JAGRITI

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Jagriti, a grassroot level women centered NGO established in 2003 is working in Kullu and has initiated the community management climate change, livelihoods and enterprise development project in Lag and Gadsa valley of Himachal Pradesh in India. The village areas are located at an altitude varying 2000-2700 meters above sea level. Many of the remote villages like. Manihar and Thatch have no road connection and are linked by narrow pathways. The communities work cohesively with Jagriti. Geographic area: 4 Panchayats to 2 Districts (50 villages) No. of participants: 196 households to 1000 HHS. SGP Grant: 43,402 USD Scaled up: 41,000 USD Cofinancing: 24,000 USD, 54,000 USD. Time Period: 2004-06-09 Project Objective: Expand and diversify livelihoods of poor rural women and raise and conserve high altitude threatened species of medicinal plants. Project Rationale: The Gadsa Valley represents the scattered settlement pattern on higher altitudes in the Western Himalayas. Deep-rooted social sanction against scheduled castes has restricted their settlement to the periphery of villages which usually has poor, less fertile and smaller land holdings. Harsh climatic conditions and inaccessibility to basic services impose greater drudgery and livelihood pressure on poor households in meeting their needs.
Even within the poor households the burden is much more on women because of the nature of their activity profile like collecting fuelwood, fodder, grass cutting, grazing cattle, fetching water etc. Besides, using resources for own consumption, selling fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants and sheep and goat rearing are main sources of income in the Valley. Heavy dependence of poor households on forest resources for livelihood is contributing to rapid depletion of available resources like fuelwood in the area. The burden of obtaining resources has increased considerably. Since women are predominately engaged in these activities, the drudgery and increasing time in obtaining existing resources has further exaggerated and extended their work burden. The project strategy has been essentially structured around WSCGs (Women Self Care Groups) and all activities centered through them, the women members of the community are directly involved in project implementation. Since the project emphasis is on collective planning and execution of activities, homogeneity of a group is a crucial factor in ensuring representative decision making processes within the group. In order to build stake in the project, community contribution both in kind and in cash has been enlisted thereby lifting myths about cost sharing, money and mindset. The critical step of demonstrating awareness through action has been the cornerstone of Jagriti, softly influencing policy making procedures. Gender sensitive budgeting is also being encouraged in the project.
Page 1: JAGRITI SECURING RURAL LIVELIHOOD O
Page 5 and 6: Results and Lessons: 1. 51 WSCGs fo

JAGRITI

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