Background
Under Corporate Social Responsibility, Sajoi village was selected for integrated community development by DS Group Noida & HWA Varanasi. Sajoi village, adopted by DS Group — a famous corporate house of the country — is located 22 km from Varanasi district headquarters towards the west, on the Varanasi–Bhadohi road. The village is densely populated with Dalit, OBC (Patel & Rajbhar), and Muslim communities, including the Musahar community (the most marginalized in the village). One government primary school and 6 Anganwadi centres run in this village; the major occupations are saree weaving, agriculture, animal husbandry, and wage labour.
Activities Undertaken
FGD for area and resource mapping: Project organized Focus Group Discussions in various settlements to prepare an area and resource map of the village, marking routes and resources such as hand pumps, wells, schools, Anganwadi centres, Panchayat Bhawan, ponds, temples, mosques, madarsa, drainage, and roads.
Formation of adolescent groups: Four adolescent girls’ groups were formed across settlements after meetings on the challenges of this age and the role of adolescents in family and society.
Capacity building training on adolescent issues: Conducted in two batches (26–27 and 29–30 July 2015) at the project office.
Formation of Self-Help Groups: Two SHGs were formed in August — one in Rajbhar and one in Harijan settlement — both maintaining savings and registers in a proper system.
Vocational training centre (tailoring classes): 33 girls learning tailoring, run in a central, safe, accessible location.
Computer classes: 25 students enrolled; an inverter set was provided to handle low voltage. 20 students learning Microsoft Word and 5 learning Paint, with a syllabus for monitoring learning stages.
Capacity building of Anganwadi workers: A training program on 10 August 2015 with 22 participants, focusing on ensuring health services and coordination with ASHA health workers, immunization, and safe/institutional delivery.
Meetings with primary school teachers on forming a Bal Adhikar Forum and identifying construction needs (doors and windows, plastering, toilets, water tank, kitchen, platform, white wash, boundary wall).
Hand pump operational and maintenance committee meetings to take collective responsibility for installed hand pumps and prevent water-borne diseases.
Community awareness meetings across settlements to record problems (drainage, health, hand pumps, livelihood options) and inform the community about tailoring & computer classes and identification of tuition teachers and sanitation workers.
Identification of a tuition teacher — preferring a lady teacher so girls who cannot travel outside can access coaching.
Identification of youth for Nukkad Natak — street plays as a creative source of awareness and sensitization on health issues.