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Annual Report 2007-08 1

Annual Report 2007-082


on NREGS were conducted in fivepanchayats in Sabarkantha district ofGujarat. Awareness generation activitieswere conducted and simple format fordisplaying information proactively on NREGSwas developed, which is currently under usein 15 panchayats of Khedbrahma andModasa. Social audits on education wereheld in 7 gram panchayats of Ahmedabaddistrict.

These efforts helped in developing stepswith appropriate tools to conduct socialaudit in collaboration with the community,the implementing agency and thegovernment department. The Governmentof Gujarat has also invited UNNATI toprepare a draft manual and train officials onconducting social audits on NREGS.

As a result of our efforts in building socialaccountability, in three panchayats ofKhedbrahma taluka in Gujarat, a citizen

This programme aims to strengthen the‘voice’ of civi l society for effectivelyparticipating and promoting transparencyand accountability in rural and urbangovernance process. The key activities arementioned below:

Strengthening Panchayati RajInstitutions and Urban Local BodiesThe participation of the community,particularly poor and socially disadvantaged,can promote effective civic action and abilityto access and utilise information/knowledgebase. Promotion of civic engagement hasbeen the thrust of our work. A wide rangeof actions and mechanisms are used bycitizens, communities, media and civilsociety organisations (CSOs) to hold publicofficials and state accountable. However,citizens still have a limited role to play in theinstitutional framework, responding towhich is a challenge. Initiatives have beentaken to strengthen accountability measuresby building capacities of citizens anddeveloping tools, techniques andmethodology for sharing of information. Anumber of activities have been undertakenduring the year to strengthen civic actionand create a knowledge base for up-scalingof interventions and learn from grassrootexperience.

Field Level InterventionsSocial AuditsSocial audits as tools for promoting socialaccountability were facilitated on NationalRural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREGS) and primary education. The audits

PROMOTING CIVIC LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE


leader, after orientation, asked for names ofVigilance and Monitoring Committeemembers for all 46 gram panchayats of thetaluka. Because of this the taluka machinerybecame active and committees wereformed. Following a series of orientations,proactive disclosure of informationregarding the attendance of students,regularity of teachers and status of funds isnow being displayed outside the school.Proactive disclosure of information asmandated under National RuralEmployment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is alsodisplayed and updated in 10 grampanchayats of Modasa taluka and 5panchayats of Khedbrahma taluka. InGujarat, for the first time, gram sabhas wereconvened in 7 panchayats of Ahmedabaddistrict on an issue like status of education,as a result of which education became thedevelopment agenda of the village.

Right to InformationIn Gujarat, 210 citizen leaders from threetalukas of Ahmedabad district and fivetalukas of Sabarkantha district wereoriented on provisions of Right toInformation (RTI). The aim of the activitieshas been to provide sustainable supportstructures that guide people for seekinginformation and follow up for receivinginformation.

Community ConsultationsIn Gujarat, our involvement in JawaharlalNehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM) is focused on creating spaces forthe community to participate in urbanplanning and the process of governancereforms. In collaboration with Centre forEnvironmental Planning and Technology(CEPT), Ahmedabad and Surat MunicipalCorporation, 12 community consultations

were organised in 38 wards of Surat city.These consultations provided the citizenswith an opportunity to voice their concernsand make demands. These also promotedinclusive planning by proactively providingspace to the poor, the vulnerable andmarginalised communities.

Assessment of Basic ServicesAssessment of basic services withcommunity participation was carried out inBhil Bhakar Basti of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Astudy on ‘Urban Poverty Issues andChallenges’ was also undertaken in threeslums of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The aim wasto understand the view point of urban poorand identify problems/ issues faced by them.

Resource CentresResource centres were established assupport mechanisms in both rural and urbanareas, so that citizens and electedrepresentatives have access to timely andrelevant information. The aim was tostrengthen local self-governance, providehand holding support to women and dalitrepresentatives and strengthen gramsabhas.


An urban resource centre (URC) wasestablished in Jodhpur city and a modelpanchayat resource centre (PRC) isfunctional at Luni in Rajasthan. Threepanchayat resource centres are functionalin Dholka, Dascroi and Khedbrahma talukasof Gujarat. A URC is functional incollaboration with Bhachau Nagarpalika inBhachau and one in Jodhpur city. Thesecentres serve as important points of contactin the areas and enable easy access toinformation on various governmentschemes. The centres also work incollaboration with the community to enablethem to access basic services and providesupport in organising meetings andworkshops.

