SUGRAM - Model Villages Program of XLRI

Summary

The SUGRAM Model Villages Program, initiated by SEEDS with support from XLRI Jamshedpur, aims to transform two villages in Jharkhand by implementing a holistic approach to socio-economic development. Drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's Gram Swarajya and the UN's sustainable development goals, the program focuses on empowering women, enhancing education, and promoting sustainable farming practices. Over time, the initiative has successfully elevated literacy rates, improved healthcare, and increased incomes for villagers, helping 266 families rise above the poverty line. Notably, the project has led to increased educational achievements, better health conditions, and diverse agricultural practices within the communities, marking a significant shift towards self-sufficiency and empowerment for the villagers involved.

Highlights

• SEEDS has partnered with XLRI to revolutionize two villages in Jharkhand! 🎥
• Women empowerment is fueling development—literacy rates are skyrocketing! 📚
• These villages are becoming educational powerhouses with improved school systems! ✏️
• Agricultural diversity in cropping is boosting food security and incomes! 🌾
• The initiative has drastically cut down poverty levels in these communities! 💹

Key Takeaways

• The SUGRAM program turns two villages into vibrant, self-sufficient communities! 🌟
• Empowering women is key to social change – and it's working wonders here! 👩‍🌾
• Education rates are soaring, with no students failing their class 10 exams lately! 🎓
• From single-crop to multi-crop farms - sustainable agriculture is transforming livelihoods! 🌽
• Health and sanitation improvements are making diseases like malaria a thing of the past! 🚫🦟

Overview

In a groundbreaking initiative, SEEDS, backed by XLRI Jamshedpur, embarked on transforming two Jharkhand villages into modern marvels. Dive deep into the SUGRAM Model Villages Program that is changing lives through sustainable development practices, driven by the vision of Mahatma Gandhi's Gram Swarajya and global sustainable goals.

Central to this transformative journey is the empowerment of women. Literacy circles and income-generating activities have bolstered female literacy rates and infused confidence among village women. Educational improvements are apparent, with schools reporting higher attendance and students shining in board exams.

Furthermore, the villages are witnessing an agricultural renaissance with diversified cropping systems breathing new life into farming practices. Embracing health, sanitation, and income advancements, these communities are redefining what's possible through collective effort and visionary leadership. The SUGRAM initiative is not just altering landscapes but fundamentally uplifting the lives of its rural inhabitants.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to SUGRAM Project The chapter introduces the SUGRAM Project, an initiative by the NGO 'Socio-Economic and Education Development Society,' in collaboration with XLRI Jamshedpur. The project's aim is to transform two villages in Jharkhand into modern villages. The introduction sets the stage for understanding the goals and motivations behind the project.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Holistic Development Approach The chapter discusses the 'Holistic Development Approach', inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's concept of 'Gram Swarajya'. It elaborates on how Seeds empowers poor communities through sustainable methods. This development strategy aligns with the United Nations' Millennium Project and global sustainable development goals, providing a multi-faceted, enduring path to upliftment.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Goals of the SUGRAM Project The chapter titled 'Goals of the SUGRAM Project' discusses the primary objectives of the SUGRAM initiative. It aims to eradicate extreme rural poverty through a comprehensive approach by establishing various community-based organizations. Additionally, the project focuses on enhancing the quality of education in schools and developing literacy and skills within communities.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Community-based Interventions The chapter titled 'Community-based Interventions' discusses the significant impact of various strategic interventions aimed at improving food production, nutrition, health, water sanitation, communication, livelihood, and enterprise diversification. These efforts also focus on aiding communities in accessing government schemes and services. The narrative highlights the notable success of these interventions in two model villages, benefiting 1500 direct beneficiaries.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Selection of Model Villages The chapter 'Selection of Model Villages' focuses on the identification of model villages referred to as 'Sugram' in two districts near Jamshedpur. The first village, Swaśpur, is situated about 35 kilometers from the industrial town of Jamshedpur, while the second village, Kuchidi, is located nearly 27 kilometers away from the city of Jamshedpur. These villages are characterized by their tranquil surroundings, being free from the hustle and bustle of modern life, and are enveloped by forest land and paddy fields.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Challenges Before SUGRAM Chapter Title: Challenges Before SUGRAM Summary: The chapter focuses on the economic conditions in two villages where the majority of people work in fields or as contract workers. A baseline survey from the latter half of 2013 revealed grim statistics, showing that nearly 85 out of 310 families lived below the poverty line. This sets the stage for the challenges faced by the project SUGRAM.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Initial Conditions in Villages The chapter discusses the initial conditions in villages, specifically focusing on the state of education. The literacy rate was low at 64 percent overall, with the female literacy rate even lower at 49 percent. Both the school buildings and their environments were in poor condition, leading to unsatisfactory attendance by both children and teachers. Consequently, the quality of education was at its lowest, and there was a lot of barren land around government schools.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Launch and Focus on Women Empowerment The chapter titled 'Launch and Focus on Women Empowerment' highlights the challenges faced by a community due to outdated agricultural practices and poor sanitation facilities. The fields remain unproductive for half the year due to a lack of advanced farming techniques, and the community suffers from inadequate waste management, absence of household toilets, and lack of safe drinking water sources.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Increase in Female Literacy The chapter discusses the efforts to increase female literacy in two villages. The villages were struggling socio-economically, and the people needed motivation and better direction in life. The socio-economic and education development society, known as seeds, initiated interventions in these villages to improve education and overall quality of life.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Women's Role in Village Development Women's empowerment is critical for community development, as demonstrated by women actively participating in literacy circles and initiating income-generating activities. The six literacy centers for women have played a significant role in nearly doubling the female literacy rate, enabling women to read and write.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Improvements in School Education The chapter titled 'Improvements in School Education' highlights the significant progress made by neo-literate women in Kuchidi. These women, who have learned Hindi and basic arithmetic, are now more confident and have developed skills in communication, self-confidence, and leadership. They have also made advancements in learning the English language. This boost in confidence has transformed them into a formidable force.
• 06:00 - 06:30: High School Achievements The chapter discusses the high school achievements focusing on the all-round development of students in their villages. It highlights the active participation of students in local governance by attending gram sabha meetings, visiting banks and government offices, and advocating for their rights. This engagement illustrates their growing awareness and involvement in community affairs.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Efforts in Computer Literacy The chapter titled 'Efforts in Computer Literacy' begins by setting the stage with music, creating an engaging and motivating atmosphere for the reader.
• 09:00 - 09:30: Economic Advancements The chapter titled 'Economic Advancements' highlights the significant improvements in the quality of school education. It emphasizes how the school managing committee and villagers actively participate in monitoring school functions, including the midday meal programs. Additionally, the chapter notes the progress of remedial learning centers, specifically for high school students, in core subjects like English, Science, and Mathematics.
• 10:30 - 11:00: Agricultural Developments The chapter titled 'Agricultural Developments' outlines significant advances in educational outcomes within village schools, particularly focusing on scientific education. It highlights how innovative methods, under the aegis of 'seeds', have made education appealing, leading to drastic improvements in learning levels. A notable success is the elimination of students failing class 10 board examinations, addressing the long-standing issue of high school dropouts, especially observed as resolved by the year 2016.
• 13:00 - 13:30: Establishment of Cooperative Society In the chapter titled 'Establishment of Cooperative Society', a significant milestone was achieved in Khuchidi village when nine students passed their tenth board exams in the first division. This success was celebrated with great enthusiasm by both the students and the villagers. Over the past four years, a total of 67 students from the village have been admitted to college, marking a proud achievement for the village, which is now viewed as a model for educational success.
• 15:00 - 15:30: Health and Sanitation Improvements The chapter titled 'Health and Sanitation Improvements' seems to focus on the educational and personal goals of an individual named Mohamed Amato. He is a student from a village and studies at MS Manson in class nine. Mohamed not only attends school but also goes to a coaching center regularly, where he focuses on three subjects: math, science, and English. Currently, he is diligently working to achieve a 90 percent score in his metric exams. This snippet suggests a narrative of self-improvement and dedication in the context of education, possibly linking to broader themes of health and sanitation improvements in his village.
• 18:48 - 19:30: Community Engagement and Events The chapter titled 'Community Engagement and Events' discusses the collaborative efforts between teachers and learners in creating teaching and learning aids. Nearly 250 such aids have been designed and developed to support the learning of subjects like English, Science, Maths, and Civics.
• 19:30 - 20:00: Goals for Self-sufficiency The chapter discusses innovative educational methods aimed at promoting self-sufficiency in a village. A new approach involves painting educational content, such as science lessons and general knowledge, on village walls. This method enhances learning not just for students but also benefits the entire community, including both young and elderly residents. Additionally, the chapter highlights a significant development in the village's progress: 55 students have successfully learned the basics of computers at two newly established village computer centers, with a notable inclusion of seven women in this educational advancement.
• 21:00 - 21:30: Support from Partners and Future Vision The initiative aims to educate women, men, and children.

