History Of Badlao Foundation
History
Empowering Communities: The Founding and Progress of Badlao Foundation
Badlao Foundation emerged as a response to the prevailing circumstances of its time. In the early 1950s, the construction of the Maithon dam on the Barakar river resulted in the displacement of 39 villages situated along the ridge. While the majority of homes remained intact, the fertile land crucial for cultivation was submerged under water due to the dam's construction. The affected tribal communities dispersed across the region, with many settling in Mihijam due to the presence of nearby coalfields and the locomotive industry.
Since 1982
40
Years of
Journey
Badlao Foundation
Our Journey
- During the early 1950s, the construction of the Maithon dam on the Barakar river led to the displacement of 39 villages.
- Submergence of cultivable land resulted in the uprooting of tribal communities, particularly the Santhal, Pahari, and Bauri tribes.
- Displaced individuals settled in Mihijam due to the proximity of coalfields and the locomotive industry.
- Recognizing the plight of marginalized and deprived people, Shri Bajrang Singh, a social activist, initiated efforts to uplift and empower them.
- Shri Bajrang Singh, along with his associates, worked with displaced people and focused on non-farm income generation activities like Tasar spinning by women.
- In 1982, Badlao Foundation was officially registered as a community-based organization.
- Badlao Foundation became affiliated with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Government of India, in 1985 to promote Tasar spinning.
- The foundation collaborated with various organizations, for forest rights of tribals, Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) by NABARD, Welt Hunger Hilfe fund for people-centric governance, and KKS fund for Natural Resource Management.
- Badlao Foundation operates in the development sector across multiple project areas, including Jamtara, Godda, Dumka, Pakur, Sahebjang, and Deoghar districts of Jharkhand, India.
- The foundation targets vulnerable sections of society, such as women, children, scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, minorities, and other underprivileged groups.
- Badlao Foundation runs various projects, including 'WADI,' 'Johar,' the Jharkhand Tribal Empowerment Livelihood Project (JTELP), and initiatives supported by funding from NABARD, Welt Hunger Hilfe, and KKS.
- The foundation focuses on promoting livelihoods and empowering marginalized communities, ensuring access to basic services and advocating for their entitlements.
- Badlao Foundation believes in strengthening of Mahila sabha approach, providing advocacy services, disseminating information, creating awareness, and forming people's groups and pressure groups.
- The foundation emphasizes community participation, innovative action strategies, and cooperation to bring about socio-economic improvements.
- Success stems from the democratic spirit, welfare motive, and dedication of Badlao Foundation's volunteers, functionaries, and prudent social thinkers.
Badlao Foundation
ACHIEVMENTS OF BADLAO IN 40 YEARS
Phase 1: Tree Plantation and Intercropping in Jarmundi Block (1980-1990)
Phase 2: Education, Health, and Women Empowerment (1990s)
Phase 3: Contacting Tribals in Remote Areas (2005 onwards)
- Badlao Foundation embarked on a tree plantation and intercropping initiative in the Jarmundi Block.
- The project aimed to promote sustainable agricultural practices and enhance the livelihoods of the tribal population in the region.
- Through the SRC Project, Badlao Foundation focused on education, health, and women's empowerment.
- Collaborating with organizations like ICCO, and NORAD, the foundation empowered women aged 12-14 by organizing them into a workforce.
- The project addressed crucial issues such as women's rights to land, the representation of women in political organizations, and combating alcohol addiction.
- New ideas and awareness campaigns, influenced by visionaries like Vinoba Bhave and the concept of land donation, were introduced to foster transformation.
- Badlao Foundation established contact with tribals in remote regions, where the culture and language differ from mainstream areas like Jamtara and Deoghar.
- Areas like Sundar Pahadi in Godda, Littipara in Pakur, and Barhait in Sahebganj became the focal points of the foundation's work.
- These deep forest regions, rich in mineral wealth, have been inhabited by Adivasis for generations.
- The foundation recognized the importance of sustainable development and engaged in livelihood promotion activities, expanding their understanding of this field.
- Focus areas included water resource management, forest and land conservation, agriculture and fodder development, and better water conservation practices during rainy seasons.
Promoting Governance, Community Empowerment, and Mahila Sabha (2019 onwards)
- Badlao Foundation emphasized the local management of sustainable development processes through governance initiatives and community empowerment.
- Special attention was given to the awareness and rights of women and youth, with a focus on rights-based action.
- Capacity building programs were conducted to empower individuals in formulating their own development plans.
- Efforts were made to ensure the inclusion of these plans in district and state-level development schemes under the PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) framework.
Badlao Foundation
PAST PROJECTS
- The Badlao Foundation staff has been actively engaged in promoting people's participation in people-centric development and good governance.
