SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS:
Pursuing its Vision, the WRSSF has been working to bring ‘fullness of life’ to its target groups especially through the following projects:
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Aware
that empowerment is basically a process of
capacity building of the people, the Forum regularly organises Training
Programmes for the chief functionaries, the staff and the local animators at
the zonal, state and regional levels. Some of the important programmes deal
with issues such as: Planning and Management, Social Analysis, Gender and
Development, Environmental problems, Tribal concerns, and Prison Ministry.
Training programs are also a powerful tool in stimulating exchange of ideas
and networking among the various partner agencies.
COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
A
scientific approach is followed in community organisation and in building up
of people’s movement. Educational and health issues along with economic
empowerment of the poor have been given importance. A preventive and
proactive approach is preferred in tackling emerging social problems like
HIV/AIDS and communal violence. Community based organisations foster
participative style of leadership where people are encouraged to take charge
of the situation in dealing with local problems
GENDER PERSPECTIVE
Believing
that the reality of poverty is ‘man-made’ and, given a chance, women can
‘un-make’ it, WRSSF integrates the gender dimension in all its programmes as
a strategy for transformative change. Women are organised into mahila
mandals with saving and credit schemes and income generation programmes.
They have been given awareness with regard to globalisation, community
health, drinking water and sanitation, educational and environmental issues.
Crisis intervention cells offer legal aid and support to women in distress.
TRIBAL ISSUES
Jal,
Jameen, Jungle – water, land and forest are the primary resources around
which the tribal life revolves and today when all these are threatened, the
life of the tribals becomes very precarious. Displacement induced by the
so-called development programmes, the dams and mines, has made them roofless
and rootless. Community development programmes among the tribals address
these issues focussing particularly on health, education, economic and
social empowerment
PRISON MINISTRY
There
are 112 prisons with over 85 thousand prisoners in the three states of Goa,
Gujarat and Maharashtra. 70% of these are young persons, a large percentage
being first time offenders or under-trials. There has been a concerted
effort in the some of the dioceses of the Western Region to reach out to
these through counselling, literacy classes, value education, skill
training, providing reading materials, preparing them for School/University
exams, offering cultural and recreational programmes and legal help
WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
Attention
to the environment is becoming increasingly a major concern in the different
programmes of the Forum. Aware that watershed management is the mother of
all developmental programmes, the WRSSF has taken up this project on a
priority basis. The Integrated Watershed Management Programme builds up
people’s groups that take care of water and soil conservation through
scientific methods, promote eco-friendly agriculture, afforestation
programmes, pasture and fodder development, animal husbandry, interventions
against salinity, water logging and soil erosion. A National Environmental
Development Centre is in the offing at Nagpur.
RESPONSE
TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
Whenever
there is a calamity like earthquake, floods, drought or communal violence,
WRSSF rises to the occasion networking with its partner organisations in
relief and rehabilitation. The Lathur and Kutch earthquakes have been two
such occasions when partners of the Forum have reached out with relief
materials, volunteers as well as rehabilitation of the victims, building
earthquake resistance houses. Relief work was also undertaken during the
communal violence in Gujarat by way clothes, medicine, counselling and
building up of the mohalla committees. We are working towards a pro-active
approach in Disaster Management.
RESEARCH
& DOCUMENTATION
Aware
of the need of being relevant to the social setup in which we are working,
WRSSF has been conducting research and maintaining documentation on a
systematic basis. Research has helped us to monitor and re-orient our
programmes. The information gathered through documentation is made available
to the entire region through Annual Reports and the periodic publication of
a bulletin, “Western Region Diary”. Our website too furnishes useful data
and resource material. Plans are afoot for a full-pledged R & D Centre for
the Region.