For me, I prefer my self as a companion than a superior while being volunteering. I wish to be a spark in everyone's mind, although I can touch them with the kindness of my activities. Thus, I believe my service will reflect the society for small or big things. My greatest strength is being adaptable to every situation and interpersonal. Being a learner is my motto. As a social engineer, I would like to reform the society with my services. I will be there for the young minds as a counsellor for their future. To be with the resourceful and hard-working young to the society.
VOLUNTEERING FOR ME
According to me "being a volunteer who expresses a willingness to undertake a service", You do not volunteer for the pursuit of a monetary prize or recognition. I understood that I am helping, and I believe that I am capable of inciting change and making progress. In some way, large or small, capable of doing good. Social responsibility is often a driving force when it comes to volunteerism. When you are a volunteer, you are making connections. You are connected with the community.
VOLUNTEERING JOURNEY
For me volunteering mind is cannot be made, it's growing inside when you're grown up. My volunteering journey was started in Social club and JRC from 6th standard. Leading plus two with Women cell and local clubs then finally NSS technical cell which paved my path for volunteering. And that gain a chance to be part of AFRC, SSS, SRS, TGF and Youth brigade. Which is almost 14 years of volunteering journey. My greatest inspiration is my family : Father, who's always being engaged with the social works since my childhood and present. He was always engaged with the social works rather than our family matters. He is the entity which i follow and yearn to become. StilL he is working with KILA, Panchayath service society, convenor for Gramasabhas and etc. And he honoured with the award for "Covid-19 prathirodha pravarthanangalum ente pachappum" from MLA.
VOLUNTEERING STORY
My volunteering journey start with my schooling period. I was keen observing into the other activities too. During that time I am a JRC volunteer and Social club convenor, engaged in various activities at my school time. Surroundings of school cleaning, plastic free ground, awareness program conducted and coordinated for anti-Narcotic's and AIDS, slogan creations, placard making for waste management etc. We are clean up the famous tourist spot near our school, Soojipara. During my HSS time I was in Women cell and various clubs and coordinated a sex education program for juniors. And got a chance to legal service study for teenagers, and I was the representative of district level legal service program, and gain first runner-up 2012. Coming to my Btech life, active participant in various associations for the activities inside the campus. NSS technical cell, the first unit of our college, is one of the result of our effort. And being an NSS volunteer for the period of three years made me as a passionate towards volunteerism. We're all engaged with various activities inside and outside our campus. Information technology awareness project through the villages in Ullyeri Panchayath, data entry work for KSEB, No hunger Calicut, AGRIMA 2016, Punarjjani 2016-2018, State level adventure camp at Trissur. In 2019 i served as a Social skill Promoter for SSS &SRS and acquired a great privilege for got a chance to coordinate 35 institutions from Kasarkod to Trivandrum. And conducted a state level awareness program for program officers from the colleges. And conducted a stress relief program for old age home, Bethlahem abhayabhavan. I also got a chance to serving flood relief camp volunteer, 2018 &2019. And I was coordinated an education project for economically backward students. Coordinator for Womens empowerment program with AFRC Kalpetta 2019. And Covid-19 disaster management, 2020 with Meppadi gramapanchayath and palliative care. And actively engaged with various volunteering activities with youth brigade Meppadi, 2021.
PROJECT Lives on the Edges
ORGANISATION Kerala Institute of Local Administration and Panchayath
MISSION & VISION
To ensure overall empowerment and standard of living of tribes in Wayanad district is the major study through this project. The Context Muttil and Meppadi is the biggest tribal settlement in Wayanad. The position of tribal health and education is more alarming, as these group inhabit in the remote forest and hilly areas far from civilization, they are largely unaffected by the developmental process going on the rest of the non-tribal areas. It is in this context we thought to conduct tribal empowerment programmes in the two Panchayaths of Muttil and Meppadi. And also we conduct a thorough survey through their residential area for to known about their daily life basics. Along with this we dream that the uncivilised and helpless peoples get basic needs includes medicine, home, water resources, travel facilities, education for children, employment and etc. Providing a better awareness program for them can improve their life and will ease them.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Tribals in Kerala (Adivasis of Kerala) are the indigenous population found in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Most of the tribal people of Kerala live in the forests and mountains of Western Ghats, bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This project deal with the scheduled tribes in Kerala, the problems faces in their lives and how they got the basics needs from Government and tribal department ITDP. It include the major racism faced from the non tribal society that may affected for their livelihood and mental health. This is mostly affected in some scheduled caste in tribes. One of the most important aspect is found out the uneducated children among them, who's not get basic education. And moreover to empowered them and dream big about the outside world. Another one is the old aged ones, who is facing serious health issues and not get medical consultant at proper. So that we made survey form to ask questions to them and it includes 40 basic questions and 63 individual questions. The individual questions is depends upon the age category of them. From Muttil panchayath i covered almost 80 houses of 3 wards. From that section i was helped by the local volunteer and their member of the same ward. And it also improve to know more about them. From Wayanad it almost 4 volunteers engaged in different wards. And we conducted meeting to share the new ideas, experience to involved with the tribes. The most adventure thing in this project is the interaction sections. Because some of them are facing inferior to declare the answers of my questions. So it need to make a good environment for the conversion.This does not preclude the recognition of their internal diversity in livelihoods, lifestyles, cultural aspirations, skills, and goals, as well as the fact of the presence of internal hierarchies and inequalities within the tribal population.