- The project advocates for a "bottom-up approach," where development initiatives are driven by community-level demand.
- The formation of pressure groups within the community ensures the sustainability of development efforts.
- The Johar Project in Godda showcases the convergence of various government schemes and establishes a Core Committee that operates from the Panchayat level to the State level, strengthening networking and coordination.
- The Tribal Rights Forum (TRF) serves as a common platform to advocate for tribal rights and address their concerns.
- The Johar Project has successfully converged with the Jharkhand Tribal Empowerment Livelihood Project (JTELP) to ensure long-term sustainability.
- The Pahari tribals focus on natural resource management in response to changing climatic conditions.
- They implement practices such as rainwater harvesting, use of solar power as an alternative energy source, establishment of small kitchen gardens for food security, wetland management, and continuous controlling trenches (CCT) to increase underground water levels.
- The project encourages the creation of water bodies and promotes the use of smokeless chullahs (stoves) to avoid health hazards.
- The community has built rapport through the establishment of a Water Shade Management Committee (WMC).
- The project works in the thematic areas of nutrition, education, and people-centric governance.
- Innovative measures include the use of radio technology for mass attraction and information dissemination, GPS satellite-based tracking system for monitoring school-related activities, and the formation of School Management Committees (SMCs) and Bal Samsads to exert pressure on government departments.
- Community participation is ensured through Participatory Learning Appraisal (PLA) conducted at the project's initial stages.
- The project has established MGNREGA Sahayata Kendra and volunteers to facilitate the achievement of government schemes.
- This project focuses on sustainable livelihood development through practices like orchard and vegetable cultivation.
- Key activities include the establishment of a common resource center for meetings and marketing, micro-enterprises for landless families, and the formation of seed drums for seed preservation.
- The project also addresses the issue of replication to expand its impact.
- Innovative measures, such as creating trenches for tree protection, have been implemented successfully.
- The RIDF project aims at rural infrastructural development, particularly in water resources and horticulture.
- The formation of 'Krishi Sathi Samity' serves as an organization to monitor community activities, and village assemblies (Gram Sabhas) are organized to promote participatory planning and sustainability of development objectives.
Badlao Foundation
CHALLENGES BEFORE BADLAO
Badlao Foundation
Charting the Future: A Roadmap for Badlao Foundation's Development Journey
After 35 years of experience in the development sector, Badlao Foundation recognizes the need for a new vision, mission, and direction to guide its future interventions. A recent internal review of the impact of our work and government development programs in the region has humbly revealed that there is still much work to be done to prevent the decay of natural resources and overcome the marginalization of tribal and vulnerable populations. With a renewed commitment to our founding vision, we are in the process of developing a revised long-term strategy to achieve our goals and meet the aspirations of the people in this region.
In shaping our future work, Badlao Foundation intends to focus on policy and program interventions centered around sustainable development, circular economy promotion, sustainable livelihoods, and sustainable lifestyles. We envision expanding our horizons to become a knowledge-based organization that provides training, capacity building, and a research base for the sustainable and equitable development of Santhal Pargana in Jharkhand.
Addressing the following issues is vital for our future endeavors:
- Capacity Development of Badlao:
- Enhancing project management, reporting, task implementation, and results-based working to meet the expectations of funders.
- Allocating resources to improve monitoring and reporting capabilities.
- Investing in highly competent human resources for effective social development work.
- Human Resources Development:
- Establishing long-term linkages between development professionals and Badlao Foundation.
- Orienting functionaries towards community-based work.
- Promoting sensitivity towards the poor and vulnerable among staff and development professionals.
- Cultivating team motivation and commitment to social causes.
- Adapting to the New Development Paradigm:
- Encouraging a shift in thinking within NGOs to embrace the new development paradigm.
- Developing mechanisms to access selective expertise on a part-time basis.
- Establishing sustainable mechanisms to retain human resources within the organization.
- Right-Based Approach to Gender Issues:
- Further discussions on context-specific gender issues in Santhal Pargana.
- Reflection, Research, and Widening Horizons:
- Conducting impact assessments and political scenario analysis internally.
- Identifying and sharing best practices and model areas of Badlao Foundation.
- Community-Based Organization (CBO) Strategy:
- Considering the adoption of a CBO strategy to strengthen community engagement and participation.
Options for Selecting Themes for Future Campaigns:
- Addressing the decline of natural resources and advocating for sustainable water management, mining cessation, public education on SDGs, circular economy, and sustainable lifestyles.
- Developing livelihood models focused on watershed management, agriculture, animal husbandry, technology transfer, and dissemination of best practices.
- Promoting financial inclusion and social security as rights, encompassing pensions, MNREGA, digitalization, and food ration schemes.
- Nurturing social harmony, equity, and peace as essential elements of our future campaigns.
