Kaitima village
The Kaitima village and its people had seen a lot of violence by the Left-wing extremist, Naxals and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). They had also seen extreme poverty from which they are not able to come out. But beyond all this, they have also seen the historically helpless attitude and corruption of the administration and their own politicians — as a result of which no development took place in their area till now.
The village Kaitima is situated 10 km from SikuliPadar,GP headquarter and around 30 km from block head quarter Mohona 9n the district of Gajapati . The village Kaitima belongs to Sikulipadar gram panchayat of Mohona Block in Gajapati district. Fortunately, they have got a bituminous road of 5 to 6 ft. wide to village. The village is situated at the top of the mountain. The villagers belong to Kandha tribal group which is the largest group in Odisha. The villagers are Kandha Tribes historically discriminated by the local administration although their mainland counterparts are little more developed and educated. All total 27 households are there in three habitations which is almost around 500 meters from each other. They are ultra-poor. Total population of the village is 156. A primary school was constructed by government three year back. Hardly three to four youth of the village know signature of their name. Many youths of age group of 15 to 25 have not gone to school. The girl’s education is not a preference by the villagers. The school has not reopened for last two years since COVID 19 Pandemic emerged. Now villagers are told the school will be shifted to another village which is 4 km away due to non-availability of required number of students.
Average income of household is around Rs 1500/- to 2000 per month. The village is surrounded by dense forests and a range of high mountains and the villagers mainly depend on hunting, food gathering and shifting cultivation to earn their livelihood. Mostly they cultivate different varieties corn and millet. It appears that community is irregularly accessing government PDS food supply.
The Women youth groups have formed two Women SHG groups supported by the local NGO. Even if none of the SHG members are educated yet many of them are motivated and empowered with many information compared to their male counterpart. The youth maxim time spend in their respective land for cultivation. Shifting cultivation is still in practice. The male youth members are habit of drinking local made liquors and tobacco cultivated by them. The houses are all made of mud and thatched roof with very few as exception. After many days’ struggle by local NGO named SACAL the villagers got electricity two months’ back. Many children below five years all appear sever mal nourished.
All 27 households including the youth who live in three different settlements has got one deep bore well and one sanitary well fitted with hand pump. In summer seasons the bore well does not yield water. The water of sanitary well is totally polluted by bats poop (Guano). Bats live on the inner side of the concrete cover of the sanitary well. Hence every day the villagers mostly the adolescent girls go near a mountain stream and dig a 2 to 3 feet hole (CHUA) beside the stream. Every day they have to dig a new hole as both domestic and wild animals use the old hole for drinking. The stream is almost 1 ½ KM from village. Usually, Youth both boys and girls go for open defecation to nearest forest. Many times attacked by wild animals and especially wild dogs and snakes. Without construction of a single toilet government put a board on the entrance of the village that village is open defecation free (ODF). But it appears due to extreme poverty villagers never approached/submitted any representation to appropriate service providers/claimed their right to the relevant institutions established by Government under law. The adolescent girls face numerous problems to manage their menstruation problem but never express in front of anybody not even to their husbands. This is a very critical issue need to be addressed. The adolescent girls are facing many sexual and urinary tract infection diseases. This also needs to be diagnosed.
While discussion it was observed that although many youths are aware about the causes and symptoms of COVID19 except few adolescent girls but practice of COVID appropriate behavior is a question among the youth groups. Most of the youth population except few adolescent girls are vaccinated with single does. None of the youth are was using mask in the village. But use mask when they go to block head quarter. Sanitizers are not used. The adult women some time use soap while bathing. However, all youth wash hand after defecation and while taking food only through water which may not be bacterial contamination free.
Villagers face enormous problem to access to water during first lockdown as that was the summer season. Water from single bore well was not sufficient for whole village. The villagers expressed that during lockdown they took bath once in a week going near to stream. But as usual sanitation is a regular problem including hygiene. It was clearly visible that hygiene was never a priority even for parents Many villagers expressed their main challenge to earn their livelihood due to shutdown of local weekly markets and strict restriction of movements to nearest urban areas.
Due to non-availability of household toilets as well as habituated with traditional practice community has been practicing open defecation which is not a big problem for them. Villagers could not spell out the number but agreed that many people suffered from COVID and did not get minimum attention/services from the government hospitals. They were forced to take medicine from Quake. Many people conveyed that the moment anybody got fever they took medicine from local quake without testing for COVID 19. Historically women developed their own coping mechanism and manage the menstruation in traditional way somehow disguising themselves and still using old cloths reputedly instead of sanitary pads
There is no formal written representation was made to either any government or service providers/legal institutions by the villagers specifically addressing WASH services. Last year the local Women SHG group submitted a representation to collector as the bank manger denied loan for establishing a daily need business in the village in spite of government instruction in which the women had planned to sell low-cost sanitary pad for the village adolescent girls. It appears villagers lack leadership and very much unaware about minimum individual fundamental rights especially on water.
Through the discussion it is understood that ensuring minimum resources for the local youth groups of the community for continuing the empower process for isolated community who lack education and continue with extreme poverty is the urgent need. In addition, appropriate skill development for youth for strategic advocacy community leadership development and mutual information sharing by CBO and local community specifically ensuring contextual WASH services as well as integrating WASH in integrated development prospective is felt essential. This facilitation and hand holding process should be implemented by state level resource center on a time bound basis.
Specifically, the habitation of the village needs to have a bore well as priority. Cleaning of the sanitary well polluted by BAT poop. More youth leaders to be developed for sustaining their WASH rights for accessing to WASH services. The local NGO should try to integrate WASH services with its other livelihood project as well as mobilize resources from government by community led approaches. The people need to be educated to know their entitlements in the WASH sector and know-how and whom to approach for any gap.
