘RCH programme through Safe mother hood initiatives’ which will cater the health care needs of Pregnant & lactating mothers and children through a well-equipped static health center. This project is funded by Population Foundation of India, New Delhi and being implemented under the supervision of ARTH Society, Udaipur. This project will target the beneficiaries of 23 villages under Alsisar block of Jhunjhunu district. Aapno Swasthya Kendra is based in Luna village which is just 13 Kms away from Jhunjhunu headquarter.

Another health project is being implemented in 14 villages of Alsisar Panchayat Samiti of Jhunjhunu. This is RCH project funded under MNGO scheme and monitored and supported by Bhorukha Charitable Trust, Churu. This project has 14 village health workers who are trained about RCH issues and they promote the RCH services in the villages. The main objective of the project is to sensitize the stakeholders about the health services to be taken from the health departments. At the same time timely availability of services like ANCs, the project staff and the village health workers ensure immunization and safe delivery. We also intervene in the area to promote family planning of the eligible couples to control the population growth.

An awareness programme for HIV/AIDS is being carried out by the organization with support from District Health Department. So many events are organized at schools and colleges to aware the adolescents about HIV/AIDS.

Recently SRKPS has raised another issue in the district that is Declining Child Sex Ratio in the district. The organization has done many activities to reduce the illegal termination of the female foetus, which we call female foeticide. In collaboration with PRAYAS, Chittorgarh we have organized many workshops with different stakeholders on this issue. A massive rally was organized involving the school children to raise this issue in the district. The organization is thinking and planning to expand the focus of the issue through out the district.

INSTITUTION:

Strengthen Local Self-Governance:
We believe that 73rd constitutional amendment is a step towards empowering the poor and marginalized and creating an aware and self-reliant society. This has provided space for the participation of women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in governance and bring out a social change.
SRKPS has a deep interest in working with PRIs because it’s a smallest unit of governance at the village level. Organization in collaboration with PRIA, New Delhi is working to strengthen PRIs since last five years. The organization through its PRC caters the need of the PRIs regarding the information of new schemes or any developmental issues. PRIs are frequently oriented about different issues. There are Village Education Committees, which are constituted by the initiatives of the talented staffs of the organization who really have good grasp over the PRIs. The project has rightly got its nomenclature as Rural Governance Initiatives project because it has many components of initiatives, which are taken by the organization. We through our Panchayat Resource Center (PRC) at Alsisar have been playing a significant role in capacitating the representatives especially the women and dalits representatives from the marginalized section. We are concentrating our efforts in strengthening of Gram Sabha and Ward Sabha to enable them to perform their duties and responsibilities efficiently. We are would definitely like to prepare representatives like Ms. Chanda Devi Jangir, Sarpanch Gram Panchayat Malsisar who created a new niche for herself and for others.

LIVELIHOOD:

Promotion of Livelihood:
We at SRKPS believe that right to livelihood is derived from right to life. The shrinking livelihood opportunities for the poor is a major issue which needs concerted action. We look at livelihood from the perspective of people gaining access to basic needs, water, food security, employment, sustainable agriculture and access to credit.
We have been concentrating our efforts in this direction and with support from UNDP constructed rainwater harvesting in the remotest villages of Alsisar block of Jhunjhunu district where access to safe drinking water was a major concern. We are implementing the World Bank aided District poverty Initiative Project (DPIP) with support from Government of Rajasthan in 60 villages of Churu and Rajgarh block of Churu district to ensure sustainable livelihoods for families below poverty line.

We have started a new project targeting the Scheduled caste poor farmers entitled ‘Demonstration of improved agriculture practices’ this project will give opportunity to the small and marginal farmers a new avenue to develop their agriculture practices. This project is supported by Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi.

Disaster Management:

It is essential that to respond to threat of frequent disasters like drought we capacitate the community in the vulnerable areas to acquire skills and understanding to respond to the situation and live with the same. This requires building capacity at different level and an integrated approach with a long-term perspective on disaster preparedness and mitigation.

We have been working in vulnerable areas of Jhunjhunu, Churu and Tonk district of Rajasthan on Community Based Disaster Management. We in collaboration with Intermediate Technology development Group (ITDG)- South Asia have established a community project in Lalwadi village of Newai block of Tonk district.

Other works:

In the area of human rights the organization is working with its great effort. A Family-Counseling Centre (FCC) is being run by the organization with support from Central Social Welfare Board, New Delhi. In this FCC so many cases of family problems are tackled and counseling is provide to the women who are disturbed due family tensions.

Organization also celebrates the days of National and International importance in its target area. These days are National Safe motherhood Day, International Women Day etc.