THE SCOPE WOMEN'S CO-OPERATIVE PROJECT

PUNE VILLAGES UNDER SCOPE

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SATARA VILLAGES UNDER SCOPE

THIS POST IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

SCOPE WITH NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)

SCOPE OFFICE VANDALIZED BY ANTI-SOCIAL ELEMENTS

On this 15th of April, it will be exactly one year since the SCOPE office was vandalized by the anti-social elements.

Perne Phata ( Perne Branch-off) is a SCOPE Resource Centre in the  A couple of days before 15th of April 2012, I went to open my office at Perne Road Fork. As I opened the office, every file and paper was strewn all over the flat. The computer and laptop were smashed. some important files and other documents were in shreds.

It was difficult to take all this in. All that the people had donated over a long period of 15 to 17 years had been reduced tatters.





The SCOPE complained to the local police authorities. They too vouched that they had no trouble from the SCOPE or its people and women. But they could not say as to who were the culprits of this dastardly act.









However, my reflection on this was that:

1. it was the will of God which goaded me on to work for the poor. Since I consider it as God's work, no one can destroy the spirit with which SCOPE has been working for the underprivileged poor.
2. Often, the honest work is often hindered and the people try to break their dedication and enthusiasm.
3. There is always a section of any society which does not wish that the poor and marginalised should become aware of their own legal rights and dignity.Therefore, those who struggle to awaken the underprivileged are the targets of this particular section's anger and jealousy     

SCOPE IN REMOTE SATARA

Vishwas started his Social Service in Remote Satara in the year 1999. One of the state government agriculture officers visited SCOPE work-sites in Pune district. He saw the works there. After having seen the works, talking to some of the beneficiaries of the works around he requested the SCOPE to start its work in Satara remote area for marginal and poor communities. This will help check migration of the original settlers. The children too will get good education from SCOPE. Moreover, the people of that area will come to know of their basic rights. It will also help the area to develop. 

Accordingly, as per the suggestions of the Government official the SCOPE visited the villages in that area. we visited some families so we get know about there social and economical status, than same night in the village we had community meeting with mix group of the people of different cast. The next day we visited different offices those who are directly involved in the development of this people  and collected population wise list of the villages, area map to know geographical bag round of this area, list of the govt social worker there telephone numbers. There agriculture status report all the related information we collected from different govt officials to select an 20 villages cluster to start work with people, our way of presiding is process peoples participation   mines is people are center of there own development. Than we started visiting the villages when ever and wherever people are  available we were attending them according there time so that they could not west there daily work. After the visitation of month there was lot of expectations for various help but their first request was to start something livelihood project so than can remain here to look after there children for there education and they look after there old parents so they can work here and earn something instead of migrating towards the city.

  

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ADDITION TO SCOPE'S INFRA STRUCTURE: A SCORPIO

A New SCORPIO vehicle has been added to the SCOPE NGOs Infra Structure. this will help SCOPE to reach out to many more remote villages.

HIRO 1. HAMLETS IN REQUIREMENT OF ORIENTATION (HIRO-Project), SATARA - PUNE

The Name Itself: HIRO: (Hamlets In Requirement of Orientation)

A Typical Hamlet in Remote Satara

We live in a twentieth century. This is the age of high speed computers, nano technology, and highly tech-savvy time. It looks as though we are on top of every development. Naturally the share of this development one may think has reached every nook and corner of the world. 

Furthermore, one may even think that there are no illiterate people, village like setups. But every village has turned into a small city or a big one. However, humans cannot boast of this high-pitch development.  

There are still states and places in the world, definitely in India where illiteracy, lack of hygiene, sustainable quality of life, life with dignity, lack of electricity, highs heed computers and all other things to add up to modernization absent.

One such place in many other places all over India is Koyna backwater Area in Satara district. Here, there are still some people living in jungle setups. A few about 10 -15 families live in clusters or settlements. These clusters or settlements are called 'Hamlets'. They live here because of their lands. They cultivate these lands.
Geography of the Area:

Market-returning husband & wife

The whole Western Mountain ranges are so arranged naturally that they form a big basin. Moreover, this area receives great amount of rain. Therefore, in the sixties, the State Government built a dam called Koyna. All the people living near Koyna (river) had to vacate their lands to live on the mountain top. The area is full of thick jungle with sanctuary of wild animals. It is also declared by the Maharashtra State Government as Wild Life Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve Forest.  Due to all these reasons the area becomes physically difficult to travel. Many villages and hamlets are connected with small pathways. 

Bag of seeds for community farming

The big vehicle-roads are not possible here. The roads are dusty and bumpy. In the rainy season the hamlets are quite cut off from the main villages and Blocks. Only road available for the people to connect with other villages is by boat through backwaters. Of course, in rainy season the boats too are off from the shore. 

Getting Aquainted with SATARA: 

Initially, the SCOPE began its work in the Pune District in the year 1999. One of the Government Officials saw the SCOPE was doing. He was quite appreciative of the dedication, transparency, commitment with which the SCOPE had done its work for several years in that area. The official happened to be the Block Development Executive Officer. After three years he was transferred to Satara district. Within few months of his reaching there, he contacted me and requested that the SCOPE began its work in Satara remote, around back water in Western Region. That was how the SCOPE became one with the Satara remote and began working there. 

First Steps of SCOPE: 

The SCOPE surveyed the area for two years. We became friendly with the scattered Hamlets. This helped us learn the issues with which the people struggled. Their needs were many and varied. 

There were many children, number of them out of the School Atmosphere. Parents are illiterate. Superstitions were rampant. Health and hygiene was needed an urgent attention. Migration was the biggest problem in the Koyna backwater Area.  Livelihood depended on seasons. It had to be made sustainable. The people could depend solely on seasonal crops. Whatever they earned or cultivated in the farms they received very meager returns. Apart from seasons, there were wild boars and bison to destroy the crops. This created not only a very high percentage of migration of the locals to the big cities like Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Goa, looking for jobs but also very low wages in and around their own hamlets.

What Jobs they performed in those cities: 
If the families migrated to the cities then the women became servants and cleaners. The men became vehicle drivers or coolies. The children would find jobs as child labourers in hotels or some such places. When they came to their native villages they were unhealthy, sick, overworked and underfed.

The Major Issues the SCOPE encountered: 

The SCOPE concluded that 

1. The Migration had to stop

2. The People needed to be 'educated'.

3. The sustainable livelihood needed to be created which will help them to remain

in the villages.

Way back in 1996-97, a group of Japanese students came to India with certain Hiroyuki Ishikawa. Though Japanese, he had tremendous compassion for the poor wherever he saw them. 

He helped many poor students from various Indian states for their higher studies, irrespective of their religion and caste. His dream of helping those who could not afford was an inspiration for me to think of school-dropouts ranging from Kindergarten to the High school. Moreover, education was already announced as one of the basic human rights. 

Hence, the SCOPE thought of creating an Education program and dedicate it to Hiroyuki. Thus, HIRO Project was born as an educational wing of the SCOPE. 

The SCOPE saw as we were visiting the villages in SATARA an opportunity to gather the children under a teacher. 

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