ASRAYA - A COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVE TO REMOVE

DESTITUTIONASRAYA –

A COMMUNITY BASED INITIATIVE

TO REMOVE DESTITUTION

Kudumbashree, Kerala

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Background• Strong local governments in Kerala consequent to the Constitutional

amendments

• Evolution of Community Based Organizations of women within Local Governments

• Community space in Anti Poverty Sub Plans of local governments

• Kudumbashree - State Poverty Eradication Mission of the Government of Kerala

• Community based organisations working in partnership with Local Governments

• Excellent outreach and feedback systems

• Community role in beneficiary identification

• Demand creation for public services and enhanced access

• Community based monitoring

Community Organization

• 3 tier federated structure• Neighbourhood groups (NHG) of women from poor

families• Ward-level Area Development Societies (ADS)• Community Development Society (CDS) at the local

government level

• Registered Society with leadership elected democratically from the lower tiers

• 37 lakh families, 2 lakh NHGs, 1061 CDS as of today

Destitute families

• 2% of the population estimated to be destitute in Kerala

• Bypassed by the development effort• Margins of the economy, society and polity

• Not a constituency or vote bank

• Usual formula of subsidy support inadequate to

redress gravity of deprivation• No safety net against risks

• Lacking in capabilities to access entitlements to basic minimum

services

The challenge

• Enthuse local self governments to allocate resources and time for the destitute

• Enable the community organisation to ensure enduring support and services to the ultra poor

• Chanelise community sponsorship • Develop indices and methodology of

identification and planning to ensure that benefits are not hijacked or misdirected

• Develop and sustain multi disciplinary model of convergence

Asraya – Destitute identification and rehabilitation

• Programme of the Government of Kerala

• Long term Support to destitute families to ameliorate conditions of

destitution, and enable mainstreaming

• Implemented by Local Self Governments

• Facilitated by the Kudumbashree community organizations

• Started in 2002-03

• “Challenge Fund” from Kudumbashree, plan funds of local

governments, various departments, local sponsorships

• Coverage – 904 local governments out of 1057, 70591 families

• Financial outlay Rs.401 crores

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Asraya Plan Preparation

• Demand based approach after sensitizing Village Panchayats.

• Transparent identification on simple socially acceptable criteria.

• Initial short listing by NHGs and house visits for confirmation.

• Needs identification through interaction with families.

• Documentation of current status and needs.

• Preparation of family level plan.

• Integration into Village/town level plan.

Participatory Identification of destitute

• Two level risk assessment• First level – (families falling in at least seven of the following

categories)

• Landless • Houseless • Without access to drinking water• Without access to toilet• Woman - headed • Unemployed• Belonging to SC/ST• Physically/ mentally challenged person (at least one

member)• Illiterate adult member (at least one member)

Participatory Identification of destitute

• Second level – (aggravating risk factors ) – (families falling in any one risk factor)

– Squatter families – Sleeping in public places – Family headed by widow/abandoned woman/unwed

mothers living in distress– Those with terminal or Incurable disease– Beggars– Woman victims of atrocities/trafficking– No bread winner in the family

Asraya Care package

• Food Security – food grains through PDS, supplementary nutrition where needed, cooked food where needed

• Health care – Medicines, palliative care, counselling, support for hospitalisation in convergence with RSBY, transportation

• Old-age care• Support for obtaining welfare pensions• Provision for permanent shelter - land, house, drinking water

and sanitation

• Support for education – learning materials, uniform, transportation support

• Livelihood support – special support for productive employment

Implementation of Asraya

• Secretary of the local government as the chief coordinating officer

• Convergence of services with other departments/agencies

• Additional support sponsored by well-wishers

Specific support entrusted to NHG• Monitoring of incremental improvement by CDS• Supervision by committee headed by President

of local government

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Summary of Plans (Sector-wise allocation)

10%

8%

2%2%

6%

2%

11%44%

4%

5%6%

Food

Health

Pension

Education

Drinking water

Sanitation

Land

Shelter-new

Shelter-upgradationEmployment

Others

Concurrent evaluation and follow up• Assessments conducted at State-level in 2008

– Identified weaknesses in planning and implementation• State-level physical and financial audit of Asraya programme

– Regularization of records and accounts• Sensitization of local government leaders and functionaries

• “Asraya Revisit”– Revisit and reassessment of Asraya families by trained

resource persons– Revised Asraya care package

• Formulation of revised guidelines for Asraya– Detailed guidelines for care package services– Clarity on implementation procedures– Exclusive scheme for tribal communities– Special focus on mentally challenged persons

Experiences

Latha, Ramanattukara Kozhikode

Chronically ill, deserted by husband

Support for treatment of asthma

Support for children’s education

Regular supply of food grains

Made part of a group enterprise producing nutrimix

Re-united with husband

No longer Asraya beneficiary

Vidyadharan,Pallithodu Pathanamthitta

Mental illness, thrown out of home

Provided treatment in a mental hospital

Supported to start a stationery shop

Bought an auto rickshaw

Wife and children return

Experiences

Animangalam, Ernakulam

Bed-ridden breadwinner, no access path to the house, unable to go to hospital

Path built as part of project, regular visit to hospital enabled

Family provided employment under NREGS

Nagalassery, Palakkad

Seven families of beggars

Rehabilitated with new houses

Road access to new settlement

Employment through NREGS

Regular supply of food grains

Medical camps & support for treatment

From despair

To hope

New beginnings

Shahina,Karavaram taking medical help

Narayani,Uduma in front of the field she cultivated

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Achievements So Far

General acceptance of the identification process.

Willingness to provide higher order of assistance to identified families

Visible empowerment process – slow but steady

Progressive access to entitlements

• Food Security

• Health Security

• Social Security

• Minimum needs

• Economic development

Transformation in the attitudes and approaches of officials and elected representatives.

Political consensus

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Key Elements Of Success• Conscious decision to reach the unreached

• Transparent criteria for inclusion

• Involvement of Community Based Organisation of the poor

themselves

• Plans tailored to each family

• Convergence of existing schemes and services and gap filling

• Primacy to care and compassion-more than mere material

assistance

• Continued support till a threshold is reached

• Leadership of local governments and partnership with civil

society

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Possibilities of community based social security under the leadership of Local Governments

First Project in the country targeting the excluded poor as a distinct category

• www.kudumbashree.org• info@kudumbashree.org

THANK YOU!