Development

 

Currently, SPYM is undertaking two programs in this field:

 

·        Mewat area development program

·        International youth exchange program (with Canada World Youth)

 

Mewat area development program

 

SPYM is implementing community developmental program in Mewat district of Haryana since 1995 in partnership with Govt. of Haryana and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).

 

Mewat is a rural area of Haryana, located about 90 km south of Delhi. Despite its proximity to the capital, Mewat is a particularly backward and underdeveloped region. Many sexist cultural norms are still widely practiced: wife battering, domestic violence, dowry, forced early marriage, deprivation of health/nutrition and education for girls, and polygamy.

 

A key tool in this task is the Self-Help Group (SHG). SHGs are small credit cooperatives, usually all poor and all women. Through regular contributions from all group members, the group builds a common fund. Members may take out a loan from the fund, and pay it back at a collectively accepted interest rate. SHGs make decisions on a consensus method, and leadership is rotated periodically.

 

This form of credit has many benefits; interest rates are non-exploitive, there is no need for formal security or collateral, and small amounts may be borrowed as the money is needed. These loans are often used to purchase inputs for income generation; for example, sewing machines to make crafts or cows for milk production.

 

If the resources of the group are not sufficient to meet its own credit needs, then the group may establish a credit linkage with a microfinance institution (MFI). Microfinance works like this: MFIs take a large loan from a bank, and then this money is in turn distributed to members of an SHG in the form of smaller loans. The MFI also charges interest to the group members (usually at a higher rate), in order to cover its own operating costs. SPYM acts an MFI for SHGs in the Mewat region.  

A trainer meets with the memebrs of a Self-Help Group in Hathin, Haryana

 

 

The greatest benefit of the SHG movement is empowerment; the introduction of SHGs has helped to elevate the status of women. Not only do women learn sound financial management and practical skills for income generation; they become leaders in all aspects of development. And the more educated the women become, the more likely they will encourage their daughters to become educated as well.

 

Objectives

·        To empower women, through the formation of self-reliant organizations, so that they may become leaders in development.

·        To improve women’s literacy, health and status

·        To provide women with access to credit, through the formation of self-help groups (SHGs)

·        To develop local human resources for supplementary income generation

 

Activities/Services

·        Formation and monitoring of all-women SHGs

·        Facilitation of linkages with banks, other microfinance programs, income generation programs of the state and central government for their credit needs. SPYM itself also acts as an MFI.

·        Facilitation of co-ordination with the government line departments & village level institutions to strengthen the government programs and activate all the resources in favour of the community development

·        Provision of training on various issues including group formation, gender & HIV/AIDS related issues, vocational skills, book keeping, microfinance, leadership skills, life skills and an orientation to enable them to access and avail services available from various link departments at the Mewat district of Haryana.

·        Child development program to ensure pre-primary education of children in Mewat region to facilitate the parents as well as children to understand and sustain the continuity of the children’s education program

·        Linkage of pass out students with the government/private schools of the area to facilitate them to continue their studies

·        Organisation of exposure visit of self help group members to various parts of the country as a process for their exposure and experiential learning related to their responsibilities

·        Family life education program for the adolescent youth through which both young males and females go through the process of learning which enables them to develop sense of confidence to take control of their life as well as to become positive change agents to strengthen the social fabric of the family/society

 

Achievements

·        In last 12 years SPYM has formed more than 1000 all-women SHGs.

·        Training has been provided to more than 15,000 SHGs members, panchayat representatives and other stakeholders.

 

International Youth Exchange Program (Canada World Youth)

 

Community development core exchange program

 

Since 2001, SPYM has been partnered with Canada World Youth, a Canadian NGO specializing in non-formal, cross-cultural education. The CWY/SPYM program lasts six months: the first half in Canada, and the second half in India. For the 2007-2008 program, nine Canadians and nine Indians were selected, as well as one supervisor from each country.

 

Objectives

·        To adapt participants to working in a cross-cultural setting, and to outline the importance of collaboration in local and international development

·        To create among participants an increased awareness of the socio-economic realities in their home countries and abroad

·        To foster among the participants personal development

 

Activities/Services

·        Participants are sorted into counterpart pairs, and it is through the development of this relationship that participants also develop a deeper understanding of another culture

·        Each counterpart pair is assigned a host family, who receives compensation from CWY for any extra associated costs

·        All participants are given volunteer placements within the host community; these placements provide an opportunity to experience first-hand community development

·        Participants are encouraged to take initiative in the organization of education activities

 

HIV/AIDS professional exchange program

 

 

Participants in the CWY/SPYM HIV/AIDS program, meeting with staff at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi

  

This program is like previous one, though there is a special emphasis on local and international development within the context of HIV/AIDS. Participants typically either have training in or are interested in a science or public health related field, though this is not required.

 

Last year, there were nine Canadian and nine Indian participants.