SUGRAM - Model Villages Program of XLRI Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] the ngo seats are socio-economic and education development society with the support of xlri jamshedpur has taken an initiative to shape two villages of jharkhand into modern villages
• 00:30 - 01:00 seeds has succeeded in empowering the poor communities through holistic and sustainable approaches this approach of development is based on the concept of mahatma gandhi's grams varajya it has drawn parameters and strategies from the u.n millennium project and subsequently from the global sustainable development
• 01:00 - 01:30 goals to end extreme rural poverty this project known as sugram is an integrated set of interventions made to include the constitution of several community-based organizations improving the quality of school education total other literacy skill development of communities
• 01:30 - 02:00 for better food production nutrition health water sanitation communication livelihood enterprise diversification and accessing government schemes and services we are impressive to see the impact of these interventions in these two villages particularly among 1500 direct beneficiaries two model villages
• 02:00 - 02:30 better known as sugram were identified in two districts one swaspur about 35 kilometers from the industrial town of jamshedpur and the other kuchi di located nearly 27 kilometers away from the city of jamshedpur these are villages free from the hustle and bustle of modern life surrounded by forest land and taddy
• 02:30 - 03:00 fields the people of both the villages mostly work in the fields or as contract workers in the nearby factories the baseline survey conducted in the initial phase of the project that is in the latter half of the year 2013 showed a dismal picture nearly 85 of the 310 families lived below the poverty line the total
• 03:00 - 03:30 literacy rate was 64 percent with female literacy being even lower at 49 the school building together with its environment was miserable and the attendance of children as well as of teachers was far from satisfactory obviously the quality of education was at its lowest a lot of area around the government schools lay darren
• 03:30 - 04:00 and the outlying fields remained useless for over six months of the year the advanced and semi-advanced methods of cultivation were alien to them most of the people here lived without proper sanitation they did not know how to handle their domestic waste and garbage there were no household toilets no safe sources of drinking water
• 04:00 - 04:30 like many in our country these people were constantly struggling to improve the quality of their life these men women and children needed motivation direction and a better purpose in life amid such state of affairs the socio-economic and education development society popularly known as seeds launched its interventions in the two villages as has been proved time and again if a
• 04:30 - 05:00 community has to be developed first of all its women need to be empowered this was once again proved right when women readily came forward to attend the literacy circles and to start income generating activities the six literacy centers for women have been instrumental in hiking the female literacy rate to nearly double of what it was earlier now they not only can read and write in
• 05:00 - 05:30 hindi and do simple arithmetic but are a lot more confident with their newly acquired skills of communication self-confidence and leadership enthused with their progress the neo-literate women in kuchidi have also made strides into the english language this newfound confidence among the neo-literate women is clearly perceptible and they have shaped up into a formidable force
• 05:30 - 06:00 for all round development in their villages they now participate in the gram sabha meetings go to banks and government offices and advocate for their rights
• 06:00 - 06:30 [Music]
• 06:30 - 07:00 the quality of school education now has improved considerably the school managing committee meets regularly and the villagers monitor the functioning of the schools and also the midday meals the remedial learning centers for high school students in the subjects of english science and mathematics have shown
• 07:00 - 07:30 drastic improvement in learning levels scientific education is the dominant feature in the village schools today thus seeds has created an appealing space for them here contrary to the earlier years not a single student has failed in the class 10 board examination thus the chronic problem of dropouts at the high school level ceases to exist in the year 2016
• 07:30 - 08:00 history was created in khuchidi village when nine students passed their tenth board exams in the first division the students as well as the villagers were ecstatic and they celebrated the occasion in a grand manner now there is no looking back for the students of both these villages in the last four years 67 students have been admitted into college which is a matter of great pride for the two model villagers my name is
• 08:00 - 08:30 mohamed amato my village name is considering my school name is ms manson i did in class nine i not only go to school but also come to coaching center regularly i study three subjects math science and english nowadays i am working hard to get 90 percent in metric exam i wish that
• 08:30 - 09:00 [Music] nearly 250 teaching learning aids to facilitate the learning of english science maths and civics have been designed and developed by both the teachers and learners
• 09:00 - 09:30 the novel idea of painting science lessons and general knowledge matter on the village walls is not only helping the students to learn better but is also proving to be a learning for young and old alike for the first time 55 students have learned the fundamentals of computers at the two village computer centers seven women
