Community Health and Development, CMC, Vellore Report on Model Villages Project, Jawadhi Hills, Koiloor Village Introduction of Model Village #2, Vallithathankottai Village September 2017 The CHAD faculty and staff are grateful to the many donors who have supported the Model Villages Project in the Jawadhi Hills. Progress in Koiloor is extremely encouraging and work is about to begin in a second village. We hope you enjoy reviewing this report and photo gallery. An important note about the year just passed: The work in the Jawadhi Hills village of Koiloor, and the lives of all of the vulnerable in India, were severely disrupted when, without warning, the Indian government announced the demonetization of all large currency notes on November 8, 2016. This sudden announcement threatened every aspect of life including the important work planned for Koiloor. Most of the poor have bank accounts due to the Government 100-Day work program, although they are typically used only for the daily wages given by the government. Earnings from migrant labour and agriculture are usually kept at home in currency. After demonetization, people who could not deposit their money in the timeframe given by the government lost substantial earnings from last year. This was compounded by the fact that Jawadhi has only one bank -- crowds spent hours if not days waiting to swap their old currency for new. Banks closed early because they quickly ran out of cash; ATMs had no money in them. Even large institutions like CMC suffered losses because suppliers could not operate and many medical services could not be paid for weeks on end. In spite of this hardship the village of Koiloor has achieved some formidable goals. CHAD has incorporated many refinements to their plans as they begin a second model village in fall 2017.
Koiloor Village, Model Village #1
The centrepiece of each model village is the provision of family toilets and clean water. Koiloor achieved both of these goals in addition to many others. Toilet Construction At the end of the last reporting period (September 2016), toilet construction had just started. The first toilet was built in the house of the Village Ooran (leader), Mr. Kumar, in August 2016. At that time the consulting team from Gramalaya (www.gramalaya.com/) trained several villagers to be masons during the construction. In addition to learning to prepare cement and build straight level walls for each structure, the training included identifying suitable locations for the construction, measuring and marking the ground with care, and digging foundations. The people of Koiloor and Mr Kumar, agreed on the places for the rest of the construction and residents confirmed that they would provide their own labour. There was a lot of preparation needed before the full effort – building 95 toilets – could get underway. CHAD’s partner in the project, Don Bosco Tribal Development Society played a critical role getting permissions from the Block Development Officer (BDO) office and organizing the measurements for the new pipeline that would bring water from the overhead tank to the new SkyHydrant (details below).
The biggest difficult faced this year was getting supplies. For some materials such as the cement rings and cement bricks, CMC and Don Bosco were able to identify cheaper dealers, but transport remained expensive. A severe shortage of sand brought exorbitant costs which lengthened Koiloor’s timeframe somewhat. The village masons trained by Gramalaya to do the more specialized work in the toilet construction were paid weekly for each completed toilet. A social worker from CHAD and an accountant visited weekly to document completed toilets and pay the masons. Unfortunately the masons do not have bank accounts, and therefore could not be paid after demonetization. There was no cash on hand even at CMC for anything, even small expenses. The only way to keep things going was for staff to advance their personal funds for the small things that would continue some of the work. By early November thirty five (35) toilets were completed and the individual families had begun painting the walls and doors of their new toilet structures. Some households even tiled their toilets; all of the first toilets were in use right away. By April of 2017 all 94 toilets were built and 93 were in use. School toilets will be built next, after the severe shortage of sand lessens and prices come down. Throughout this process Fr. Vinodh (Don Bosco) visited the village every day. Mr. Sridhar and Dr. Anu Rose visited from CMC every week, sometimes twice a week to troubleshoot, advise and encourage. .
A Family Toilet Clean Water The most efficient water purification method for settings like Koiloor is the SkyHydrant, an ultrafiltration device used widely in the developing world. A SkyHydrant was installed in the old TV room after it was cemented, tiled and painted. Drains were made so water does not collect. The water from the SkyHydrant is tested for coliforms by CMC every 3 months and has been consistently safe for drinking and cooking. A recently dug well needs to be desilted. Until then, the village continues to get water from an existing well for general use. Water from this well is pumped to a tank which supplies the SkyHydrant. Once the well is de-silted some houses will get piped water to their toilets (at their own expense). For those cannot access this resource or do not want it, water is brought to the toilets in buckets.
