Major Component of Centre for Participatory Research and Planning - Enhancing Social Capital at Community Level

Community is capable of managing its own affairs towards self-rule at micro-level through enhanced social capital.

- How -

  • Training on Participatory Action Research
  • Collective Marriage programme
  • SHG cultural troops
  • Volunteering and Community Feast
  • Soil Worship (Mati Mahotsav)

Collective Marriage: More than 60 percent of families turn to unscrupulous moneylenders to borrow funds for wedding ceremonies. Loans to cover those costs come with impossibly high interest rates, causing many families to fall into bondage to “work-off” the debt. In 2016, PGS along with its federation of quarry miners organized innovative group wedding wherein five couples were married at the same time so their families could share the financial burden. More than 1,000 people witnessed the occasion. It was not organized by an expensive wedding planner, but by slavery survivors — villagers who want freedom for the next generation by saying “no to debt” for weddings. This event has encouraged the concept of community social responsibility and has helped in achieving self-esteem of the community.

For more information, follow the link: Collective Marriage

Training on Participatory Action Research: PGS imparts one year training on Participatory Action Research to 30 selected youth from among the target community. Ten teams of grassroots researchers with the members of each team predominantly comprising of young boys and girls from among the target community will be trained to start conducting participatory action research in target area.

Soil Worship (MatiMahotsav): The importance of conserving the soil a unique programme of Soil Worship will be organised once in a year at district level. The program will be organised in rural area. About 300-350 SHG members will participate.

Volunteering and Community Feast: SHGs organize volunteering to protect community assets from illegal encroachment in their localities on monthly basis. The community assets include ponds, grazing land, community land, roads, forest and worship places. We educate them that these assets support livelihoods of poor people and should be protected to reduce dependence on debts for securing livelihoods.

For more information on community feast, follow the link Community Feast

SHG cultural troops: We impart training to SHGs on performing street plays and folk songs for awakening against the prevailing illegal and unethical debt bondage system. This would let civil society know about the modern system of bondage by the performance of the cultural group.

Participatory Model for Responsible Mining: After going through the participatory research methods PGS along with GB Pant Social Science Institute, a Participatory Model for Responsible Mining was devised taking into consideration the following:

  • Provision of improved and safe working conditions to the workers
  • Fulfilling responsibility towards environment by undertaking rain water conservation and plantation.
  • Taking responsibility towards the institution’s rules and regulations by paying on-time and fair taxes.

Pragati Samooh Kosh (PSK): It is the collection of funds by the SHG Federation. The funds from the PSK are used by the SHGs for inter-loaning between the SHG groups.PSK provides five products namely -

Pragati Dhan Samridhi - For micro-enterprises
Pragati Dhan Shiksha - For children education
Pragati Dhan Sanjivini - For meeting medical expenses
Pragati Dhan Suraksha - For construction of house
Pragati Dhan Samman - For the wedding of daughter

Village Development Plan (VDP): The objective of Village Development Plan is to focus on financial inclusion and development of the selected village in an integral and holistic manner. This works on the dimensions of economic development, infrastructure development, and other aspects of human development i.e. education, health. Drinking water supply, etc. 

External Evaluation of Pratham’s Read India Programme: PGS has been identified by PRATHAM, a national level NGO, as an agency for conducting external evaluation of its “Read-India Programme” in Allahabad.

Rice Trader and Miller Survey for Value Chain study in UP: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has recognized the PGS as a collaborating organization for conducting field survey.

- Impact -

A second line of leadership will emerge that will strengthen the on going PGS’s community based participatory interventions.

Our Achievements - Jan - June, 2018 

- Third successive collective marriage program, organized by the SHG federation at Naini, Allahabad on May 13, 2018. Read more
- Community Feast, a blend of feast and learning. Read more

 

 

 

DESIGNATION CENTER FOR PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH & PLANNING
TEAM LEADER Anwer Siddaque
CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINER Sanjai Jaiswal
COMMUNITY RESEARCH ASST. Sudama
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS Ram asre
CONSULTANT/ADVISORS Dr.Sunit Singh
RESOURCE CENTER Research And Development Cell
PARTNERS Freedom Fund,Geneva Global,GBPSSI, FTS