YOUR COMMUNITY IN GAJAPATI

Gajapati Area Development Programme (ADP) works with 231 villages, each of up to 60 households, of Gajapati District, in Orissa State. The main people group in the area is the Soura tribe. Around 18 per cent of the population are from other low castes.
Gajapati District is mostly forested and hilly. The climate in Gajapati is extreme – hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. There is little rainfall except for the monsoon.

Income generation

Agriculture alone is not sufficient to sustain families in this area, so people migrate for work during winter and many have to borrow to purchase food.
Women of Gajapati have formed a cooperative to buy cashew nuts and sell them on to middlemen. By buying all locally grown cashew nuts they ensure farmers are paid a reasonable price for their product; the same is done with tamarind fruit, turmeric tubers and other agricultural products.
The ADP has constructed roads, improving access to markets. During times of crop failure it supports families by paying them in rice or cash for activities such as road or dam construction.

Agriculture

Agriculture, especially shifting cultivation, is the main economic activity in Gajapati ADP, but many farmers are without land.
The ADP levels previously unused land, creating more fields for farming. For landless families this is a major step towards becoming debt free, as they can produce their own food and grow cash crops such as cashew nuts.
Check dams, to store monsoon rains, are constructed along with rainwater harvesting structures. The dams are also used for fish farming, increasing incomes and decreasing the price of fresh fish.

Health

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health issue. Other common problems include night blindness, neo-natal tetanus, diarrhoea, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.
Although TB is treatable, it is spreading in Gajapati due to poverty and illiteracy. A TB eradication programme identifies and treats people and educates communities.  The ADP encourages people to go for voluntary HIV testing and counselling and educates communities in HIV/AIDS prevention.
Pregnant women are educated about breast-feeding, pre- and post-natal care, immunising children and registering babies for birth certificates. The ADP supplies vitamin A to prevent night blindness and rehabilitates children with disabilities. It also drills and chlorinates wells and builds sealed toilets.

Education

Many children drop out of school because of the distance they have to travel, they cannot afford associated fees or have to work at home. Limited places in government schools also restrict numbers.
World Vision has established tuition centres for children who cannot attend school, pre-schoolers and illiterate adults.
Gajapati ADP improves school attendance by educating parents and providing stationery, school bags, bicycles and hostel fees. It encourages parents to enrol their daughters and supports young people in vocational education.

Faith

Canadian missionaries have worked in the area for 50 years and over 85 per cent of the community is Christian. ADP staff build relationships with these church leaders in development initiatives.

Sustainable development

World Vision and the people of Gajapati envisage that by 2009, the community will be resourced and able to continue managing development initiatives without World Vision’s direct assistance. We will keep you updated on the community’s progress.