Capacity BuildingCapacity building of government officials,elected representatives and otherstakeholders is important because itincreases their skill, knowledge base,commitment and confidence. Informedcitizens and government officials canactively seek answers from governancesystems and work effectively and efficiently.Various trainings, exposure visits and

CAPACITY BUILDINGAT A GLANCE

Number of trainings conducted: 7

Total participants: 511

Coverage areas:

25 districts

85 gram panchayats

16 organisations in Gujarat and

6 organisations in Rajasthan

27 municipalities in Gujarat

Themes covered undertrainings:UIDSSMT & IHSDP,Urban Planning and Management,Citizenship & Governance,Solid Waste Management,Girl Child Education

Workshops:Lessons learnt under UNDPprogram, Women and Media,Women Elected Representatives,Training Needs Assessment forWomen Elected Representatives

Exposure Visits:Municipal officials from Gujaratwere exposed to urban initiatives inKerala and those from Haryana andRajasthan to initiaves in Gujarat

Visit to panchayat resource centrewere made in Rajasthan by electedrepresentatives from FIS, Udaipur,and team from MARG, Delhi.


exchange programs were used as means ofcapacity building during the year.

Efforts were made to integrate genderwithin the programme by focusing attentionon promotion of girl child education andpromoting women’s involvement at thelevel of panchayats and citizen groups.Orientations were organised for 50 teachersand principals in five panchayats of Dholkataluka on gender and for citizen leadersregarding different governmentprogrammes and schemes with a focus onpromoting women’s involvement. Eighthundred elected representatives of grampanchayats from Gujarat were orientedthrough satellite communication on gender,land and property rights for women, role ofwomen in natural resource management(NRM) and role of panchayats in girl childeducation.

Systematisation of Knowledge• In Rajasthan, documentation of the

three years UNDP project wasundertaken for which representatives ofMahila Chetna Manch visited fieldlocations and the PRCs.

• Four issues of the quarterly magazine‘Panchayat Jagat’ and two editions of‘Swaraj’ were published. Other materialprepared in Gujarati for building thecapacity of elected representatives ofpanchayats through satellitecommunication included: role ofpanchayats in girl child education, childcare and protection, social security anddisaster preparedness. Short films werealso developed on Social Audits andprovisions of NREGA.

• In Rajasthan short films were made onlives of women elected representativesfor promoting the exemplary work being

done. A short film in Gujarati on solidwaste management practices, ‘GhanKachranu Sanchalan’ was developed.

• A special issue of newsletter ‘VICHAR’(Vol. 12. No.4. October- December 2007)was published on urban issues.

• ‘Strengthening Urban Governance- Aresource book’ about urban planning,JNNURM and reforms has beendeveloped.

• A research study on ‘Making Space: AnEnquiry into Women’s Participation inLocal Politics in Rajasthan’ is underprogress and is being supported byInternational Development ResearchCentre (IDRC) as part of their globalresearch agenda on ‘Decentralizationand Women’s Rights in South Asia’during 2006-2008. The above enquiry isbeing conducted in four districts ofRajasthan – Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Tonkand Banswara. The study places womenat the centre and has sought to examinethe relevance of decentralisation forthem. It also seeks to examine theinfluence of caste and tribe on womenin the public sphere and the role offamily in dislocating them as leaders orin supporting them. Both qualitative andquantitative methodology were used tocollate the data from women and menelected representatives, community,state officials, political parties, familymembers, NGOs and throughobservation of panchayat meetings andgram sabhas. Workshops for assessmentof training needs of women electedrepresentatives, role of media andmahila sammelans were conductedduring the course of the research.

Building PartnershipsDuring the year, linkages have been built at


national, state and local levels withgovernment organisations, other civilsociety organisations and academia.Networking with other organisations hasenabled in creating a platform where ideasand experiences were shared betweendifferent actors. Partnerships were built andstrengthened with:

Government Organisations• District Rural Development Agency,

(DRDA) Gujarat• Gujarat Urban Development Company

Ltd (GUDC)• Gujarat Urban Development Mission

(GUDM)• Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj Evam

Gramin Vikas Sansthan (IGPRS)• Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC)• Rural Development Department,

Gujarat• Rural Development Department,

Rajasthan• Sardar Patel Institute of Public

Administration, (SPIPA), Gujarat• State Institute of Rural Development

(SIRD)• State Technical Advisory Group (STAG)• Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC)• Tribal Development Department,

Gujarat

Academia• Centre for Development Studies (CDS),

Tiruvananthapuram• Centre for Environmental Planning and

Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad• Gujarat Vidyapeeth

• Institute of Rural Management (IRMA),Anand

• Patan University, Gujarat

Civil Society Organisations• Aagaz Academy• Astha Sansthan, Udaipur• Centre for Environment Education (CEE)• Centre for Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)• Centre for Microfinance, Rajasthan• Development Support Centre (DSC)• National Platform for Promotion of

Decentralisation (NPPD)• Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)• SETU-Abhiyan• The Hunger Project• Vividha, Jaipur• World Vision

While doing the social audits we have learntthat there is resistance from people who aredirectly or indirectly involved in corruption.The biggest challenge faced in such asituation is to strengthen marginalisedgroups so that they can raise their concernsand voices in such forums and demandaccountability from power holders, withoutfearing any retaliatory action. JNNURMprovides wide scope for appointing ofconsultants by government for planning. Ithas been observed that no spaces areprovided to the poor within small andmedium towns to share their concerns whilethis planning is being done. Our challengeis to facilitate and proactively provide spacesto people. Municipalities do not understandthe need for providing these spaces whichare essential for inclusive development ofthe city.


1. Fighting Discrimination againstDalits

Social inclusion can be promoted throughpeople’s action and ensuring thatconstitutional and human rights arerealised. The process of organising dalit menand women under the ‘Dalit AdhikarAbhiyan’ is being facilitated in westernRajasthan since the past 9 years. This is acollaborative effort between 9 field basedpartner organisations, 6385 dalit men andwomen who hold membership in 496 dalitgroups in 248 villages, federated atblock level into 11 groups to fightagainst discrimination. These 11 groupsfunction as dalit resource centres (DRCs)in Jodhpur, Barmer and Jaisalmer. Theyprovide a platform where dalit communityleaders organise themselves, buildcapacities, develop strategies and undertakeaction.

SOCIAL INCLUSION AND EMPOWERMENT

Field Level InterventionsAddressing Discriminatory PracticesThe dalits, since ages, have been socially andeconomically discriminated and atrocitieshave been inflicted upon them. The villagelevel committees, DRCs and partnerorganisations have been instrumental inbringing cases of atrocities to seek justice,wherein support in the form of legal helpand mobilising pressure groups has beenextended. To strengthen mobilisingprocesses at the community level awarenesscampaigns on NREGA, celebration of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti andInternational Women’s Day were carriedout. The campaign on NREGA wasconducted in 10 villages of Barmer district(1000 participants). As part of this process,selection of BPL households has beeninitiated by the Government of Rajasthanand 600 households from seven villageshave gained access to various governmentschemes. Five hundred dalits from 9 blocksof 3 districts participated in AmbedkarJayanti on 14th April. The aim was to raisefunds for education of children belonging topoor dalit families. The community made agenerous contribution of Rs.1,00,000. Sixhundred women from 28 villages of 3 blocksparticipated in International Women’s Daycelebration on the theme of Women’sEmpowerment, Health and Cleanliness.

Strengthening Legal ServicesIn order to strengthen the legal capacity ofthe Dalit Adhikar Abhiyan, two activitieshave been undertaken: (i) Develop a cadreof paralegals and (ii) Networking and


collaboration with lawyers. Two meetingswith 34 lawyers from Jodhpur, Barmer andJaisalmer were organised. In collaborationwith the Indian Institute of Paralegal Studies(IIPS), Ahmedabad, a four phase workshopwas organised for 25 staff members of 12organisations of western Rajasthan. The aimwas to orient these participants to legalproceedings, establish them as a linkbetween the judiciary and the community,apart from building their capacities on legalissues. Through the DRCs, 1138 dalit

households have been provided access toand benefits of various governmentschemes.

