Community Institutions Development

The Activities Under This Sub-Component Are:

Engaging of the services of 17 NGOs supported by about 360 community resource persons (CRPs) with each CRP responsible for two or more natural villages;

Training of Trainers (ToT) through a Specialist NGO and capacity building of CRPs

Mobilization of VDAs, forming VDCs and building capacity of VDC members;

Implementation of entry point activities in all 1,019 villages, as identified by the VDCs; and

Preparation of village development plans (VDPs) and facilitation of VDCs to implement activities identified in the VDPs.

NGO services

The Programme will contract NGOs for a duration of seven years to facilitate Programme implementation in villages in each of the 17 MPA areas. The contracted NGOs will engage local village youth as Community Resource Persons (CRPs) to assist the village communities in two or more Programme villages and train them in micro-planning and book keeping. The contracted NGOs will set up a Programme office in the MPA area of their operation and place a dedicated team of professionals at the MPA level comprising of a NGO Coordinator to be designated among 4 staff from a NRM cum Agriculture Officer, a Livelihood and Rural Finance Officer, a Junior Engineer, a Community Institutions and Nutrition Officer and an Accounts Assistant. The programme will arrange for capacity building of the NGO team through exposure visits and support of a Resource NGO contracted for this purpose.

Training of Trainers

The programme will engage the services of a Resource NGO to train MPA and FNGO staff as trainers using methodologies proven effective in training communities with low levels of literacy and outside exposure. Besides receiving training from Resource NGO, the MPA and NGO will be sent on exposure visits to OTELP and other programme areas. Once trained as trainers, the MPA and NGO staff will develop training modules for different aspects of the programme and train CRPs. They will also develop and implement a training plan to train GPLF members, SHG leaders and VDC members. The components of training will include forming groups, functioning of SHGs and other groups, nutrition, gender, etc.

Community Mobilisation

The NGO will organise a Palli Sabha at each natural village in its operational area, explain the Programme concept and implementation modalities. NGO staff will involve traditional village leaders, elected representatives from the Palli, leaders of any functional SHG in the village, the CRPs, the Anganwadi worker and ASHA worker in this process. Following the Palli Sabha aVillage Development Association (VDA) will be established in each natural village, with all adults as members. In case a village has less than 30 households, a VDA will be formed for two villages. VDA will select a four member (2 men and 2 women, and a majority PVTG) Village Development Committee (VDC) to implement Programme activities. In addition, a Social and Financial Audit Committee (SFAC) will be established to carry out social audit of all activities implemented in the course of the Programme. The Programme will also take cognisance of the Village Health and Education Committee (HEC) and the Forest Rights and Conservation Committee (FRCC) that already exist in these villages. It will draw on the HEC to implement programme activities related to health, nutrition and education and on the FRCC for activities related to land allocation, NTFPs and forestry.

Preparation of VDPs and their implementation

VDC will identify certain entry point activities through discussions in the VDA with FNGO facilitation and implement these. With rapport built in the village, the FNGO will facilitate the preparation of a five year Village Development Plan incorporating activities described in Component 2 and 3. This plan will be presented to the VDA and once approved, it will be sent to the MPA for approval and onwards to the SPMU. The Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) for the MPA area will be drawn from the VDPs of all the villages in the MPA.