(Manav Adhikar Seva Samitee)
In the year 1988, few university students and local youths of Sambalpr came together and decided to do something on the issues concerning the people of Western Orissa. The process of interaction gave birth to a process of understanding the issues of Western Orissa in depth. One of the concern emerged in the process that the traditionally natural resources reach Western Orissa in undergoing a catastrophic degradation affecting the millions of poor indigenous communities whose livelihood is closely dependent on that. The depletion is mostly due to modern development planning, which ignores the loosers of the process and resource is exploited for immediate profit without a sustainable vision. And most important factor is that the rights over local natural resources of the indigenous population are not acknowledged. This makes developmental process into a cumulative process of socio-economic and political dependency over external forces.
The process is a process of colonization over the resources making the indigenous communities more vulnerable ever before. Hence, the members of MASS decided to take the responsibilities of initiating a process of unveiling the indigenous knowledge systems and practices suppressed by modern development. So the strategy is to educate, motivate and organize the communities to understand their own strength and fight against the exploitation by planning their own development with local resources and missing voices inviting solidarity from all concerned for them.
A society where the communities are empowered enough to analyse their own problems, assess their own needs, strength, and prospects (avenues), fix/plan their own developmental goals and are equally capable to act towards attaining these goals in self-sustaining ways to live a dignified life of their own.
To dedicate itself as a facilitating institution in the development of the downtrodden masses so as to be able to develop their socio-economic, ecological and cultural condition through facilitation of participatory grassroots and secondary interventions.
With the above mission MASS moved a decade. The Organisation has been following a two-way strategy to facilitate all its activities. (1) Lobbying and advocacy in regional level(basically western Orissa level) and (2) Direct grassroots intervention in few blocks of Sambalpur district.
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Major Activities of the Organisation |
Self Help Groups and Micro Credit activities among the poorest of the poor women.
Promotion of sustainable forest and natural resources management.
Promotion of sustainable agriculture and livelihood support programmes.
Environment and bio-diversity education.
Child labour, child rights and child development.
Women development and empowerment.
Promotion of indigenous knowledge and practices for conservation of mother nature.
Health research, awareness and development initiatives.
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Major Achievements :
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Facilitation of formation of 140 Self Help Groups with a total membership of 2081 poor women.
Facilitation and formation of a Federation of the SHGs in one Block which is now spreading to other parts of the District.
The SHG movement has already helped thousands of poor women and their families in uplifting their socio-economic status in the society. As for an example, recently six women of one SHG, with support of their Group, could regain possession on their land, mortgaged to vested interest money lenders since years.
Through the SHGs, promotion of various farm, non-farm and NTFP based Income Generation Avenues for the poorest of the poor women and their families.
Has facilitated formation of 20 Farmers Clubs and through them has successfully promoted various activities to promote sustainable agriculture and rural livelihood support programmes.
Has been successfully implementing two micro land water management and development programme in Watershed concept.
Direct support to more than 25 indigenous Village Forest Protection and Management Committees and secondary/broader support service to over 100 such committees throughout the undivided Sambalpur District.
Promotion and strengthening of Sambalpur Zilla Prakrutika Sambala Sanrakshana Mahasangha, a network of Village Forest Protecting Institutions.
Promotion of various social, economic and ecological issues through the publication of various occasional and regular publications including two Newsletters.
Preparation of Position Papers on Community Forest Protection and Management in Sambalpur, Pollution in Sambalpur and Problems related to Heavy External Input Agriculture in Hirakud Command Area and on several other environmental and social issues.
Preparation of two Video Documents so far. The first one on Effects of Pesticides on Agriculture and Human/Animal Health and the other on the Intricate Relationship between the Festivals and Rituals of Western Orissa and Environment/Nature Conservation.
Preparation of One Book and One Audio Cassette on the Environmental Education Message in Folk Songs and Folk Lores of Western Orissa.
Successful and multi-faceted Campaign Against Child Labour throughout West Orissa.
Have been able to establish itself as a Resource Centre on Environment Education. So far, we have already organised several Trainings for rural teachers, EE programmes in 60 rural schools and various other innovative activities to promote EE.
Have come out with a Health Needs Assessment Report and Strategy Paper with aim at bringing sustainable development in the health conditions of the marginalised sections of the society with whom MASS is working.
MASS has also been able to establish itself as a Resource Centre on Self Help Groups.
MASS is currently developing itself as a Regional Resource Centre on Local Self Governance.
Have been able to bring to limelight many issues and problems of Western Orissa by conducting various Research, Documentation and other programmes and by collaborating in many State, National and International Research and Networking Projects/Programmes.
In the process of achieving all the above, MASS has been able to network with many individuals and institutions starting from local to international, both govt. and non-government. |
Contact MASS
(Postal Address : Dhanupali, Sambalpur – 768 100, Orissa, INDIA)
Tel : +91-663-520962, 404974 Fax : 404000 (Attn. MASS)
E-mail : [email protected]
Alternate e-mails : [email protected] OR [email protected]
Contact Person : Mr. Ranjan Panda, Secretary