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Khumolozung Integrated Community
Development Project (KICDP) |
Marginalized and disempowered tribe: The
Rengma people are a smaller Naga tribe that is
marginalized by the major tribes such as Ao and Angami
who rule in politics and administration. Despite being
only 2 hours drive from Kohima, there is poor
infrastructure such as road, communication facilities,
electricity, transportation, police and government
personnel and education facilities. These lead to
limited opportunities and are kept in place by being
less represented in the assembly and administration.
Poverty: Most
of the villagers being subsistence farmers have an
income below the poverty line.
Food security: Most
of the villagers are subsistence farmers using jhum
cultivation to grow paddy. Clearing the jungle and
planting paddy requires many man days and they are
working from January to October for one harvest. For
many, the harvest will only give food for 6 -8 months.
There is little variety in their food with paddy,
chilli, yam and local beans being their main crop.
Low literacy: The
villages are remote and many children do not have the
opportunity to study. There are government schools but
many of them don’t have regular teachers discouraging
children’s attendance. Children are often required to
stay home to look after their siblings while the parents
go to the fields that are a distance of 1.5 hours walk
from the village. Some children who are older also help
out in the field.
Poor access to Health Care: The
villagers, who are illiterate, have very little
knowledge on health issues or preventative measures on
various illnesses. Gukhanyu is the most remote village.
The nearest clinic is about 2.5 hours walk which is
located in Tseminyu South Village.
Environmental degradation and scarcity of water: The
jhum cultivation involves cutting back and burning all
the jungle on a rotation basis. With increased
population, the rate of rotation has also increased.
Some village lands are now being rotated every 6 to 7
years which was earlier 12 to 17 years. This has
decreased the fertility of the soil which means that the
farmers are reaping less for their efforts. Decrease in
the water flow means that now people will need to walk
further to find water in the dry season.
NEICORD has been working in Tseminyu for the last 4
years in 6 targeted villages with a population of 3571
in 555 households. The project Khumolozung Integrated
Community Development Project (KCIDP) which is funded by
TEAR Australia has completed one year of its extension
period in these six targeted villages of the Tseminyu
area. The objective of the project is to empower the
people and work towards the ownership and to provide
alternative farming techniques for the sustainability of
the farmers. During this period of one year, the
Project mainly concentrated on changing the cultivation
pattern from ‘Jhum’ to ‘Sloping Agricultural Land
Technology (SALT)’. The other component of the Project
is to enhance the level of participation in the
community of the 6 targeted villages.
The specific
problem(s) addressed by the project:
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Reduction of environmental degradation:
The Project conducted a series of training
programmes on permanent cultivation, SALT, FAITH
(Food Always In The Home) garden, vermi compost
trainings etc. The farmers started using the
manure produced from the Vermi Compost to
increase their food production. Through the
implementation of SALT, the farmers have started
practicing permanent cultivation like Banana
farm, Orange etc. People are also doing FAITH
garden and having crops throughout the year for
their consumption, and also to sell in the local
market giving a raise in their family income.
The farmers have started to practice long term
crops and short term.
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Reduction of common illness:
To improve hygienic conditions of the villagers, the Project
organized awareness programs on common diseases
like malaria, jaundice, typhoid, gastric
problems etc. Free Health Camps were organized
in two different locations covering the six
targeted villages and free medicines were
distributed to all the patients.
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Strengthening of People’s Organization:
Strengthening of 6 VDCs and 1 ADC in the project
areas through capacity building programmes. This
has helped them assist the project in
implementation and monitoring of the project
activities. Training programmes for Self Help
Groups to empower especially the women’s group
to actively participate in the development
process. There are 36 SHGs (1 men’s SHG, 17
women’s SHGs and 18 mixed SHGs).
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Increase in literacy:
The Child Literacy School i.e. from Nursery to
Standard IV was started by the Project in two of
the targeted villages i.e. Tseminyu South
Village and Gukhanyu Village. The Government
took over both the literacy school and in both
the schools one teacher each have been appointed
by the Project. The Government too has appointed
two teachers in addition in each school. Since
the number of teachers is less; they take
Nursery and Standard – I combined. These
children come from poor families who can’t
afford to send their children to school. These
children are provided with books, pencils and
pens by the Project.
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Increase in income:
Piglets were given to the SHGs, poor families and widows who
could not afford to buy it by themselves. People
can now rear these piglets and a year later
sells them for pork meat which is highly in
demand in the hill areas. With the amount
received from selling these pigs or its meat,
they could buy more piglets. This continual
process has helped increase their household
income. The SHGs, after attending many Income
Generation Programmes are now encouraged in
opening shops for their income. They were also
able to tap some of the resources from the
Government.
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Building the capacity of the Tseminyu Town Baptist
Church (TTBC) and the community leaders to
initiate development in the community:
TTBC being the implementing partner of the KICDP
has a “Church Project Committee” which includes
members from the deacon boards, church elders
and Pastors. The Project Committee selects a
Project Chairperson to oversee the Project and
time to time the Chairperson gives reports to
the Project Committee about the Project. The
Project organized capacity building programmes
to enhance the skills of the church decision
making body and to help them take up ownership
of the project. |
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