Tribal Women Fight Hunger
By Sarada Lahangir
Thu Feb 6, 2014
RAVAGADA
(WPS): In the
tribal village of Mundipadar in Bisam-Cuttack block of Rayagada district in
Odisha, Runi, 20, wife of Kanu Pidikaka, 21, delivered a low weight baby boy at
home some months ago. Weighing just 1.2 kg, the newborn was in a critical
state. When the anganwadi and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers
– appointed by the government to reach out to pregnant women, new mothers and
children up to six years – told Kanu to take his wife and son to the primary
health centre (PHC) he did not listen. That’s when Draupadi Pidikaka stepped
in. She spoke to the couple about how one wrong decision could cost them their
son’s life. When the couple revealed that they just could not afford the
transportation and treatment costs, she pointed out that it did not cost much
to reach the health centre and that once they got there, all the services would
be free of charge.
Draupadi and a few other women even pitched in and gave the
couple some money. One of them accompanied Runi and Kanu to the PHC, while the
others arranged for both the anganwadi and ASHA worker to be present when they
arrived. At the PHC, the doctor referred them to the Bisam-Cuttack Community
Health Centre where the baby was provided free treatment for three days. Three
months later, he was out of danger and he now weighted 2.6 kg.
Who were these women, led by Draupadi, who came to a poverty
stricken family’s rescue? They are all members of a special group formed with
the assistance of Living Farm, a Bhubaneswar-based non-government organisation
that’s implementing the Fight Hunger First Initiative (FHFI), launched by
WelthungerHilfe, to address the issues of hunger, malnutrition and maternal and
child health in Rayagada district. Under the programme which adopts the
Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) approach, tribal women and men in 46
villages in Bisam-Cuttack and Muniguda blocks are being empowered with the
requisite knowledge to transform their health-seeking behaviour.
The facilitators are local women’s groups who span out within
the community and encourage young parents to seek health care, including
institutional delivery and ante-natal and post-natal care.
Ever since Runi realised the significance of the PLA meetings
being conducted by the women’s group at Mundipadar, she has been a regular
member. “It was my first child and I had no idea of how to care for a baby. But
I have learnt many things about motherhood and newborn care like thermal
protection, early breast feeding and proper diets for mother through these
meetings. Now I am well trained in thermal protection for newborns and I tell
others about it as well,” says the confident young mother.
Thanks to the activism of these women, the community has become
conscious about matters related to health and nutrition. Elaborates Malama
Kalaka, Mundipadar’s ASHA worker, “People would never come to me of their own
accord. But ever since these meetings began, people have begun to accept my
advice and whenever I call the women to talk they are ready to take out time
and participate in the discussion. Institutional deliveries, too, have
increased in this village.”
The PLA approach has worked wonders. Not only has it changed
perceptions amongst the tribal population, it has enabled them to demand their
rights in other areas of life as well, something that had never happened before
given their own low sense of self-esteem, lack of literacy and tendency to
cling to superstitious beliefs.
Thirty-five kilometres from the Bisam-Cuttack block headquarters
is Hikini village of Dumernali Gram Panchayat. Home to 63 tribal families, the
anganwadi centre was never very popular. For the women who were more aware,
making more optimal use of the facility was a challenge but here too the
women’s group meetings proved their worth. Reveals Deepa Mundika, 46, “The
anganwadi worker had always been irregular and the community just had no idea
of what she was supposed to do or what the benefits of a functioning anganwadi
were. For instance, we had no idea that pregnant mothers and children who
attended these anganwadis were entitled to supplementary nutrition food
packets. Once a few of us started attending PLA meetings and formed a group, we
knew what we should do.”
They first sought out the anganwadi worker, Dhanima Kandhapani,
and urged her to distribute the food packets. But when she did not listen to
them they marched to the office of the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO)
to protest. “All the village women got together and went to the CDPO and
informed her of the irregularities. Dhanima was given a strict warming and ever
since she has been doing her duty diligently,” concludes Deepa, with a
satisfied smile.
Pioneered by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, the PLA approach
is based on the idea of creating critical consciousness in a community to
enable it to recognise and address the underlying social and political reasons
for its poor development. It works on the belief that such an understanding can
assist rural and tribal communities to deepen their understanding and
strategizing on issues like malnutrition. Nutrition education, for instance,
can spark off a dialogue on problem solving among the people, so that they take
action on their own instead of being passive recipients of received messages.
Explains Debjeet Sarangi, Founder and Director of Living Farm,
“At first, PLA was initiated in Rayagada to deal with malnutrition, the main
concern in the region. But later we understood that PLA is based on the firm
conviction that rural communities have the ability to think, reflect, analyse,
question, decide and act to themselves bring about change in their situations.
This energy was lying untapped. Through PLA sessions, we have made efforts to
mobilise them as individuals and as a collective to speak up, act against
inaction and raise questions in the context of their rights to food, nutrition
and livelihood.”
The PLA programme, which was instituted in 2012, has been
planned in four phases to successfully cope with neonatal death and infant
mortality rate as well as malnutrition among women and children. While the
first phase was about identifying and prioritising problems, the next phase
involved planning. Phase three was all about implementing feasible strategies
to tackle problems deemed as critical, while the fourth and last phase focused
on assessing impacts.
Over the last two years, the local tribal community in 46
villages – especially the women’s groups – has emerged as a powerful force in
the region. Some 15 rounds of PLA meetings on malnutrition have already taken
place.
The ripple effects of this sharing of knowledge on health and
food security are there for all to see. In Bangana village of Muniguda block,
when three new ration card holders were denied supplies under the Public
Distribution System (PDS) by the executive officer of Jagdalpur Gram Panchayat
on the grounds that their names were not on the list, the local women’s group
met with the Block Development Officer. The problem was resolved in three days.
In fact, most PDS shops, the backbone of food security here, are now open on
time and provide adequate rations at subsidised prices. “We had lost hope that
we could ever get cheap rice. We are illiterate and poor and can’t raise our
voice against the officials. But our women’s group has helped to take our
voices further and changed our lives,” says a delighted Rajibo Pusika.
Finally, it is all about ordinary village women and men getting
together to share their experiences, identify priorities and use their
knowledge of local conditions for the greater common good. Observes Bichitra
Biswal, Project Coordinator, Living Farms, “Such an approach invariably results
in realistic solutions that actually have a chance to succeed.”
(Women’s Feature Service)
Comments
Post a Comment