The Collector of Tiruvanamalaidt has been invited to visit Koiloor, with the hope of getting the BDO office to be more proactive with the water supply. Koiloor is the first village to have clean water and household toilets in the hills!
Installing the SkyHydrant
The re-purposed TV Room
Village Sanitation At village meetings in fall of 2016 the people and the Oran divided the village into 7 areas to make outdoor sanitation a shared and effective effort. Each area has a certain number of houses and disposes of plastic and non-biodegradable garbage in blue bins provided for them. The houses maintain a weekly roster to bring trash to a pit dug outside the village. Biodegradable garbage is being disposed of in another pit near the houses. This will be followed till a better method becomes feasible. At the beginning of this new system the night school children did a “shramdhan� (cleaning of the village) on a Saturday, supervised by the night school teachers and the Don Bosco staff. Following this the village organised a cleaning drive, and cleared the road to the village and other common areas in the village. Fr. Vinodh supplied some flowering plants to place in the cleared areas.
Blue bins for non-biodegradables
The Shramdhan
Income Generation This is one of the most difficult goals that the Model Village project includes – however it is one of the most important. CMC has had several meetings with the village about income generation and livelihood. The people have not been able to decide on anything except animal husbandry because this is what they are familiar with. Despite extensive research and planning, industry- based projects are not of interest unless they offer a substantial income. In the Jawadhi Hills pigs are prized animals; all important functions have feasts with pork as the main dish; it is a central part of the typical diet in the Hills. In December CMC offered to fund the purchase of 10 piglets including immunizations and insurance, for 10 families that are most in need of regular income. The Oran and some other residents offered to bear some of the cost of the pigpen which had a feeder and water trough and adequate shelter for the pigs. Residents procured posts for the fence and the shelter. Suitable land for the facility was donated by the Oran. At a subsequent Village Meeting the 10 families were identified and the schedules for feeding the pigs and cleaning the pigpen were set. A small team of CMC, Don Bosco and Koiloor residents travelled to the Government Animal Farm in Hosur to buy the piglets. The varieties are 5 local / Nadan / or Saddleback pigs and 5 pigs from the White Yorkshire or from the Duroc breed. This simple enterprise required a great deal of planning, time and training in animal husbandry – something Don Bosco offered. A veterinarian helped treat a virus that threatened the animals. Unfortunately later in the year four pigs died from a flu-like virus that killed more than 200 pigs across the villages in the Hills. One more male pig will be purchased for breeding, as all four pigs that died were male. On an ongoing basis the 10 families bear the expense of feeding and looking after the pigs and the pigpen. Some pigs are being used for breeding, the others are sold. When those pigs are sold the income will be shared among the ten families. CMC plans to evaluate the program after one cycle of pigs is sold and the families plan their investments of the proceeds. If beneficial CMC will start another group.
The village has also asked for country chickens for some families and this will be considered after the pig program is well underway. This will give results in 2 months when the chicken will be ready for selling. The country chicken is less prone to disease compared to the broiler chicken, and therefore fetches a higher price. The variety being looked at is called “Giri Raja". This will be started after the rains to ensure better survival. In Koiloor an important source of revenue for many is millet, a nutritious grain that is hardy. The village invested in a shared electric husking machine that increases the value of the millet at market. Because there was so little rain in the past year Koiloor farmers saw a yield of less than 25% of the usual grain. Ironically, once the rains came there were losses due to floods. Farming families were left with nothing and most have migrated for 2-3 months to earn some money. Though migration is common in this community, it is usually later in the year, after Pongal. CMC is prepared to continue to fund agri and animal-based livelihood programs. Don Bosco has partnered with an organization in Germany to bring watershed management to the Hills. Other small income-generating projects are being investigated: • a kitchen garden for the village, as Koiloor has a lake and the land by the lake side is fertile. Currently they buy vegetables from nearby Jamunamarathur during the weekly market. This will make vegetables available every day, and the income will be for the village. • Candle making, which was taken up by CHAD many years ago and were successful. CMC works with promising students in 12th Standard to help them learn English and pass the entrance exams for nursing and other skills positions in healthcare (more below under Education). Health As planned, Koiloor has been included in the CHAD Mobile clinic village list, and a team of doctors and social worker visit the village every month. School children are given check-ups at school and camp. For sustainability a small residence for CMC staff is critical for success in Jawadhi. It is unrealistic to plan for teams to ride the 2.5 hours up to the villages daily. Overnight coverage, ambulance and emergency are unavailable making the excellent Veerapanoor Clinic open only part-time. There is land adjacent to the Clinic parcel that is owned by Don Bosco. CMC
policy is to purchase property rather than lease, and so plans a being made albeit slowly, for a residence to be built there. The survey of this land has been done by the Government officials after a frustrating one-year wait for bureaucratic reasons. Don Bosco has applied for the documents are dependent on this survey and CMC will be able to discuss obtaining the land after that.
