Manikgarh Hills Community Development Project (MHCDP)

Manikgarh Hills Community Development Project (MHCDP) (Sustained)

Manikgarh Hills Community Development Project (MHCDP) was started in August 2009 by the Centre for Social Action with the help of Kindernothilfe (KNH), Germany, aimed to create an ideal society, which would provide ample opportunity to children for their holistic development by covering 24 villages in Jiwati Taluk in Chandrapur Dist. The target communities were Gond Tribes, Kollam Tribes (One of the extinct tribes of India), the Banjara Nomadic tribes, and Dalits.

Main Issues

The low nutrition status of children below age 5yrs.
There were no Anganawadis in 6 villages, and around 70% of the children did not attend Anganawadis in the project villages.
90% of the people were dependent on irregular and insecure wage labor.
Most agricultural lands were considered illegal by the forest department as they had not received land ownership documents (7/12 Patta document).
No agricultural loans, crop insurance, etc., were available to farmers because of landlessness. 22% of the families had kutcha houses, 48% had semi pucca houses, and only 30% had pucca houses.
Only one crop could be grown in the area due to water shortage.

Changes Brought

100% of school enrollment ensured up to 8th grade in all project villages.
Anganwadis were functioning effectively in all 23 villages.
Income Generation Activities (IGA) was motivated, seed banks established, income increased by 45% through on-farm and off-farm livelihood activities.
30% of marginal farmers covered through watershed activity were able to grow the second crop.
800 tribal and poor families from the project area received the 7/12 land document, which is a legal document for land ownership.
With the introduction of watershed activity, 30% of marginal farmers covered through watershed activity were able to grow the second crop.

A total of 91 Self Help Groups (SHGs) (1015 members), 8 Cluster Level Associations (CLAs), 1 Federation, 24 Village Development Committees (VDCs), 14 Children’s Parliament have been formed. A sum of Rs. 80 Lakhs has been mobilized through the savings and the inter-loaning. The total revolving capital stands at Rs.21,69,515. A Community Resource Centre has been constructed in the locality. The project is handed over to the local federation to ensure sustainability.