Situation in the project area: Though only three hours drive from Bombay, the adivasis of Pen taluka are as much victims of poverty as those in the more isolated pockets of Maharashtra, i.e. Chandrapur tribal belt of the state: 20 of the 25 hamlets where DRAG operates have no drinking water well; nine months of the year, the adivasis have to seek employment in nearby towns, Pen and beyond; the women supplement the family income with the sale of firewood for which they receive a pittance after collecting a headload by working 12 hours. The same is true of the other dwindling forest produce. The children suffer from neglect; a few manage to go to school; health conditions are abysmal.
Planned intervention:
Evaluation intervention: The conscientization work was initiated through people’s groups that DRAG helped establish after completing the survey. At present, our field staff is in relatively frequent contact with the mahila mandals and youth groups in 10 of the 25 hamlets. In the rest it has established links with the leadership.