Veerapanoor Clinic Education The Evening Study Centers are the major focus of educational support in the Model Village program. Overall they are running well with strong attendance and trained teachers. In order to maintain highest standards, Fr Vinodh and Dr. Anu Rose evaluated the performance of all the study centers (63 in the Hills) in summer, 2017 and closed nine due to poor performance of the teacher. The children are all doing well. To bolster teaching skills, every 4th Saturday there is training for the night school teachers. The goal is to plan a more systematic curriculum to help teachers strengthen the students academically. In the past few months, Evening Study Center children enjoyed a Christmas Program at Don Bosco that was very festive, with skits, songs and dances followed by lunch. In January the children celebrated Pongal (the Harvest) from the 13th to 17th of the month. Demonetization meant that there could not be a Children’s Day celebration (Nov 14th) as there was no way to access money. CMC gave each Evening Study Center a First Aid Kit and a cake for the children. The highlight of the children’s year is the Summer Camp from 8th to 13th May. In addition to the usual activities, this year teachers planned a program themed around the history and culture of the Jawadhi Hills people. There are six sites for camp including Koiloor; each camp asked that elderly people from their villages visit camp and talk to the children about their history and changes over time. The topics were: Festivals, Culture, Gods, Health, Agriculture and Foods.
Campers showcasing their culture and traditions
Morning assembly, prepared for the sun with their caps!
Medical Check –up with consultants from Child Health, CHAD and interns
Camp lunch being prepared
The camp children were given refreshments at mid-morning and at tea time, and lunch every day. The lunch and snacks were prepared on site. Everyday lunch included a vegetable, either egg or chicken and a fruit. Because of the extreme heat in 2017 all children and staff received caps and a Back-to-School gift of a 1 Litre stainless steel water bottle. Life skills education was conducted by CMC social workers. Children were grouped by age and gender: the adolescent children had discussions on coping with stress, relationships, career guidance, sexuality and education; younger children were taught about acceptance, stress, staying in school, good personal habits. They also received • medical and eye checks including screening for refractive errors and vitamin deficiencies, common skin diseases and systemic illnesses. Across the six sites that included Koiloor (787 children) CMC doctors discovered 7 children with valvular heart disease, 2 with osteomyelitis, 3 with seizure disorders, and 2 with suspected tuberculosis. There were also many children with refractive errors and 3 with Bitot’s spots.
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nutritional education taught by a nutritionist from CMC. Children learned the importance of a balanced meal for growth and academic performance; the value of commonly available grains, vegetables and fruits. siddha instruction from a siddha doctor and his team. They discussed common ailments that are treated by alternative healers and presented an exhibition of herbs from the forest to identify their names and use. forest conservation teaching about the protected forest preserve that makes up much of the Hills. Students learned about forest conservation, planting fruit trees and useful plants for sustainable agriculture. substance abuse information -- alcohol consumption and misuse of other substances are significant problems in the Jawadhi Hills. Data from CHAD shows the age of initiation to alcohol is as young as 8 yrs. This teaching was mainly in the form of songs and drama. A health educator from the tribes, who was previously trained by CHAD conducted the sessions, and this led to several children asking if they could bring their family members to the substance abuse clinic run by CHAD.