Capacity BuildingWorkshops/Trainings• Ongoing management support was

provided to 15 NGOs in westernRajasthan in the areas ofdocumentation, staff development,linkages with financial and technicalinstitutions, perspective building andorganisation management. Workshopfor block level committee workshops forleadership promotion were held in 248villages in 3 districts. We were able toreach out to a total of 502 men and 374women participants.

• Two day training on NREGA and humanrights was organised in which around250 men and women communityleaders participated. At the end of eachworkshop, a local level action plan wasdeveloped to promote communitybased monitoring of NREGS in the area.

• Two workshops for DRC facilitators wereorganised to orient new staff memberson basic aspects of working on dalitissues. In order to promote community

CASES ADDRESSED

• 68 cases of atrocities (28 casesof violence against women) inthe current year with a total of243 cases have been addressedin the past

• 31 cases of discrimination atpublic places

• 178 new cases of landencroachment were taken upand 92 bighas of land wasreleased during the year. Casesfor release of 6915 bighas ofland are still pending

STRUGGLE FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

The dalits of my village (Sevaniya) at Sindari Panchayat of Barmer district have beensupported by the Dalit Adhikar Abhiyan for the past four years. Earlier discrimination wasa part of our lifestyle and we accepted it as our fate, but being the President of the villagelevel committee and part of this abhiyan made me stand up, assert and ask for my rightsdespite constant threats. We now have equal access to the community hand pump andnobody dares to stop us. Seeing me, all the women from my community too have extendedtheir support despite all odds and resistance, and have joined this fight to enddiscrimination.

Kamala Devi- President, Women Village level Committee, DAA.


leadership at village level and facilitategreater participation of dalit organisersin the organising process, fellowshipwas granted and support was providedfor travel, organising village and blocklevel meetings and activities to thefellow.

• A workshop to orient participants on theconcept, tools and approaches of ‘ResultBased Management’ was organised andwas attended by representatives of 15partner organisations from Gujarat andRajasthan.

• In order to understand various initiativeson dalit issues in the region, developlinkages and build solidarity amongstinstitutions and activists working on dalitissues, a workshop was conductedwhich was attended by 32 participantsfrom 4 districts.

Exposure visitsA team of 15 members comprising of fieldfacilitators, chief functionaries and staffmembers from UNNATI visited Gujarat,Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to learnabout various initiatives related to dalitrights, convergence of livelihood, structureof community based organisations andother related issues.

Systematisation of Knowledge• A study on women and land ownership

was undertaken to understand the landownership patterns among women. Thecase studies provided an understandingon the impact of the same on thewomen and the family.

• An awareness generation campaign onthe Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques(PNDT) Act was initiated by various civilsociety institutions, for which pamphletswere developed.

• A bimonthly newsletter under thebanner of Dalit Adhikar Abhiyan hasbeen started from this year todisseminate information regarding theprogramme, success stories andgovernment schemes and programmes.Five such bulletins have been publishedand shared with the DRCs, thecommunity, civil society institutions andNGOs working on dalit issues.

Building PartnershipsDuring the course of our work, partnershipswere built with National Campaign on DalitHuman Rights, Institute for RuralManagement, Jodhpur and Indian Institutefor Paralegal Studies, Ahmedabad.

From our past experiences we have learntthat for promoting an ideology based onjustice and equity, it is essential to educatethe larger community on participatorydecision making process and facilitatingtheir involvement in addressing issues ofjustice rather than just the affected dalitcommunity. Including broader issues thataffect the dalit community not necessarilycaste specific e.g. NREGA, Mid Day mealschemes has enabled in broad basing thecampaign, develop linkages and build amore positive identity. Another importantlearning is that cases need to be dealt withpsycho-socio and medico-legal perspective,besides the legal aid that is being given. Thecreation of educational material enables theknowledge building process at thecommunity level too, thus making peoplequestion current systems and debate onpossible solutions.

2. Mainstreaming DisabilityWe have been involved in facilitating civicresponses to mainstreaming disability,


particularly on creating universal access tothe built environment. The Access ResourceGroup at Ahmedabad has been involved inconducting access audits of buildings andinfrastructure at Gujarat Vidyapeeth,Kalupur Railway Station, Centre forEnvironment Planning and Technology(CEPT), Blind People’s Association andSardar Patel Institute of PublicAdministration (SPIPA). This will enable inmaking these public buildings accessible toone and all. A six week long elective courseon ‘Universal Design’ was included by CEPTin their curriculum for students ofArchitecture and Design to introduce themto concepts related to creating a barrier-freeenvironment and conduct access audits. Thiswas facilitated by members of the AccessResource Group. Support was provided toHandicap International for state leveladvocacy with government on disabilityissues. Inputs were provided to World Bankfor preparation of a national level status

report on disability. Ongoing support wasalso provided to mainstream media so thatdisability issues are widely covered.Perspective building on ‘Disability anddevelopment’ was done for our own team.Support was also extended to developmentorganisations and rehabilitation institutionsbased on need.