LENGTH OF SERVICE
The project was carried out three phases:
First phase was the pilot survey among the neighborhood tribal colony and get an idea about them and their livelihood. This thought us that it need thorough study before met them. And also achieved their coordination for the project
. Second phase is the training program for all the volunteers from KILA, this was help us to know more about tribal department. And made questions, then implemented the same into a mobile app- ODK file, from October 1st 2020 to October 15th 2020.
. Third phase is the field work through the tribal areas, October 20, 2020 to November 30,2020. Awareness programs,surveys, report submission was also included in it.
ROLE IN PROJECT
The role i had taken entrusted to me was as a field investigator. It was a different experience with the schedule tribes. The gathered for house hold survey is intimate for them. Because the lively basics and interactions with the non tribes is different.
This investigation made me positive mindset, first to interact with them to make a friendly atmosphere for the communication. So that i used my coordination skill to coordinate the captain in each ooru of their residential. And introduced the project also to get corporation with them. They are connect with the tribes families inside their colony. And thus the project is spread out all the houses. So the captain's coordination is the major thing. I used to be with then even for my intervals, rest time, food time, as well as conducted games with the children. These interactions gain the attention from children too. The participation from children empowered the activities with them. Another one is travel facilities to reach out the hilly areas, much more difficulty to driven the two wheeler and thus we take as it was trecking experience with the stories from the tribes. And that almost have gain lots of adventure one to reach the colonies. Realised the difficulty of their basics needs and it includes in the reports. The interpersonal conversation between us is improves to know more about the different lives, peoples, cultures, activities and etc. We conducted a Panchayath survey to know more about the tribes in different wards. That thought the local government have indeed been involved to full fill the rights of tribes even they're ready to involve with the social ones.
IMPACT OF PROJECT
The overall impact of developmental projects on tribes has been often list out livelihood, massive displacement and involuntary migration to the children. In this light, critically examine how tribals are affected and what needs to be done to protect their interests.
Development as a complex process involves the social, cultural, political and economic betterment of people. So that the overall report has been examined by the local Government. Overall, the respondents held the view that tribe development programmes were sound. Nevertheless, the beneficiaries raised a number of concerns regarding the implementation of such plans. They expressed the view that plans needed proper implementation, evaluation and a scaling up of strategies. The most important complaints revolved around significant delays in obtaining financial assistance, medical emergency during the pandemic of Covid-19, students education through online and unemployment.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
GOAL 15: Life on Land
ACHIEVEMENTS
During the period of JRC volunteering, i cleared all level of examination conducted by district level, 2007-2009
First runner up of legal service examination- Wayanad district, 2012
Attended state level adventure camp by NSS
Vice chairperson - college union, 2017-2018
AFRC, education project management and women coordinator, 2019
Coordination for state level programs for SSS,2019
Socially responsible institutions award function coordination
First woman volunteer for Covid-19 disaster management at Meppadi Panchayath - April, 2020
FUTURE PLANS
Creating an NGO, with volunteers. The service through it will reflects the awareness programs, for the economically backwards children to make them Socially committed person. It's also including the sector for menstrual hygiene among the tribal women, and introduction them for the cotton pads, menstrual cup,etc.I thing the Gulmohar foundation and Institute of Social volunteering helps me to mentoring for conduct the programme among them through the NGO. We together can expand the programm with the tribal women. My ultimate aim to make a permanent solution for the menstrual pad disposal to avoid the environmental pollutions. With this NGO, can make the solution and more awareness during menstrual time.
REFERENCE:
Are you an aspiring volunteer, put your ideas into action at
National Volunteers Hackathon 2021