Blog Details

 A. Relief Distribution Context

India is the world’s second largest producer of food, but it has its second largest undernourished population. Further, more than half of women in India suffer from anaemia, which is one of the reasons for the high rate of low-birth weight babies. An unbalanced diet and lack of food is directly linked to high rates of stunting, excessive weight, and death in children under five years of age.

The Government of India has implemented programmes for providing food security and ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food. There is a need to look at multiple strategies to combat the issue of food security. As we know that Gaya district is one of the most multi hazard prone areas. During this winter season, lots of poor and marginalized communities’ people are suffering from various challenges and even death cases has been reported as per the media news article.

Winter may be harsh for the economically disadvantaged sections of the society, especially those living in Tin Sheds, Kaccha houses. These people can’t afford warm clothes, blankets, hot-water bottles and other essentials required to keep themselves warm during the harsh winters. Some of them even struggle to feed their families. Smile Together India Foundation has been reached to the poor and needy people and provided them winter relief kits and food parcels during the harsh winters. Winter relief kits include blankets and food kit items.

B. Gaps 

• Medical/health facilities not in proper during this winter season.
• Lack of warm clothes in the marginalized communities
• More than 75% marginalized communities are living in open areas without any kind of protect and safety
• No care for animals and their fodder.
• Pure-drinking water & sanitation is major problem.
• Security & Safety of people, particularly vulnerable like young women, children & old.

C. Interventions required for Emergency Relief   

• Immediate Relief for 100 HHs
• Food & Non-Food items with quality standard
• Special care/attention to women, child, old & differently abled person.
• Medical facilities for the affected communities
• Special care for pregnant & lactating women & Children
• Ensuring safe drinking water & sanitation.

Method of Implementation

1. Sampling: – Smile Together Foundation prepared an own prescribe format of data collection. Assessment team conducted survey in the village of Indil under Malpa Panchayat in Gaya district. Survey format was covered such sector – water, sanitation, health, livelihood, shelter and fooding.

2. Focus Group Discussion: – Smile Together Foundation Assessment team applied FGD tools and techniques for data collection and gathering affected community, panchayat members, ASHA workers at common point and separate discussion with Women Focused Group.

3. Interview: – Individual persons were provided information, Panchayat Representatives Women group, and word members and Word sarpanch involved in this interview session.

4. Selection of Distribution Point: – After the selection of beneficiaries, we have selected one distribution point where we have distributed all relief materials in Indil Village.

5. Packaging of relief materials: – According to the beneficiaries list, relief materials were packed. Relief material was supplementary food.

8. Demonstration of relief materials: All relief      materials             have       been demonstrated at the distribution point, where community people got

knowledge about how to use it and which purpose it is provided them. Maintained documents and pictures clipping: When the beneficiary received the relief materials that time, they signature on the muster roll. They were bringing their own id proof for receiving it. All the activities have been clipped by the camera.

Relevance of relief program

Gaya District is Disaster prone areas As discussed during FGD with community that the community is very

poor and vulnerable (Most of the community people belongs to the Mahadalits). This villages are situated in very inaccessible location during the disaster time so government as well as community not support to each other during the flood time. Every year these villages affected from by drought and heat wave and cold wave. As per the voice of the community if they would not get relief from the organization, in then they take loan from the money- lender for the purchasing of these items @ 6% interest. Health and nutrition related institution like- PHC and AWC was non-functional so, pregnant and lactating women along with the children were not found the health and nutritional services during the flood time under existing running government schemes.

Sourabh Pathak (Secretary – Smile Together Foundation)

He specials thanked to Panchayat Mukhiya for successfully implemented and distributed relief work. He said that most of the affected people were economically vulnerable where we have distributed relief materials; whole area is widely practiced open defecation. He said that we have found lots of children and pregnant and lactating mother suffered from malnourished and other water borne diseases due to the poor sanitation practices. So we discussed on this issues. We will increase the awareness level at the community level and will try to change their behaviour. Therefore, there requires to skilled person and well knowledge for monitoring the programme.

D. Way forwards/Future requirements                                                  

During the interviews with individual beneficiaries, community as well as with PRIs and other stake holders it has been reflected and observed that all the thinking to initiate the resilience building of the community through risk informed development components. Details are given here.

• Strengthening of SHGs with the help of creating some models on Risk Reduction.
• Agriculture and livelihood promotion.
• Awareness on child protection issues in the community.
• Safe drinking water for all the families along the year.
• Technical trainings on different government schemes
• Linkage with school to drop –out children

E. Achievement & Results                                                             

• After the getting of food materials, vulnerable community people have improved their health and nutrition level.
  • 100 HHs (Elderly, widows and women) have found alternation safety and security from this cold wave.
  • They have protected themselves from cold wave during this winter season.
  • We have found that in our target area lots of children and pregnant and lactating mothers are suffering severely malnutrition and their physical condition was very dangerous. Through the supplementary food distribution, nutritional status of children, pregnant and lactating mother has improved.

Media Images