Dahod, India

Kindergarten children perform a skit.

All of Dahod ADP’s programme activities are based on community needs and implemented through local organisations such as Village Development Committees, women’s associations and youth groups. This helps in gaining people’s participation.

Community members benefit from regular monthly meetings, which keep them up-to-date with the programmes’ progress. Visits to other communities help villagers to learn from each other.

Some signs of community ownership include:

• Village groups monitor all the kindergartens, contributing 40 percent of classroom expenses.
  
• Self-help groups (SHG) are actively involved in savings activities. From their savings, groups are able to pay for small expenses, such as diesel to run a water pump or transport costs to attend a training meeting. A federation of SHGs is in its developing stage.
  
• The community has developed an ‘Apex Body’ for children. This is essentially a child forum, aimed at better programme monitoring at village level, and encouraging children to have a community spirit and become advocates for their peers.
  
• In many villages, the people have volunteered their labour for community projects.
  
• There is increasing participation in monthly meetings of village organisations.