The village Kaitima is situated 10 km from SikuliPadar,GP headquarter and around 30 km from block head quarter Mohona 9n the district of Gajapati . The village Kaitima belongs to Sikulipadar gram panchayat of Mohona Block in Gajapati district. Fortunately, they have got a bituminous road of 5 to 6 ft. wide to village. The village is situated at the top of the mountain. The villagers belong to Kandha tribal group which is the largest group in Odisha. The villagers are Kandha Tribes historically discriminated by the local administration although their mainland counterparts are little more developed and educated. All total 27 households are there in three habitations which is almost around 500 meters from each other. They are ultra-poor. Total population of the village is 156. A primary school was constructed by government three year back. Hardly three to four youth of the village know signature of their name. Many youths of age group of 15 to 25 have not gone to school. The girl’s education is not a preference by the villagers. The school has not reopened for last two years since COVID 19 Pandemic emerged. Now villagers are told the school will be shifted to another village which is 4 km away due to non-availability of required number of students.
Average income of household is around Rs 1500/- to 2000 per month. The village is surrounded by dense forests and a range of high mountains and the villagers mainly depend on hunting, food gathering and shifting cultivation to earn their livelihood. Mostly they cultivate different varieties corn and millet. It appears that community is irregularly accessing government PDS food supply.
The Women youth groups have formed two Women SHG groups supported by the local NGO. Even if none of the SHG members are educated yet many of them are motivated and empowered with many information compared to their male counterpart. The youth maxim time spend in their respective land for cultivation. Shifting cultivation is still in practice. The male youth members are habit of drinking local made liquors and tobacco cultivated by them. The houses are all made of mud and thatched roof with very few as exception. After many days’ struggle by local NGO named SACAL the villagers got electricity two months’ back. Many children below five years all appear sever mal nourished.
All 27 households including the youth who live in three different settlements has got one deep bore well and one sanitary well fitted with hand pump. In summer seasons the bore well does not yield water. The water of sanitary well is totally polluted by bats poop (Guano). Bats live on the inner side of the concrete cover of the sanitary well. Hence every day the villagers mostly the adolescent girls go near a mountain stream and dig a 2 to 3 feet hole (CHUA) beside the stream. Every day they have to dig a new hole as both domestic and wild animals use the old hole for drinking. The stream is almost 1 ½ KM from village. Usually, Youth both boys and girls go for open defecation to nearest forest. Many times attacked by wild animals and especially wild dogs and snakes. Without construction of a single toilet government put a board on the entrance of the village that village is open defecation free (ODF). But it appears due to extreme poverty villagers never approached/submitted any representation to appropriate service providers/claimed their right to the relevant institutions established by Government under law. The adolescent girls face numerous problems to manage their menstruation problem but never express in front of anybody not even to their husbands. This is a very critical issue need to be addressed. The adolescent girls are facing many sexual and urinary tract infection diseases. This also needs to be diagnosed.
While discussion it was observed that although many youths are aware about the causes and symptoms of COVID19 except few adolescent girls but practice of COVID appropriate behavior is a question among the youth groups. Most of the youth population except few adolescent girls are vaccinated with single does. None of the youth are was using mask in the village. But use mask when they go to block head quarter. Sanitizers are not used. The adult women some time use soap while bathing. However, all youth wash hand after defecation and while taking food only through water which may not be bacterial contamination free.
Villagers face enormous problem to access to water during first lockdown as that was the summer season. Water from single bore well was not sufficient for whole village. The villagers expressed that during lockdown they took bath once in a week going near to stream. But as usual sanitation is a regular problem including hygiene. It was clearly visible that hygiene was never a priority even for parents Many villagers expressed their main challenge to earn their livelihood due to shutdown of local weekly markets and strict restriction of movements to nearest urban areas.
Due to non-availability of household toilets as well as habituated with traditional practice community has been practicing open defecation which is not a big problem for them. Villagers could not spell out the number but agreed that many people suffered from COVID and did not get minimum attention/services from the government hospitals. They were forced to take medicine from Quake. Many people conveyed that the moment anybody got fever they took medicine from local quake without testing for COVID 19. Historically women developed their own coping mechanism and manage the menstruation in traditional way somehow disguising themselves and still using old cloths reputedly instead of sanitary pads
There is no formal written representation was made to either any government or service providers/legal institutions by the villagers specifically addressing WASH services. Last year the local Women SHG group submitted a representation to collector as the bank manger denied loan for establishing a daily need business in the village in spite of government instruction in which the women had planned to sell low-cost sanitary pad for the village adolescent girls. It appears villagers lack leadership and very much unaware about minimum individual fundamental rights especially on water.
Through the discussion it is understood that ensuring minimum resources for the local youth groups of the community for continuing the empower process for isolated community who lack education and continue with extreme poverty is the urgent need. In addition, appropriate skill development for youth for strategic advocacy community leadership development and mutual information sharing by CBO and local community specifically ensuring contextual WASH services as well as integrating WASH in integrated development prospective is felt essential. This facilitation and hand holding process should be implemented by state level resource center on a time bound basis.
Specifically, the habitation of the village needs to have a bore well as priority. Cleaning of the sanitary well polluted by BAT poop. More youth leaders to be developed for sustaining their WASH rights for accessing to WASH services. The local NGO should try to integrate WASH services with its other livelihood project as well as mobilize resources from government by community led approaches. The people need to be educated to know their entitlements in the WASH sector and know-how and whom to approach for any gap.