• 09:30 - 10:00 have also got enrolled i'm vlog deleted foreign the initiative of seats to educate women men and children alike is highly
• 10:00 - 10:30 commendable as it has allowed young girls and boys to follow their dreams it is encouraging to note that there has been a perceptible shift of 266 families in the two villages from below poverty line to above poverty line which means that 85 percent of the families have shifted above poverty line the hike in family income ranges from 3 000 rupees to twenty
• 10:30 - 11:00 thousand rupees per month improvement in food and nutrition security is perceptible particularly as a consequence of farm diversification and animal husbandry nearly 180 persons have received training in crop and soil management animal husbandry and entrepreneurship development the training and exposure visits to
• 11:00 - 11:30 other states and to several ngos coupled with the initial small grants to the poorest families have shown perceptible changes in the land use pattern as well as in their income enhancement the land use of the villages has started undergoing a change the erstwhile monocrop areas are turning into multi-crop ones for the first time wheat cultivation has been introduced
• 11:30 - 12:00 maize oil seeds pulses vegetables and tuber cultivation has started in both the villages villagers have converted the barren land into lush green vegetables gardens with the knowledge of soil testing and procuring better quality seeds from the village seed bank in the year 2015 57 of the poorest
• 12:00 - 12:30 families were given a startup micro support for rearing goats pigs ducks vegetable cultivation and rice processing
• 12:30 - 13:00 [Music] in nearly three and a half years their seed money has multiplied almost 5 volt [Music] all families have several savings bank accounts
• 13:00 - 13:30 1191 to be precise as compared to the 271 at the start of the project sugram sarkari samiti or the cooperative society functioning in the villages is moving towards self-sufficiency in kuchidi cooperative society village women are in the forefront they manage to enterprises the rice processing unit which churns out puffed rice locally known as
• 13:30 - 14:00 moori they buy the rice treat it process it do the packaging as well as the marketing the second enterprise is that of spice grinding apart from buying the raw materials women do all the other activities relating to the
• 14:00 - 14:30 enterprise the cooperative society manages the nursery and plantation this again is managed by the women [Music] namaskar amanda amanda
• 14:30 - 15:00 seeds and xlri health hygiene and sanitation
• 15:00 - 15:30 have improved drastically in both the villages as a result of proper management of waste water there are no cases of malaria now regular health checkup camps for school children as well as for adults have improved the health scene water quality testing was done for 10 sources in both the villages the report confirmed to the norms all the homes have an endogenous water filter unit
• 15:30 - 16:00 thus providing safe drinking water now almost every house in both the villages has a dust bin at home and compost pits in its courtyard waste domestic water drains into the kitchen garden [Music] the fresh vegetables from the kitchen garden are consumed by the families and the excess quantity is sold by some families
• 16:00 - 16:30 in the neighboring villages or village markets also known as hearts it is a matter of great satisfaction that presently both khuchidi and swaspur are open defecation-free villages in contrast to the scene at the start of the project now all the villagers use their household toilets regularly ground vikas mela or village development fairs are organized every year where the
• 16:30 - 17:00 community based organizations and the students of the remedial centers showcase their achievements [Music] several stalls are put up to apprise the village community from neighboring areas the government officials and the panchayat representatives of the progress in the villages the exhibition comes sale of the farm produce and processed products are popular among the village folk school children enacts kids on
• 17:00 - 17:30 contemporary issues such as girls education early marriage and alcohol-free village women and youth achievers share their experiences with the audience
• 17:30 - 18:00 with continuous support from seeds the villagers are forging ahead they are on the path towards self-sufficiency taking care of their environment understanding their citizen rights and duties these villages have a lot to speak about development particularly their women the model village project has been implemented by the seeds
• 18:00 - 18:30 team with valuable support and contribution from xlri the communities of cochiti and schwas villages the panchayat and government the project has been instrumental in strengthening the community based organizations and developing the skills at every level be its school children youth women farmers community teachers
• 18:30 - 19:00 service providers or elected members of the punjab it has helped them to become self-reliant and improve their quality of life now being a model village it will keep on evolving and its journey towards reaching the ideal continues but we are confident and very hopeful
• 19:00 - 19:30 that the ripples will get wider and wider so we hope that the model village will show the path to many more villages hamlets and its peoples and help in realizing the dream of graham swaraja of mahatma gandhi joy hind i am thankful to see to partner with us and i wish you the best
• 19:30 - 20:00 for many many more years of service for the marginalized enchantment [Music] you