Our experience shows that mainstreamingdisability has still not become an importantpart of development discourse and requiressensitisation of various civil society actorslike: development organisationsacademicians, architects, builders, so thatthey can incorporate it in their ongoingwork. Investing resources in separate andspecialised programmes alone will not leadto inclusion. In the case of initiatives forpromoting accessibility, follow up supportneeds to be provided to those desirous ofimplementing modifications to ensure thatthe design standards are followed.


3. Mainstreaming GenderFor mainstreaming gender, we have takeninitiatives to build capacities of variousactors, take up advocacy and developresource material. Our efforts are aimedtowards introducing gender related systemicas well as attitudinal changes and to developlocally relevant procedures and guidelineswithin the organisation, at theprogrammatic level and at the level of civilsociety institutions.

At the organisation level, training on GenderResponsive Budgeting was organised for ourteam to incorporate the understanding inreviewing our own projects andprogrammes. For this purposedisaggregated data on gender was collectedfrom the on going programmes at all levels.Gender Sensitivity and Equity Committee,formulated to look into matters pertainingto harassment at the workplace, has beenfacilitating sensitisation within theorganisation regarding gender issues andinterfacing with other civil society groups to

build synergies. Gender sensitisationprogrammes were organised for new teammembers and field facilitators, communityleaders and community fellows at DRCs fromwestern Rajasthan. Unnati has alsoresponded to the need for capacity buildingof other civil society organisations.

Gender sensitisation should not be practicedas a singular event but should be seen as acontinuous process to be followed up andintegrated into various processes andprogrammes of the organisation. Processesaimed at gender equity need to beformalised and institutionalised to helpmake gender just decisions.

4. Livelihood Generation for WomenThe ‘Crafts Based Livelihood Programme’was started after the Gujarat Earthquake aspart of our efforts to assimilate and buildback the lives of people affected by theearthquake. Currently, 13 Common InterestGroups from villages and hamlets aroundBhachau (Kutch) are being supported fortheir socio-economic empowerment. Agroup of ten women artisans participated inInternational Women’s Day celebration heldat Kutch Nav Jyoti Trust, Bhuj.

Our experience reveals that small andaffordable life style products sell well in themarket; and participation in exhibitionsenables promotion of crafts and craftspersons. We have also learnt that designdevelopment should be product based anddemand driven. The strategies furtherrequire that the stakeholders should ownthe enterprise to secure their livelihoods.


SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

After the earthquake in Gujarat 2001 andSouth India Tsunami in 2004, interventionswere made by extending relief andrehabilitation on humanitarian grounds. Theexperience gained from our engagement indisaster response has led us to examineprocesses that will build communityresilience towards disasters.

In recent years, there has been a paradigmshift in the articulation of disaster relatedconceptual frameworks and practices.Disaster risk reduction (DRR), has evolvedas an integrated approach to disasterresponse and mitigation. The programmeexplores the theme of reducing risk,vulnerability and discrimination ofcommunities by strengthening capacitiesand demonstrating exemplars. The otheraim is to develop knowledge base ondisaster management: legislativeframework, policies, packages and bestpractices for facilitating the engagement ofother stakeholders.

Field Level InterventionsAs part of the DRR programme, it was feltthat the development of farm tanks forfodder and horticulture development wouldopen up land based livelihood choices formigrant families. In this context thefollowing interventions have been made:

Land Development for Fodder SecurityTo strengthen the livelihoods of the poorand for the promotion of appropriate useof natural resources, land was developed forfodder. This activity is being implemented

through the DRCs in western Rajasthan. Theaim is to build the capacities of CBOs andNGOs on DRR by utilising local knowledgeand know-how/technology. Criterion forselecting the sites, the households and theDRCs were articulated. A detailed timebound plan for community mobilisation,implementation and monitoring of fodderplot development was prepared and carewas taken to ensure the involvement of thecommunity and the block and village levelcommittees in the process.

