Mundyari, a village about five kilometers from Pattan, is limping, impeded by the chains of underdevelopment. Poor infrastructure facilities, below par health care facilities, broken roads, unsafe drinking water facilities aptly describe the village profile.Carpet-weaving is the main source of livelihood for villagers. Though people find it profitable, but on innumerable occasions due to the high cost involved families face financial constraints and plunge in crisis, said Bilal Ahmad Khanday, Rehber-e-Taleem (RT) teacher at Government Boys Primary School in the area.Khanday said women prefer carpet-weaving as it is a home-based activity. “Rate is first fixed with middlemen (wosta in local parlance) and then weavers start working on it. They mostly work on looms belonging to middlemen, who install them in weavers’ respective places.”Mymoona Begum, a carpet weaver says that she is busy with the activity from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening but she does not want her daughters to pursue this profession, instead she wants them to study further. Lack of transportation adds to miseries of people. Mymoona states that construction of bridge is going on in the village since last three years. She also shared that absence of transport facilities affects studies and performance of students as they are unable to attend their classes regularly. The village is sans safe drinking water facilities, a river (nallah Sokhnaw) flowing across the village is the only source of drinking water, the local populace also uses the same water for cleaning and other household purposes. “We’ve no water-taps, here. Tube well worth one crore has been sanctioned by government at Moulabad and the same would benefit 5-10 villages, but its installation progress is slow,” said a group of women, while washing clothes and utensils along a riverside. Hasina Akther, another resident comments, “We boil water before we drink it. I try to collect water from the river in wee hours so that I get clean water. If required I sometimes collect water during late hours as well. During day time, people wash, bathe and do other activities in river. We don’t have safe drinking water due to which people suffer from ill health and fall prey to diseases, but our pleas fall on deaf ears.” “Though health centre is here but there is no medicine available except tetanus and iodine. In case of any emergency, we’ve to hire a car from Pattan or a load carrier or horsecart (tonga), if available. They generally overcharge under such circumstances,” says Khanday. Khanday attributes poverty as main reason responsible for less education among villagers. “Mostly, people here are labourers and engaged with carpet-weaving. There are just two government employees in entire village.”He however, added “up-gradation of school from primary to middle is on the priority list of panches (member of panchayat) as children from the area face immense problems. Education is must for development of society, opine Hasina and Mymoona, who are associated with Gulfam self help group (SHG) formed under aegis of Indo Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) with support from Welthungerhilfe and European Union. “When IGSSS team members approached us, five years ago and briefed us about their plan, I found it interesting and decided to join with a hope to learn new concepts and get exposure. Since then it has been a very progressive experience and the group is functioning well,” says Hasina, treasurer of the group. The group provides loans to members for marriages, health and other household purposes. The group is planning to set-up a poultry farm. “We had no concept of banking and no exposure to outside world. Initially, we felt we could do nothing, but today we realize we can do many things. Nothing is impossible.” (The article is part of Indo Global Social Service Society’s (IGSSS) Media Fellowship Programme under European Union’s EIDHR project jointly implemented with Welthungerhife in J & K. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect views of European Commission, Welthungerhilfe and Indo Global Social Service Society). For more information please visit our website: http://www.igsss.org/blog/life-in-a-far-flung-village-in-kashmir/18.html IGSSS is a non-profit organization working with the mandate for a humane social order based on truth, justice, freedom and equity. In the year 2010, IGSSS Sustainable Livelihood Development Program India.
Related Articles -
Non Profit Organisations, NGOs India, Sustainable Livelihood Development Program India,
|
