Annual Report Details

Annual Report 1992-1993

Another big step towards positive discrimination – Deepalaya started Girl Child Project in Gole Kuan to give more emphasis on upliftment of women.

THE YEAR THAT WAS ….
FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S DESK

The fiscal year 1992-93 for Deepalaya was yet another year of achievements, a brief outline of which is the content of this annual report.

We have launched a consolidation phase as far as South Delhi Project, is concerned, Saturation and outreach, strengthening Community Organisation and Income Enhancement through skill upgradation and production were on the agenda.  Yet a lot more needs to be done and achieved.  Deepalaya Plan Project (West Delhi) is fast moving toward phase-out, reducing the case load, cutting down on tangible benefits to those families who have improved their lot by Deepalaya’s intervention.  The empowerment process is on the anvil.

The Communication Division is on an accelerated growth mode, catching up with fund raising through sponsorships, donations and resourcing of varied nature. Deepalaya’s ground credibility and transparency is efficiently communicated as a result of which many well wishers and supporters have patronised Deepalaya.

The Deepalaya Formal School is still in temporary tenements and borrowed space and continues struggling to acquire its own plot.

The learning of the past over 14 years motivate Deepalaya to change its strategy and methodology.  We continue to be dynamic in our approach.  We are in the process of coining Deepalaya’s own ‘Development Paradigm’ and a five year Perspective for implementation during 93-94.  Soon we shall be back with you with an action ridden, result oriented, qualitative plan of action.

OUR SIGHTS AND MISSION.

Mission To establish a new peaceful, socio-economic -politico-cultural order which will help and enlighten communities to transform themselves into self reliant, self governed and exploitation free social structures that will foster a healthy and appropriate environment for the development of the disadvantaged, especially the children.

Focus The principal focus is on the child, his immediate and future needs within the ambit of integrated development

Goals Universalisation of Education
Vocationalisation of skills
Improvement of Community Health
Enhancement of Family’s income
Community Organisation for Collective Decision Making

HIGHLIGHTS 1992-93

Rechristening – Deepalaya Education Society was renamed as Deepalaya.  We have come a long way since 1979 when Education was our sole activity.  Today, Deepalaya, delves into facets of development that spans Education, Health, Community Organisation and Income Enhancement & Skill Upgradation and, therefore, the need to shed our image as an organisation undertaking only educational programs at the grassroots was felt.

Change of Premises- The Deepalaya Formal School now housed at Sanjay Colony in Okhla Phase II, is more spacious and functional than its former premise at Chittaranjan Park.

Gender Bias – The continuous efforts to involve more girl children and women in our various programme is paying off and the involvement of the girl child in the education sector was close to 50 percent.

National Open School Accreditation – This crucial linkage comes as a big boon to the neo-literates, school dropouts and the working youth and adults and the response so far has been quite overwhelming in both academic and vocational schemes.

Crusaders- Deepalaya is developing a cadre of dedicated, committed workers at the grassroots who by being totally aligned to the mission and cause of Deepalaya are expected to function as motivators and change agents.  Two crusaders have joined the Deepalaya Order and more are likely to be inducted in to the field by the year end.

South Delhi Project- The project has shifted its office from 54 – Aravali Apartments to TA-129 Tughlakabad extension.  This much needed change has meant (literally) more leg space for the officials.

Bal Bhavishya Kosh- This saving scheme drawn up in December 1992 entails setting aside of Rs.50 per month in recurring deposit to be judiciously used at the time of child’s higher education.  Parents in the community have shown interest and today we have 250 different accounts in the names of their wards.
Phase-Out in West Delhi – The phase out programme in the West Delhi Projects has been initiated.  The phase-out policy is in keeping with the Deepalaya mission of empowering the community and making them self reliant and capable of sell rule.

Evaluation Study- Although exercise was conducted at Deepalaya Plan by an external agency to determine, whether the development processes initiated in the various sectors were compatible with the Goals and Objectives of the organisation and to delineate areas which were found wanting.