Drinking Water SecuritySecuring a water source is a matter of dignityand self pride for a poor household. Hencea need was felt to develop a mechanismwhereby poor and vulnerable householdscould be supported for constructing waterharvesting structures. In two villages ofBarmer and one village of Jodhpur district,24 individual and 21 community waterharvesting structures have been constructedbenefiting 150 dalit households. An exercise,


As part of the Disaster Risk Transfer,collaboration with VIMO SEWA (an initiativeby Self Employed Women’s Association,Gujarat), has provided easy and accessibleinsurance and claim service covering health,life and assets, for poor women based ontheir needs and paying capacity; 327households (1600 members) have beencovered, while 3 claims with respect tohealth insurance have been facilitated.

Capacity BuildingWorkshops• Consultative workshops on ‘Disaster

Management: Legislative Provisions andPractices’ were organised in Gujarat andRajasthan. The national and the stateActs were reviewed and this resulted inthe publication of a popular documenton ‘Disaster Management: LegislativeProvisions and Policies’.

• In order to orient different stakeholderson the theme of ‘Civic Engagement inDisaster Management in Gujarat’, aworkshop was organised at Jamnagar. 60NGOs and PRI representativesparticipated in this workshop where thelegislative provisions enlisted in theDisaster Management Act and Policy,2003 and district and village level planswere discussed.

• In order to orient different stakeholdersand elected representatives on CityDisaster Management Plan, along withfive Nagarpalikas, a workshop wasorganised on ‘Disaster Management andDisaster Risk Reduction’ in Gujarat whichwas attended by 30 participants fromdifferent professional backgrounds.

Trainings• Capacities of partners in Rajasthan were

built through orientation, structured

DISASTER RESPONSEAT A GLANCE

134 beneficiaries selected,through community processes,46 disaster safe houses wereconstructed in six villages aroundBhachau, Kutch

Community based rescue centreswere constructed in five villages ofBhachau, Kutch.

50 households provided reliefmaterial at Gir-Talala region incollaboration with Aga Khan RuralSupport programme

A community based learning centrefor Disaster preparedness called‘the Sajjata Park’ has been set upat Kutch

Under the flood rehabilitationprogramme at Barmer, 70 villageswere identified. 202 householdswere supported in the construction ofjhompas using low cost compressedsoil blocks. 100 households weresupported for repair work incollaboration with our local partnerorganisations. 100 households thathad lost their belongings wereprovided family kits.

‘Exposure, Dialogue and Learning’ (EDL) wasconducted to collectively reflect on themodels developed, derive learnings anddevelop future plans on water security.


meetings, participatory project planningand designing, exposure visits tosuccessful models, and disseminatingeducational material on disasters andDRR practices.

• To build an overall understanding onlinkages between insurance, disaster riskreduction and social security, aworkshop was organised in collaborationwith SEWA VIMO. This workshop wasattended by 29 participants from 14organisations.

• Linkages with research organisations likeCAZRI, AFRI, KVK and NationalHorticulture Mission, Rajasthan havebeen developed for providing technicalsupport on pasture and horticulturedevelopment.

• A trained pool of 100 artisans has beendeveloped on appropriate, low cost anddisaster safe housing technology.

Exposure visits• Two twelve member teams comprising

of PRIs, village level volunteers and staffmembers from UNNATI visited SouthIndia and Orissa to understand the relief,rehabilitation and preparednessactivities undertaken by different NGOsand the government.

• An exposure visit of DisasterPreparedness and Response Group(DPRG) partners, Bhachau, wasorganised to Orissa and Rajasthan andwas followed up with a state levelworkshop.

Systematisation of Knowledge• A booklet has been published on the

theme of ‘Disaster Risk Reduction: ACompilation of Literature’ forpractitioners.

• A series of booklets on best practicesduring emergency response entitled‘Water and Sanitation’, ‘Psycho-socialCare in Disaster Response,’ and‘Intermediate Semi-Permanent Shelterin Post-disaster Reconstruction’ werepublished.

• A research paper on ‘UnderstandingInternational Human Rights Standardsfor Post Disaster Advocacy’ wasdeveloped in order to build anunderstanding on international humanright standards and apply them in theIndian context facilitating effective postdisaster advocacy in case of naturaldisasters.

