- Overall updates (since the last update)
This is the first update since the start of the partnership between Rainmatter Foundation and Gram Vikas for “Localizing Climate Resilience in the Eastern Ghats region of Odisha and Jharkhand”. The partnership began on 1 August 2023.
This update is for the period from August 2023 to October 2023.
- Progress on the goals listed while on-boarding
The overall objective of the programme is to ‘demonstrate community-managed climate resilience efforts in the Eastern Ghats region Odisha and Jharkhand, to influence State Government policies and actions’. This is expected to be achieved through:
- building communities’ capabilities to plan, design, implement and monitor activities related to reduce impacts of climate-related hazards and natural disasters, and
- enabling local governance system to adopt processes contributing to short-term and long-term climate resilience for rural communities
The Programme is built on the back of the Water Secure Gram Panchayat Programme that Gram Vikas has began supporting rural communities in Odisha with.
Work done so far
A meeting was conducted on 19 August 2023 to discuss the roll-out of the Programme internally. The meeting decided on three priority areas of action.
Climate Consciousness Action Project - Meeting 19 August.pdf (200.5 KB)
- Formation of a task group to coordinate preparatory activities and develop internal knowledge systems
- Evaluating internal human resource and knowledge capacities to undertake the project
- Creating a learning management system for staff and Gram Vikas Saathi
The Climate Consciousness Action Team (CCAT) has been set up with the immediate mandate to coordinate preparatory activities and develop internal knowledge systems. The CCAT will work on three key preparatory areas in the period up to March 2024.
Internal Learning System on the Water Secure Gram Panchayat Programme
The existing WSGP learning course will be expanded by including climate resilience related modules, and a comprehensive internal learning system will be rolled out. Initially, the course will focus on staff of Gram Vikas and the extended resource person network. Over a period of time, it will be a base course for all stakeholders who become associated with the Programme.
Incorporating detailed analysis of rural haats in the Block level Enterprise Profiles being prepared
The CCAT will work with the Enterprise Development Resource Group to carry out Block Enterprise Profiles that includes studying the demand and supply dynamics of the local markets (haat), understanding local consumption pattern and possibilities for local production to substitute imported goods.
Study on Understanding Rural Settlement Growth Patterns
The CCAT will coordinate the pilot study being done by Geeta Vaidyanathan on “Understanding Rural Settlement Growth Patterns” in Tarava GP of Gumma block of Gajapati district. The study is expected to contribute to enhancing the understanding of nature-based spatially integrated planning in rural areas.
Rural-Settlement-Study- Aug 26 Tarava-Prelim-report-rev3.pdf (8.1 MB)
- Any challenges
The work that has begun require competencies and technical capabilities more than what is currently available within Gram Vikas. We are hopeful of attracting a wide range of interns and volunteers to help with some aspects of the work. A proper plan for this has to be made.
- Any new avenues of collaboration (with other Grantees of RCF or other NPO/NGO)
Rainmatter Foundation enabled a contact with the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (Alt-EFF). We are planning for two sets of screening in rural Odisha, with school children, communities, other NGOs and young people from Berhampur city in the first half of December 2023.
- Highlights from the initiatives being undertaken as part of your organization
With the support of two philanthropic agencies, a collaboration is being built with the Mission Shakti Department of the Government of Odisha. As part of the 3-year programme, Gram Vikas will work with women’ self-help groups and producer collectives in 30 blocks of four districts to strengthen the enterprise development efforts. This collaboration will have very strong linkages with the climate resilience efforts being undertaken with support of Rainmatter Foundation.
- Outcomes you are chasing for the next 6 months (these can remain the same if unchanged since the last update)
Immediate results that are planned for:
- Developing a robust methodology for incorporating rural haats into the enterprise profiles and enterprise development work being carried out
- Cover at least 200 staff members and 200 Gram Vikas Saathi with the revised WSGP Course
- KPIs (please use this section to let us know of the impact and reach of your work since the last update)
A detailed results framework for the programme will be evolved during the next few months. We will share details in a future update.
- Can Rainmatter be of help with anything at all
We will need support of Rainmatter to spread the word around for attracting interns.
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Any additional details you would like to provide
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Please also share any images or videos that you have documented as part of your work