COMMUNITY
WOMEN WELFARE PROGRAM
The program in Ongole, Andhra, was designed to enhance the work-life conditions of women who earn their livelihood from tobacco grading. These women are minimum wage earners and mostly from the marginalized communities (SC/ST).
The program concentrated on work place enhancement by building toilets, installing ROs for access to safe drinking water, running health camps, providing protective gear for work, creating lunch and recreation areas, offering scholarships for children of graders to pursue higher studies, and conducting awareness camps and meetings on rights, wages & benefits, conflict management etc.
Overall community development has been done through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives, school and aanganwadi infrastructure development, SHGs and Village Development Societies, and skill development centres.
Three grading centres and four communities were shortlisted for program, which has impacted over 10,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries.
The program’s success story is Edugundlapadu, a model village that is open-defecation free, has 100% toilets built, is open-garbage free, has access to safe drinking water through RO, has permanent drains to remove all stagnant sewage water; has tree plantations for greenery and beautification, and conducts regular health camps. The fully restored primary schools and anganwadis with toilets, landscaping, playground and equipped with all study material have been successful in retaining children in school and eliminating child labour.
The model village has been recognised by the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh.