NGO adopts village, creates income avenues

SOS Children's Village conducts skill development courses for the poor, revamps government school.

In December last year, SOS Children's Village, an international NGO for underprivileged children, camped at Nahira, a village 45 km from Guwahati.

This was a routine rural exposure camp. However, on seeing the poor state of the area, the organisation decided to adopt the village, a move very different from its regular adoption programmes.

Most of the villagers were labourers and daily wage earners. The school dropout level was exceptionally high among children and the youth. Most of the girls worked as domestic helps in nearby towns. The closest government school was 7 km away and in a dilapidated condition. Out of more than 400 children in the village, only 20 attended the school.

SOS swung into action. A group of girls from Nahira were brought to SOS Children's Village. They were trained to make paper bags, jute bags, and decorative items out of bamboo and cane. The NGO then organised an exhibition-cum-sale of these products in Guwahati.

When the girls returned to their village a week later, SOS provided them with raw material so they could continue the work. This was a turning point for the village as well as its denizens. When an SOS team visited Nahira two months later, it experienced a sea change in the village.

"The girls still make paper and jute bags. This encouraged me to work for this village," says Subash Koul, director of the NGO.

SOS identified 100 poor families, including 403 children, of Nahira and charted out a road map for their prosperity.

It also took up the renovation work of the village school and started providing mid-day meals, stationery and uniforms. From 20 students in July, the number has now increased to 87. Koul is hopeful the number will soon touch 100.

On August 1, SOS formally adopted the 100 poor families of Nahira. The NGO has started a Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) and formed a village committee, with the village panchayat as its part, to oversee and run the school and other activities. This is the first time that a village has been adopted by SOS.

Since the adoption of Nahira, the NGO has launched skill development programmes, provided financial support for the youth, roped in micro-finance institutions to help the needy, and set up self-help groups.

Since poverty was the single biggest reason for parents not to send their wards to school, "the idea behind the programme was to enhance the income of the parents so as to make them strong enough to take care of their children", Koul said.

He added that SOS would sponsor education of the children who were interested in pursuing higher studies.

SOS has opened a computer centre in the village and hired a trainer. It has also roped in another NGO to provide income generation avenues for women in the village.

The school, which is now a ray of hope for 400 children of the village, is just up to eighth standard.

"We want the village to grow. We want it to be a model village," said Koul.