While working on the ground, we realized that child education cannot be done in isolation, without ensuring the welfare of the whole family. Health is also a part of education. A child will not go to school if he is sick. If a child’s parents are afflicted with health problems, he might drop-out of school and start earning instead. Unless the mother is healthy and empowered, the child cannot be either. It is all interlinked.• Health and Nutrition are our main project so we are adopting and launched the followings with successful
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
• Education and Protection
• Livelihood and Women’s Empowerment
• Environment and Disaster Response
Health Programme of the organization has broadly in two components; Community health and Institutional health. It has own trained health workers who actively disseminate health information on pregnant mother care, child health and immunization, hygienic practices, and motivate pregnant mothers for institution delivery.
Also the goal of ESCORD is to ensure sexual and reproductive rights and choices for all, especially women and young people, so that they can access high-quality sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
The organization has wide experience working in this sector. Over the years ESCORD has implemented thousands of household toilets in Gokarnapur, Putiapadar & Gandala villages, educated people on both infrastructural and personal hygiene and succeeded preventing open defecation. Deep tube wells installed and renovated creating safe drinking water provision and made people aware on safe water handling including collection, transportation, preservation and use. Initiatives were taken to sensitize people on water, sanitation and hygiene through wide community level campaign, demonstration, using IEC etc.
Education and Protection
As an effort of preventing violation of child rights ESCORD runs bridge course and coaching centers for dropout, unschooled and enrolled children in Hinjilicat Block Areas. In order to prevent child labour practice and safeguard children from being trafficked the organization operates non residential schools providing with quality foods. Ultimate objective running these centres is to mainstream children in age-appropriate classes in the formal schools. They are provided nutritious food and health education imparted to students for good hygienic practices.
Livelihood and Women empowerment
Hundreds of women Self Help Groups have been formed primarily for growing saving habits and internal lending to initiate petty business venture for income. They have village level group clusters and federation at the Gram Panchayat level. Both women and men were encouraged for Pond-based Integrated Farming with vegetable garden, fish cultivation, raring duck and hen and vermin-composting through improved method in their homestead land and the products are used for both consumption and selling purposes. The farmers were trained and assisted for Systematic Rice Intensification method of paddy cultivation, which is high yielding and cost effective. As per the organization’s experiences the Pond-based Integrated Farming and the above method of paddy cultivation were found to be highly beneficial to the people improving their family status with supplementary income.