• A series of 20 poster/display panels isunder production to be used as visualaid for the practitioners of DRR.

Building PartnershipsA state level consultation was organised incollaboration with DPRG, on the theme of‘Deepening Community Based Disaster RiskReduction Practices with GO-NGOCollaboration’ with the purpose of sharinglearnings and policy advocacy.

Collaboratiing with government andunderstanding its initiatives is important sothat these can be replicated on a large scalein the operational area. Local knowledge andknow-how should be incorporated toformulate best practices of the community.Advocating the DRR approach will go a longway in enabling communities to developcoping mechanisms in the wake of disastersthat are likely to occur due to globalwarming.


LOOKING FORWARDWhile continuing to work in all the thematic areas and exploring newer options… Engagementand ownership of the programmes and activities by citizens can only be promoted when theyare part of the process. We will continue to work on issues of exclusion arising due todiscrimination based on caste, gender and disability to seek justice. Citizens are alienatedwhen they do not have a platform to negotiate with the government. Hence, for facilitatingmeaningful participation of the citizens, while engaging in dialogue with the authorities andcitizens, the challenge is to strengthen marginalised groups so that they can seek answerswithout fear and make informed decisions. Since disaster risk reduction is a fairly new area,strengthening the capacity of other stakeholders based on our experience, research anddocumenting of best practices and simplifying legislative provisions for wider usage will remainthe focus area. Integrating the DRR approach into the development plans of the panchayatsand ULBs remains a challenge. Inculcating a regular process of introspection and self analysiswould enable us to formulate strategies to effectively integrate all the areas of our interventionwithin the domain of governance, social inclusion and disaster risk reduction for makingmeaningful interventions for change. The OLS will encourage facilitation of thematic reflectionsso that all levels of staff and partners derive learning from the interventions and analyse theimpact at the grassroots, at professional and personal levels. This will enable in buildingcollective responsibility, improve coordination and motivation of team members and retaintheir enthusiasm.

KNOWLEDGE RESOURCE CENTRE

Recognising the need for consolidation of experiences from the field and promoting sharingof knowledge among varied stakeholders, efforts are made to support the respectiveprogramme teams to document the experiences and learnings and present them inaccessible formats for a wide range of audience. Knowledge building is an inherent part ofeach programme, promoted for wider sharing and learning and it also enables in shapingthe future direction of programmes. Open learning systems (OLS) has been set up toencourage exchange and sharing of experience and information within the organisation.Apart from facilitating processes of documenting and publishing, the knowledge resourcecentre has a rich collection of more than 13,000 resource materials on various themesrelevant to social development. This includes books, journals, posters, flashcards, annualreports, CDs and newsletters which are accessed by various institutions and individuals.The publications during the year focused mainly around the theme of disaster risk reduction.A number of short films on themes related to rural and urban governance were alsoproduced. Four editions of VICHAR, a quarterly bulletin, were published in Hindi andGujarati, covering themes like improvement in basic services in India, strengtheningcommunity groups for local development, social audits as a mechanism for facilitatingaccountability at the grassroots, HIV/AIDS and a special issue on ‘urban governance’covering issues of people’s participation in urban local governance, schemes for small andmedium towns and solid waste management.


1. ASHA for EducationUniversity of Texas Students’Organisation Centre,Box No. 319,1, University Station A 6220,Austin, Texas.

2. Canadian International DevelopementAgency (CIDA)Canadian High Commission,7/8, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri,New Delhi – 110012

3. CORDAIDP. O. Box 16440,2500 B K, The Hague,The Netherlands

4. DAN CHURCH AIDNorregade-13,DK-1165 Copenhagen K.Denmark

5. The Ford Foundation55, Lodhi EstateNew Delhi – 110003

6. HIVOSFlat No. 402, Eden Park,No. 20, Vittal Mallya Road,Bangalore – 560 001, Karnataka

7. DVV InternationalObere Wilhelmstr 32,D 53225, Bonn, Germany.

8. International Development Research Centre(IDRC)208, Jor Baug,New Delhi – 110003.

OUR DONOR PARTNERS

9. Maltesar Hilfsdienst e.v.Kalker Hauptstr,22 – 24,51103 Cologne,Germany

10. National Foundation for India (NFI)India Habitat Centre, Core 4 A,P O Box 3133, Lodhi Road,New Delhi – 110 062

11. OXFAM (India) Trust3 A, 3rd Floor, Commerce House 1,Judges Bungalow Road,Bodakdev, Ahmedabad - 380054

12. Society for Participatory Research in India(PRIA)42, Tughalakabad Institutional Area,New Delhi – 110 062

13. State Institute of Rural Development(SIRD)Sardar Patel Institute ofPublic AdministrationOpp. ISRO, Satellite RoadAhmedabad – 380015

14. Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC)Embassy of SwitzerlandChandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri,New Delhi – 110021

11. Vibha1030, El Camino Real #424,Sunnyvale,California – 94087.

12. United Nations Development Fund(UNDP)55, Lodhi Estate, P.O. Box No. 3059New Delhi 110 003.


SOURCES OF FUNDS 31.03.07 % 31.03.08 %

Capital FundCorpus 50.00 10 50.00 10Capital Accound 221.86 43 250.34 53

271.86 53 300.34 63Current LiabilitiesUnutilised Fund 235.83 45 159.15 34

Sundry Creditors Doree Revolving Fund 9.63 11.42 Development Fund 0.00 1.84 Others 0.29 1.38

9.92 2 14.64 3

245.75 47 173.79 37

TOTAL 517.61 100 474.13 100

APPRECIATION OF FUNDS 31.03.07 % 31.03.08 %

Fixed Assets 177.54 34 230.53 49

Balance on Hand andin BankSaving Bank A/c 37.34 7 47.23 10

Fixed Deposit 293.71 57 188.21 39331.05 64 235.44 49

Advances Tax Deducted at Source 3.70 4.05 Deposits 0.07 2.15 Others 5.25 1.96

9.02 2 8.16 2

TOTAL 517.61 100 474.13 100

BALANCE SHEET AS ON MARCH 31, 2008(Rs. in lacs)

EXPENDITURE 31.03.07 % 31.03.08 %

Direct ProjectExpensesRural Development 57.28 17 73.64 16Research 12.29 4 13.53 3Training & Workshop 27.63 8 22.00 5Education Materials 5.29 2 7.00 2Relief & Rehabilitation 27.14 8 26.88 6Disaster Preparedness 24.17 7 126.57 28Support to PRI 39.14 12 12.10 3Disability 0.00 0 0.15 0

192.94 58 281.87 63

Salary and Honorarium 69.38 20 76.78 16Administrative Expenses 43.19 13 46.83 10

Depreciation 15.58 5 23.90 5

Excess of Income over 13.97 4 29.27 6Expenditure

TOTAL 335.06 100 458.65 100

INCOME 31.03.07 % 31.03.08 %

Grant Received (Net) 302.42 90 400.03 87

ContributionSale of Publications 0.55 0 0.56 0Training Fees 0.15 0 0.30 0Vehicles exp. recovered 6.74 2 17.77 4Honorarium 1.91 1 5.31 1Others 8.09 2 15.09 3

17.44 5 39.03 8

Profit on sale of Vehicles 0 0 0.02 0

InterestOn Saving Bank A/c 1.37 1 0.91 1On Fixed Deposit A/c 13.83 4 18.61 4On Income Tax Refund 0.00 0 0.07 0

15.20 5 19.59 5

TOTAL 335.06 100 458.65 100

Complete audited statement available on request.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31.03.2008(Rs. in lacs)

FINANCES

HighlightsA) Income

1. During the year, two major projects grants were received (1) Cordaid, for Disaster Risk Reductionprogramme and (2) Malteser for construction / renovation of houses in the earthquake affectedareas in Bhachau (Kutch), Gujarat.

2. Local contributions have mainly come from professional services provided.3. Interest income has increased on account of increase in the interest rate and more grants received.

B) Expense1. Expenses on disaster risk reduction programme has increased as the grant was more.

C) Balance Sheet1. During the year one office premise in Ahmedabad was purchased and the building at Jodhpur was

completed and capitalised.2. Bank balance and fixed deposits are less on account of utilisation of grant received and some of the

projects were completed.



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AR 7-8 for PDF - UNNATITitle AR 7-8 for PDF.p65 Author ramesh Created Date 1/5/2009 11:24:08 AM