Working towards progress

Neehar is another one of their project for the rehabilitation of the children of sex workers and is located at Lohegaon. Entering Neehar through a gate in an iron interface, one is greeted with the resounding cries of children. The atmosphere here is one of love and caring and this is supplemented with the healthy, joyous cries of children. Neehar, a rehabilitation centre of the children of prostitutes gives a caring and disciplined environment for the children to live in. These children go to schools nearby, an acknowledgement of acceptance from the community which had once been vehemently opposed to the building of Neehar. This hard battle was won slowly and today Neehar boasts of many success stories.

The program benefits 77 children. quot;Our aim is to work with the new generation and help them lead a life of dignity and respect,quot; explains Meena Kurlekar, administrator of the Vanchit Vikas office at Narayan Peth. The main focus is on providing basic health care and nutrition, non-formal education, hobby classes and personality development efforts. Their success stories include two girls who have completed a home nursing course, one girl who is employed in a social institution and three girls who are married. Vilas Chapekar, director of the institute says, quot;The stress is on making the girls self sufficient, so they can be emotionally and financially independent.quot;

A dispensary and counselling centre at the red light area in Pune provides health education with care and counselling, benefitting about 680 women. The clinic is staffed by a doctor, a social worker-cum-counsellor and one assistant. Building a rapport with the women, the counsellors encourage them to gain self employment. Thus the women have been known to start work as vegetable vendors and ironing women.

The Sabla Mahila Kendra was set up in Latur to provide every possible support to women in distress. The centre has components like legal aid, counselling services, guidance regarding economic self-reliance for women and health education with actual check-ups. The organisation is also running an envelope making unit which is used as a training facility for the women.

The Svedaganga Prakalpa was set up to in 1993 for the rehabilitation of earthquake affected people in village Narangwadi. The project aimed to provide health care education, day care for children, income generation activities and a home for destitute children. One important point of the programmes is the health education and awareness regarding environmental sanitation.

The Adivasi Vikas Kendra and the Adivasi Vikas Prakalp are parts of the development project for tribal people in the Yavatmal district of Vidharbha.There are three major components of this programs.One is economic activities for women such as thrift and credit groups, another is a hostel for tribal girls and the third a demonstration in advance farming. The work is spread over 15 villages and various activities are organised.

The organisation also has a number of publications. One such is a children8217;s monthly magazine called Nirmal Ranwara . The aim is to encourage children to develop their personality and cultivate a scientific approach in them. The NGO also publishes books aimed at creating awareness about social problems like AIDS.

The main thrust of all the projects of Vanchit Vikas is to work for the emancipation of the deprived sections by encouraging a sense of worth through self employment. Toward this end they provide training through the printing press, a D.T.P unit, envelope making, screen printing, dairy farming, mushroom cultivation and vermiculture.

All this commendable work is done by a team of 65 social workers . Noting that 42 percent of the population is below the poverty line even after 52 years of independence, Vikas Chapekar attributes this to the well meaning , but ineffectual schemes of the government for rural development.quot;The other factor is that the youth of today is disillusioned with the system and nobody wants to work in the rural sector,quot; he says. Vanchit Vikas depends upon self generating activities like envelope making and donations from concerned individuals for funds . quot;We usually manage to scrape through but there is always a dearth of funds for work like this,quot; admits the director. Vanchit Vikas does not boast of performing any miracles but they do concede that if they are able to help in providing labour for all, education, health and enable communities to take decisions, then they have attained a measure of success.