Nutanhat Development Society

Project Brief: The project falls in the Mangalkot Block which has about 52 villages. Lack of education, health facilities, unclean environment is the ultimate cause of misery.
Project Type: Non-Formal Educational Centers (description)
Primary Focus: creating resources (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact: Boston
Status: completed - requirements ended
Project Steward: Joydeep Mitra
Project Partner(s): Nilanjan Adhya
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , Vill & Post-Jhilu,Dist. Burdwan,,
WEST BENGAL  713 147
Tel:
Stewarding Chapter: Boston
Dec 2001BostonUSD 950
Dec 2000BostonUSD 950
Dec 2000St. LouisUSD 1590

Total = $3490

The main objective and activities of the organization are to endeavour
and conduct community development programs on health, agriculture,
traditional medicine, sanitation, savings, and social consciousness
among the tribal people.
The Asha funds go towards the teachers salaries in primary school.
Nutanhat Development Society (NDS) is an NGO working on
different issues of education, preventive health and income generation
for the women self-help groups. The organization is at present
working in Burdwan and Purulia districts of West Bengal.

The primary school has been in operation since 1990. It has six
teachers, and the classes are given from pre-primary level to
standard IV. They are asking for funding to build a library, a
laboratory, and to obtain a computer. The school was
built with the help of Indo-German Social Service Society - New Delhi
(MISEREOR_GERMANY), and is sustained by local contribution and
member support.

There are 115 students at present, and they are trying to reduce the
dropout rate (they don't mention how?) especially for girl children.

Cost of maintenance of school is borne by the school from the local
contributions and from the villagers.

The demand is to provide a good library, equipped laboratory, and at
least one computer to the children learning in the center, The library
will not only help the children but will also help the village
youths. There will be separate timing for the children, youths, women
groups, farmer groups and elderly persons. the library establishment
is essential for the children and youths to be guided in a suitable
manner.

The lab equipment and the computer will expose the children to the
modern techniques of education and will boost the interest in
development education.

The project falls in the Mangalkot Block which has about 52
villages under its area, with a population of nearly 4
lakhs. Scheduled castes form 85% of the population and the families
are very poor and live under oppression. Some families live on the
outskirts of villages and have no interactions with the villages. The
literacy level is below 25%. Due to scarcity of water, agriculture is
done once a year. Lack of education, health facilities, unclean
environment is the ultimate cause of misery.

The main objective and activities of the organization are to endeavour
and conduct community development programs on health, agriculture,
traditional medicine, sanitation, savings, and social consciousness
among the tribal people.

Through sustained effort, NDS has been conducting awareness program
to promote literacy and education in Mangalkot block. This has been
the result of animation process with women groups which helped them to
realize the need to educate the children. The women groups and local
youths have identified this as a vital issue.

The education is focussed to build up the moral values among the
children and knowledge of the society. The content is based on local
languages, vocabulary, social science, educational games and general
arithmetic.