Abhinaya- The integration Venture to sensitize and animate the Public School students and the children from the slums to one another’s needs and aspirations took off with Abhinaya’92,  Madhu, a student of the Deepalaya Formal School bagged the best actress Award from Shri Rajesh Khanna for her exquisite and uninhibited acting in the Mother’s International Production “Uththe Kadam”.

Basti Sevikas and Health – The health sector witnessed a flourish of activities and as many as twenty three linkages with Government, Quassi-Government, the NGO and private sector was established to provide momentum to the different health programmes.  The Basti Sevikas have played an instrumental role in imparting health awareness and education to the community.

Organisation Restructuring – A new structure has been devised to facilitate functioning at various levels as also to breed healthy intra departmental relations.  This revised structure introduced seeks to completely delink the Corporate Office from the day to day operations of the South  Delhi Project, the Deepalaya  Formal School and the West Delhi Project,  The intent of this revamping is also to enable the projects function as independent entities.

Prizes Galore- On the occasion of the International Literacy Day, a function was organised by DIET (District Institute of Education and Training) in which neo-literates from our project areas bagged prizes in the song, slogan writing and poster making competition and also did Deepalaya proud by winning the Running Trophy.

THE NUMBERS SPEAK

THE WEST SIDE STORY

In keeping with Deepalaya goal of empowering the community and rendering unto them a self reliant status, the phase-out programme for the West Delhi Project has been initiated.

PHASE-OUT

Deepalaya’s mission statement seeks to establish enlightened communities who by way of being self-reliant, self-governed also have the ability to resist exploitation.
In the phase-in period, a maximum of six years for any project,  Deepalaya through multifarious activities constantly attempts to elicit the participation of the community and in the process transferring essential knowledge base and know how on matters relating to their emancipation and welfare.
During the phase-out program, which should not exceed a maximum period of four years. Deepalaya will give to the community.
a) Leadership training
b) Building management capacity to the CBO
c) Linkages and resources mobilization techniques.
These inputs will lead to
a) An established Community Based Organisation (CBO) with legal status and local trained leadership.
b) A revolving fund for the CBO sufficient to meet their varied developmental activities.
c) A cadre of Social Entrepreneurs who can provide professional and technical expertise.
d) Transfer of the linkages developed by Deepalaya to the CBO.
A new social order is envisaged as a result of this phase-out strategy and it is hoped that by the initiation and follow up of this methodology in the next four years Deepalaya can withdraw from the project scene, rest assured that the community will be sufficiently empowered to take over from it the reins of development.
THE SOUTH DELHI SCENARIO

Till the end of the December 1992, Education was the mainstay of the Deepalaya South Delhi Project, but during this financial year the Integrated Community Development has gained momentum. In the sector of health there has been a marked improvement and as many as 23 vital linkages  with government, semi government and private institutions have been obtained. Notable among these are the linkages established with AIIMS, Malaria Research Centre, Ranbaxy Rural Project, Pfizer, Chesire Home, UNICEF, Lions Club, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Indian Cancer Society, Voluntary Health Association Of India, Marie Stopps, Red Cross, national Institute of Health and Family Welfare, WHO, Department of Women and Child Welfare, and Jan Madhyam.

The Annual Sports Day witnessed keen participation of all the five projects, and the Annual Day saw many a talent flower.

The community organisation programme is now shaping up well and ten different groups have been formed of which eight are formal associations involving 21 members. Skill  training is being imparted in the area of chalk and file folder making, lessions in drawing and typing are also given under the income enhancement schemes.

Attendance in the Adult Education classes has shown a marked increase and the accreditation with the National Open School has been a shot in the arm for our educational programme.

Another highlight of the South Delhi Project was the regular holding of baby shows and well baby clinics undertaken with the help of doctors and health workers.

