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| Uttar Pradesh - Activities |
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Though Dadri is blessed with fertile land and good irrigation facilities, crop yields are below satisfactory levels due to lack of knowledge about soil health, appropriate cropping patterns, procurement of good quality seeds etc amongst the farmers. For this, ACF organised farmer training programmes in collaboration with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Appropriate field trips were also organised for the benefit of the farmers.
Kitchen gardens were promoted and developed by ACF and the beneficiaries were provided with seeds and the requisite training to cultivate the garden. Women’s Self Help Groups(SHGs) were also provided with seeds to cultivate vegetables. The vegetables grown by them was used for domestic consumption and also as a means to augment their income. Rice was organically cultivated for the first time in Dadri in 2009-10. The organic cultivation was carried out in 3 acres of land belonging to farmers. ACF provided the organic manure and technical support for this endeavour. In addition, 20 vermi-composting units were built by the farmers to generate organic compost.
Animal husbandry is a beneficial supplement to farming and for improving cattle health animal health and vaccination camps were conducted during the year in coordination with the Government Veterinary Department. Artificial inseminations were also conducted for improving the breed and the farmers were trained on different preventive measures.
Awareness programmes that imparted knowledge about first aid, improved milk production, cattle feed management as well as diseases and their prevention were organised by ACF and the Pashu Mitras were also involved in these programmes. Hundreds of livestock keepers benefitted from vaccination rallies carried out along with the Veterinary Department.
ACF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BSA to provide quality education in 19 schools. ACF extended support to these schools to develop teaching-learning materials, train teachers, develop infrastructure, provide healthcare to the students, promote sports and strengthen the Village Education Committees (VECs) and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs).
ACF has trained village volunteers as balmitras to work in five primary schools where they identify dropouts and re-enrol them in school, help slow learners keep up with their peers through supplementary education using special teaching-learning materials; and maintain regular contact with the students’ parents. The balmitra were provided with extensive training and their efforts have resulted in an improvement in learning levels and reduction in the drop out rates.
A Village Knowledge Centre has been opened at Bisahara village in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation. The centre provides the local youth with skills training and personality development, computer learning and English speaking classes. It houses a library stocked with career related books and periodicals. This initiative helps the rural youth develop their skills and access employment opportunities.
Weekly visits by qualified doctors and trained nurses were organised to the villages by ACF and curative health services were made available to the villagers. General health camps were held in and large number of 1,100 patients were treated. Besides this, health awareness programmes were conducted at the village level where the community was engaged with on issues like sanitation, safe drinking water, primary healthcare, vaccinations, and ante- as well as post-natal care (ANC/PNC). Related issues like food and nutrition were also taken up with the community. In order to ensure maternal and child health, ACF is strengthening the village anganwadis and in this initiative 15 were covered in the reporting year. The anganwadi workers were trained on ANC/PNC, nutrition, diet, child care and vaccinations. ACF actively participated in the Pulse Polio Campaign in collaboration with the District Health Department and18,367 children were covered under this campaign.
ACF has enabled the village women to form into Self Help Groups(SHGs). Besides getting them to save money and access soft loans, ACF helped them to start income generating activities. Three groups were successful in receiving bank loans for dairying and pig rearing. ACF periodically organised training sessions and exposure visits to build capacities of the group members.
Adolescent groups have been formed in 6 villages. Sensitisation meetings were carried out with these groups in collaboration with ICDS to help them become aware about career, health, hygiene and related issues. Youth groups have been developed by ACF in the villages and these function change agents for the community, working on improving sanitation facilities and helping members of the community get their dues such as pensions and ration cards.
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