Microproject Fund
Empowering people to take village development in their
own hands
The Microproject Fund is a model developed by AVAG that
concentrates on providing the villagers with the basic infrastructure
to organise and take responsibility for their own village
services. Most villages do not have proper roads, drainage,
electricity and drinking-water facilities, and many of the
school-buildings and public places are badly dilapidated
and need urgent attention.
The Village Council first decides on a project they believe
is the most urgent. The villagers then plan and make an
estimate. They try to secure funds for the project from
the established government sources, as AVAG keeps the Councils
well aware of all the government schemes accessible to the
villages. If government funding is not forthcoming, the
Council calls upon all the villagers to try and raise the
funds themselves.
If the amount is too large to raise within the village,
the Council can apply to AVAG’s Microproject Fund.
To be eligible for AVAG’s support, the villagers themselves
must provide one third of the cost, in cash, in kind or
labour. AVAG also ensures that the Council has a proper
plan to maintain the asset.
AVAG helps them build the skills and the leadership qualities
they need to undertake projects, as well as facilitating
them to look in-depth at issues and schemes affecting them.
The end result is that when a village has worked together
to implement a project, they end up with not only an improved
facility for the village, but a sense of “can do”
about themselves, and the readiness to take up more and more
community work together.
Microproject Success Story
Villagers work towards a clean & accessible Health
Centre
In the month of December 2002, ten women’s clubs and
two men’s clubs of Vanur village cleaned up the area
around the Health Centre. About 200 people worked together
for two days and cleared up an area of three acres. They
also cleaned the centre thoroughly and got rid of all its
unhygienic waste.
The condition of the Health Centre of Vanur village was
miserable just a month back. The place was surrounded by
thick, thorny bushes. The unhealthy waste of the centre
was lying all over, inside and outside the complex. The
doctor, nurse and the staff members were often negligent
towards the patients. The villagers were reluctant to go
there to be treated even if they required urgent medical
attention.
Today all this has changed because some members of AVAG’s
women’s clubs had the vision of a better health service
for their village. They approached the doctor and told him
about AVAG’s Microproject Fund and the possibility
of an improved health centre. The doctor was overjoyed as
he too was disgusted with the place and was thinking of
resigning from the job. The matter was then brought to the
club meeting and got the approval of AVAG’s development
worker. The news of this Herculean microproject spread and
finally all the twelve clubs of the village decided to participate.
All the club members contributed Rs. 40 each to help the
project and they bore 2/3 of the total cost.
This microproject was the biggest ever in the history of
AVAG. It was proof of AVAG’s success in spreading the
message of self-empowerment. It demonstrated the willingness
of the people to breakthrough the caste system and gender
discrimination and come together for common good. It inspired
other villages as well as AVAG to take up similar projects.
Some Microprojects in the pipeline
- The Panchayat school of Pulichapallam village
is situated in the lowest part of the village. As a result
the school gets flooded in the rainy season. The water
remains stagnant for months as there is no proper drainage
system. With mud and water all around children face a
lot of health and hygiene problems. The men's club has
planned to build a wall all around the school and raise
the ground-level by dumping soil inside and outside the
wall. The club has also agreed to offer free labour.
| Estimated cost for the wall and soil |
Rs 24,850 |
$ 520 |
| Villagers' contribution |
Rs 10,000 |
$ 210 |
| Required sum |
Rs 14,850 |
$ 310 |
- Vasanthapuram is situated on the border of Tamil
Nadu and Pondicherry therefore it has been neglected by
both the states. For a long time there has been a shortage
of drinking water though the villagers have been requesting
the municipalities of both the states to do something
about it. They have also written applications to the Collectors
and MLAs of the region but their appeal has always been
rejected with the excuse that the Government Treasury
is running short of funds. Now villagers have taken the
matter into their own hands and have decided to install
a hand pump that will fulfil their drinking water need.
| Estimated cost of the hand pump |
Rs 30,000 |
$ 630 |
| Villagers' contribution |
Rs 10,000 |
$ 210 |
| Required sum |
Rs 20,000 |
$ 420 |
- Poothurai, the biggest Dalit -('untouchable')
village of this region has seven women's clubs and two
men’s clubs. All the nine clubs are very active.
But they do not have a proper meeting place. All the meetings
are conducted on an open ground. As a result bad-weather
and passing drunkards often disturb their meetings. The
clubs have come together to make a structure with a simple
shed. This place will also be used for the purpose of
night school and village-library.
| Estimated cost of the structure |
Rs 18,000 |
$ 375 |
| Villagers' contribution |
Rs 6,000 |
$ 125 |
| Required sum |
Rs 12,000 |
$ 250 |
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For more information
Please visit the Auroville website to read more about the
villages
around Auroville and to read about Village
Action. You can also write village action at avagoffice@auroville.org.in
or contact
AVIUSA.
Your Donation Will Help
Auroville Village Action is currently running many projects
in the villages surrounding Auroville (see a list
of project proposals.) Your donation can help improve
the lives of some of Tamil Nadu's most impoverished villagers.
Any donation, large or small, will make a difference. You
can donate
online now with your credit card on Helping.org's secure
server.
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