Initiatives

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Project Activities

CCN has had 45 professionals living with the tribal community and over a period of time has promoted a total of 12 CCTs covering entire project area, which are in different stages of growth and evolution. Each CCT covers a geographical cluster of 60-70 habitations. Each CCT is an independent unit with 4 -5 youth working full time and 10- 15 volunteers working part time. They plan and implement programs in their cluster. A total of 8-10 villages are identified by each CCT to develop as model villages with integrated village development plans on education, health and livelihood development.

 The Community Coordination Teams (CCT) were set up, to build a system building on the traditional wisdom and knowledge of the tribal (indigenous) community and the skills and knowledge of the technically trained locally educated young professionals to address their felt needs, develop their capabilities and organize them into formal /informal local people's Organizations capable of creating a demands and build accountability of services offered Government.  Initially CCN focussed on educating the community, make them aware and equip them with knowledge and skills to fight on their own with the various life situations. Simultaneously, pilot programs were launched in the field of health including safe drinking water, education (community managed schools), thrift, collective forest management and registration of cooperatives to market niger seed and tamarind and other produces. A beginning was made to win the trust and confidence of the tribals and forge a lasting partnership between CCTs and the tribals.

 Community schools and Dongar Sona Banchao  (DSB) are the two model initiatives of CCTs promoted by CCN and became role models for other tribal villages in the district as they are planned, implemented and monitored by local people. Dongar Sona Banchao. DSB means save the hills that yield gold in the local dialect. It is an initiative where the villagers came together and took initiatives to protect forest on the hills belonging to the village. The benefits accrued would go to all the members in the group.

 Community schools are owned and run by the local community with the support from CCN. The village community with a monthly contribution Rs.5 and a bowl of rice from each household started community schools. The community constructed the school premises with the local material and labour contribution. The community appoints the teacher, provides food and shelter to stay in the remote village. The villagers also play a role in monitoring the parents and the teacher to ensure that the school runs regularly.

 Demand for education from the community forced CCN to expand its work in the field of education. More community-managed schools were established for primary education. Financial support for the schools was provided by DPEP- Visakhapatnam initially and other donors later. By then CCN had become a model organization for community mobilization and community managed schools. The management of the first Government Ashram School was handed over to the community at Lakshmipuram village in 2001 with the facilitation and support from CCN.

As part of livelihoods promotion, CCN had facilitated and built community based resource management. CCN has initiated land based development activities to enhance tribal incomes. This includes soil conservation activities, land extension activities, water harvesting and regeneration of forest species availing native wisdom of tribal communities for their incomes enhancement. As a result, various innovative Programs and institutions like Village Tribal Development Association (VTDA), Girijan Nigerseed Producers’ Coperative ltd laxmipuram were promoted