Initiatives of Academy of Root Development

Formation of Self Help Groups:
Self Help Groups are an integral part of all programmes conducted by Academy of Root Development.

• Self Help Groups enhance the status of women as participants, decision-makers and beneficiaries in the democratic, economic, social and cultural spheres of life.
• They encourage women to take an active part in the socio-economic progress of the nation and make them sensitised, self made and self disciplined, In all stages of economic and social activities, involvement of women becomes essential.
• Self Help Groups bring out the possibility of women to influence the community from a woman's perspective and to explore the initiative of women in taking up entrepreneurial ventures.
• Self Help Groups may remove the social limitations of women such as superstition and may contribute to their having an effective role in decision making.
• Self Help Groups have brought about a great confidence in the minds of rural women to succeed in their day to day life.

Income Generation Activities:
Income generation activities are one of the major activities that have been taken up by ARD.

• The majority of women from the Self Help Groups are involved in various income generation activities by taking loans, whether from the banks or through inter-loaning from the groups.
• The women are involved in various types of income generation activities like dairy, flour mill, floriculture and goat rearing. Out of this, the majority of the women are involved in vegetable shop and dairy activities.
• ARD is working to scale up this process and involve more and more women in this process. A total of 901 women are involved in various income generation activities to date.

Capacity Building:

• ARD regularly delivers capacity-building training to Self Help Group members to strengthen their ability to consolidate and develop their group dynamic and achieve sustainable progress.
• Vocational training is provided to the groups in various activities such as vermiculture, fisheries, mushroom cultivation and training orientation of the SHGs.

Environment Initiatives:
The groups are sensitised on various environment issues:

• conservation of natural resources,
• environmentally friendly practices ie. saying no to use of polythene
• using biodegradable fertilisers instead of chemicals and the health hazards and deplition of fertility associated with it
• using of cowdung as an organic fertiliser
• keeping water resources clean in villages
• maintaining cattle properly
• why the quality of the environment is important and how is it impacting on their lives
• various diseases are increasing with the advent of global warming
• impact of rainfall on agriculture
• utilisation of biodegradable household waste for use as a fertiliser

Read about some of ARD's environmental awareness initiatives here

Social Awareness Initiatives:

• Awareness generation on Right to Information Act:
  Being a rights based organisation, ARD strongly believes in the rights based approach and propagates for the right to information. ARD provided training to the women of the Self Help Groups about the importance of this act and the various provisions relating to it. ARD also conducted workshops in which the local village level people like the PRI (Panchati Raj Institute) members, sarpanches and block level officials participated.
• Awareness generation on AIDS:
  Many people migrate from Bihar to outside states searching for new avenues of work and other opportunities. There has been increasing number of AIDS detected patients in Gaya District. ARD has taken up this issue and is spreading awareness in the community about various ways AIDS is being transmitted and the various ways to prevent contamination.
• Awareness generation of the International Women Empowerment Day:
  ARD provides awareness about women's empowerment to the target villages. To date women who are involved in ARD has become more vocal, capable of taking their own decisions and have thus become socially empowered.
• Awareness generation Pulse polio eradication Programme:
  ARD has taken a leading role in ensuring universal coverage of pulse polio immunisation for all the children between the ages of 0-5 years.
• Awareness generation programme of NREGA and ICDS:
  Though ICDS has been granted as a basic entitlement of the children and the women, it has to move a long way forward to meet its target. In the majority of rural areas the people are not even aware of the basic facilities that are being provided by the Anganwadi centres. As ARD is working with a rights based approach, it ensures that the people are able to avail their rights and entitlements.

Read about some of ARD's social awareness initiatives here