Camp was run by numerous enthusiastic and generous specialists from CMC and Don Bosco including 6 pediatricians plus a CHAD consultant, an MPH student, an intern and social workers. Nurses from the Wellcome Lab, optometrists and a nutritionist were also involved daily. From Don Bosco there were Priests, brothers, MSW students, night school teachers and coordinators. Other people involved were the forest rangers, a siddha doctor and his team, a folk arts trainer, craft teacher and other volunteers. Other Important Educational Initiatives The Scholarship program has started identifying young students who might be interested in medical training. In February of 2017 the first Jawadhi Hills young woman (center in photo) accepted in the College of Nursing, finished her 3-year program.
A Children’s Parliament (above, right) was recently initiated with a focus on child empowerment. The planned Balwadi (day care for pre-school ages) is not needed in Koiloor because there is one run by the government. Funds for that project will pay for another aspect of work. A new favorite: Wood Work Club, started in Koiloor village, 30th June 2017
The wood work “club” was started by a Swedish volunteer, Sven Eric and a CMC faculty member Vinay Ooman, who went up to the hills to teach the children. In July two teachers came to CMC to be trained by Sven to continue to run future workshops. In this workshop the children learned cutting , safety precautions while using tools, sanding, and polishing. There was great enthusiasm among the children, including from the girls. Thankfully there was no hesitation from the girls’ parents to let their daughters be part of this club.
Another workshop is planned for September.
Plans for the day
Teacher demonstrating
Learning to measure and use tools
Wrapping up at the end of the day.
Koiloor Village Milestones Reached
- all homes have toilets and the village is open defecation free. - For the last year the residents have access to clean water through the sky hydrant - some families who were at the bottom of the economic order are now owners of pigs for selling Besides the pigs bought by the project, other income generation projects have been initiated by the people themselves after discussions with CMC and Don Bosco. - there is a children’s parliament functioning. They have done village clean ups twice. The formal inauguration was in July
- kept to a reasonable timeframe and under budget - Incorporating many ideas in plans for upcoming villages
An Introduction to Model Village #2 Vallithathankottai Village A first meeting was held in July 2017 about bring the Model Village program to Vallithathankottai. This meeting was attended by :The village Oran, Elders from the village, representatives from most houses in the village, Pump operator, Don Bosco staff (Fr. Vinodh, Mr David, Mr Mani, Mr Govindan, Mr Praveen) and CHAD staff ( Dr. Anu Rose, Mr. Dhinakaran) People from the Village described the strengths and weaknesses of their village. They knew of the program in Koiloor and want be part of the Model Village program. Strengths were described as: • agriculture, with most families owning farmland and many people owning wells. • accessible by road. • water tank connected to the main well. • good village unity and relationship with the Oran • many families have cows and livestock. • there is a night school in the village • not far from the Veerapanoor Clinic Weaknesses included: • the wells are close to dry and now the village is facing a shortage of water for drinking and domestic purposes • most of the agriculture has been stopped to save water for household use. • there are few government interventions in the village. • there is no balwadi or school. • the village has not been included in the government toilet building program. There is only one toilet in the village, built by the government for disabled people, but never used by the disabled as it has steps leading to it and no ramp. Also this is about 2 feet from the well. • alcohol is available in this village. Expressed needs: • Water for domestic and agricultural purposes. • The people will prefer to engage in agriculture for income generation • Toilets for houses • Access to schools for the children The houses in the village are scattered and arranged in little clusters. The people suggested working in one cluster at a time. The first activity will be deepening of one well which will supply the overhead tank. This will be followed by toilet construction, followed by income generation activities.
Their contribution was discussed. As in Koiloor, for toilet building they will contribute labour, and transport of materials to their houses from the main village. They will also pay for some sand. In all other interventions we will discuss their contribution before starting. A working group will be selected and the members will include women and youth who will meet the CHAD/ Don Bosco team regularly. As in Koiloor CHAD will be involved in the planning of the program, procuring materials and monitoring. Don Bosco will monitor the receiving, storing and use of materials as they are locally available. They will also be involved in planning and troubleshooting on a day to day basis. The wells were visited as were the bodies of water in the village; water status was documented. The fields are all ploughed and ready for sowing, but have no water. CHAD is ready to begin work in Vallithathankottai Village pending budget approval.
A Bore Well
Dry Fields‌
Cotton Field
‌and dry water collection tanks
Gherkins growing
At the Well
Water pump