SCHOOL TIME FOLKS

The Deepalaya Formal School now operates from it’s own building at Sanjay Colony in Okhla, Phase II. A full time principal cum administrator has been appointed and the school functions as a separate unit. The children earned laurels in academics as well as in extracurricular activities and have compared favourably with affluent schools in the drawing, drama and music competitions. Their splendid performance in Abhinaya ‘92 is the  proof  enough for the claim made.

A marked departure from the practice of other schools is the fact that Deepalaya does not break for summer vacations and this period is utilised to nurture and develop the talents of the children in extra curricular activities like dance, painting, dramatics, crafts etc.

DEEPALAYA SCHOOL
Deepalaya Formal English Medium School

COMMUNICATING NEEDS – THE COMMUNICATION DIVISION

Deepalaya’s experience with raising funds and enlisting resource support from within the country has been an encouraging and happy one.

The friendship exercise undertaken between Public School children and children from the slums took off with the staging of abhinaya’92  on the 14th November at the Mavalankar Auditorium.  The participant schools were :

* Mother’s International * Modern Public School, Vasant Vihar * Kalka Public * Blue Bells*St. Thomas * St.Francis De Sales * Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad

The Presence of Giani Zail Singh and Shri Rajesh Khanna and the enthusiastic participation of the children made this endeavor a truly worthwhile one.

The media, both the electronic and the print has also very favourably responded to our need for reaching out and today Deepalaya has almost become synonymous with slum welfare activities.  In addition to the media support, we have also received encouraging support from the Corporate Sector, Government Agencies and well meaning individuals for our efforts to enable the child look beyond slums.

Our proposal to obtain 100% fax exemption for the school building at Sanjay Colony was cleared by the National Committee for Social and Economic Welfare.  Under the scheme the housing and development Finance Corporation (HDFC) has supported by extending a grant amounting to 95 percent of the required funds.

The Mont Fort School Alumni Association(MAA) in a touching tribute to the cause of underprivileged children donated Rs.31,000 from the proceeds of the Mega Quiz’92 towards perpetual care of three children under Deepalaya’s care.

DEEPALAYA- COMMUNICATION DIVISION

VISITORS

We are always greatly encouraged to have people coming over to our projects to see Deepalaya’s efforts in the slums, for this is our best and surest bet to establish credibility – For certainly nothing speaks better than the work being actually done.

Following are the visitors who gave us an opportunity to show them our ground realities in the period between April’92 and March’93.
A team of British Doctors led by Ruth Allen
A delegation from Germany
Ms. Renu Sud Karnad, Deputy General Manager(HDFC)
Mr. Berry Roelofs(Project Officer-India Desk, ICCO)
MCD Zonal Commissioner (South)
Jean Buchet (Chief Executive – Aide-et action)
Ms & Mrs. Butler of Pestolozzy
Ms. Marie Desrellcary, French Embassy, Thailand
Ms. Madhu Kumar USA
MS. CHITRA TYAGI
Mr. S.P. Rai, Slum Wingh MCD Co-ordinator
Mr. Usmani, Malaria Research Centre,
Dr,Malhotra, Malaria Research Centre,
Mr. S.P. Khurana- Assistant Director, Ministry of Home Affairs
Mr. R. Sethuraman-Director Development, Education and Welfare Institute
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Pandhy – National Institute of Social Action
Mr, S,B. Mishra, Secretary, Bawdenga Club, Orissa,
Ms. Phill Boccaro, UK
Mr. A. Ramachandran, Indian Express
Dr & Ms.P.O. Thomas, Malaysia
Mr. A.K. Rai – Inspector, Directorate of Social Welfare
Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, Secretary, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
Ms. S. Rangnekar, Contract  Advertising
Mr. Manjit Singh, Commissioner, DDA  Slum Wing,
Mr. Khanna, UK

Training Programmes: Regular training programmes, orientation sessions and workshops were organised during the course of the last financial year and staff at all levels including those from the community have benefited from the inputs.  Keeping in mind the current phase-out period of Deepalaya project in West Delhi, the accent of the training programmes for the community was on Planning, Budgeting and implementation.