Why is World Vision's partnership with Ratlam coming to a
close?
World Vision partners with communities like Ratlam in India for
an average of 15 years before phasing out support and transitioning
to a new community to offer them the same opportunity for
transformation. Ratlam has undergone huge change since World Vision
first began working there in 1994. Once struggling to meet its most
basic needs, today the Ratlam community is ready to take ownership
of their future development, marking the end of a rewarding journey
with World Vision.
Issues faced: Water, economic development, education, health
How has Ratlam been transformed?
Thanks to the support of 3950 compassionate New Zealanders, the
lives of 36,700 people from 50 villages have been transformed in
Ratlam over the past 17 years. Below are some of the exciting
milestones that this support of World Vision has helped the Ratlam
community to achieve.
Water and Economic Development
Before:Situated in India's central drought belt, many villagers
struggled to grow any crops. Farmers often migrated in the dry
season in search of work.
After:Dams built by World Vision are helping families to
irrigate their land, grow diverse crops and provide nutritious food
for their children all year round.
Farmers are now trained in modern farming and irrigation
techniques, helping them to grow a second crop each year and
increase their household incomes. As a result, seasonal migration
has declined by up to 80 per cent.
More than 240 locally-run savings groups have been set up to
help villagers, many of them women, save for personal needs or to
start small businesses.
Education
Before:Education standards and attendance at school were very
poor. Ninety-two per cent of children didn't go on to secondary
school.
After:School dropout rates have fallen significantly, from 39
percent to three percent in primary schools, and from 92 per cent
to 19 per cent in secondary schools.
School enrolment numbers have risen sharply from 60 per cent to
97 per cent in primary schools, and from 8 per cent to 81 per cent
in secondary schools.
Improvements in the education system have been so successful
that the Balwadi educational centres set up by World Vision have
now been adopted by schools throughout the district.
Health
Before:Health was a major area of concern, especially for women
and children. Most were unaware of how to protect themselves from
diseases such as HIV and AIDS, and child immunisation rates were
very low.
After:Over 10,000 people participated in programmes to raise
awareness about HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Sixty per
cent of children below 18 now know how HIV is transmitted.
Health volunteers have monitored and cared for 1110 pregnant
women and counseled 2247 women on the best feeding practices for
newborn babies. Eighty-five per cent of children aged between 12
and 23 months are now immunised, up by 55 per cent.
India at a glance
India is the world's second most populous country and the
seventh largest country by area. Since the I980s, India has been
making unprecedented progress in its own history, but there are
still wide disparities in access to healthcare, education and
infrastructure. The number of poor living below NZ$2 a day has
increased from 421 million in 1981 to 456 million in 2005.
