Kalrayan Women Development Scheme (KALWODS)

The first of CSG’s programs, the Kalrayan Women Development Scheme or KALWODS was launched on November 15, 1980 to help raise awareness about the social, economic and health conditions that existed in the hills, as well as to empower women and better their position in society so as to begin the development process in the region.  Although there were many tribal development schemes that had been initiated by the Tamil Nadu Government, the attitude of suspicion with which the government and its officials were viewed made it difficult for the people to make use of the programs available to them to improve conditions.  It was this which led to the creation of The Community Services Guild.

A young organization working in just three villages, and beginning with a grand total of two employees – a Development Organizer with a background in women and child welfare, and a Tribal Assistant hired from the local population to better communicate KALWODS’ objectives – CSG had a difficult time being recognized or taken seriously by both the tribal women and the state government.  It would take proven success in subsequent years to earn their trust and respect.

As stated, CSG intended to carry out motivational programs to empower the tribal women, increase their income and reduce their burden, raise their confidence about government schemes, and, as with all of its projects, to lead these women to sustainable self-reliance.  However, CSG knew that it could not simply jump in and begin attacking these issues without having a more comprehensive plan about the sort of programs that would help it initiate holistic development among the tribal women, and thus, the entire tribal community in the region.

With the recommendations made by the Center for South Indian Women’s Studies (a former CSG sister organization) in a study requested by CSG, the organization was able to focus its programs on issues such as non-formal education for women, mass action, land registration under women’s names to prevent exploitation, income generation, meeting basic needs and social forestry, and do so through women’s groups.  The development of these groups, regardless of what they were called, be it Maathar Sangams, Self-Help Groups, or Women’s Clubs, were and still are the key to CSG’s success with not only KALWODS, but all of its projects.

Below is a list of activities and schemes that were promoted under KALWODS.  Many of these activities were initiated by utilizing the schemes offered by the state government.

• Non-formal education for tribal women: This was aimed at helping tribal women of all ages learn to read and write.  In the past, the inability to read or write had caused their families to sign away deeds to their lands.  Our hope was to prevent such incidents in the future, and to pave the way for women’s empowerment.  In the years between 1980 and 1988 alone, we were able to increase adult women’s literacy by 30 percent in that region.

• Cattle Bank: An innovative idea, the cattle bank provided tribal women with goats that, along with any offspring, were not to be sold for three years in order to grow the herd.  After this period, women could sell what they needed to generate income and use the rest to continue growing the herd.  Also at the end of three years, women would return the original number of cattle they had been given (from the offspring), which would then be passed on to another woman who could do the same.

• Mass Action Programs: These were initiated so that tribal women could seek government land for grazing, obtain land registration certificates or “pattas” under their names, build or repair roads and bridges, build or repair homes and wells, acquire electricity for all homes, secure ration cards for all families in our project areas, etc.

• Income-Generation Activities: Tribal women were trained by CSG staff in activities such as beekeeping, mat weaving, silk spinning, handicrafts, and using handlooms to supplement their income from agriculture.

• Tailoring Center: Used to provide tribal women with training in tailoring to help them further supplement their income.  Many of the women who were trained took up instructor positions with the government.

• Social Forestry & Horticulture: The practice of shifting cultivation by tribal people led to indiscriminate cutting and burning of trees, which in turn led to soil erosion and frequent monsoon failures. CSG distributed over one lakh seedlings raised in our own nursery and secured from the government nursery for reforestation. Further, to increase the earning capacity of the tribal people, CSG promoted the planting of fruit seedlings such as coconut, mango, guava, pineapple, acid lime, orange, suppota and so on for sale, which became very popular amongst tribal women.

• Sericulture: Finding the hill weather conducive, CSG experimented by training a few tribal women in cultivating mulberry plants and raising silk worms with support from the state government.  The positive results of the venture in the target group caused other tribal families to join, and the program spread quickly in several villages as it had with social forestry and horticulture.

• Apiculture: Seeing that the gallnut and tamarind flowers have plenty of nectar and that both were to be found in abundance along with wild flowers in the program areas, CSG introduced a bee-keeping program by organizing training and providing beehives to tribal women as part of our income generation efforts.  After initial setbacks, this program finally became very successful, and the state government setup a Khadi & Village Industries department in the hills to buy honey from the villagers and to further promote and expand our program.

• Animal Husbandry: Recognizing opportunities for good income generation for constituents in raising sheep and goats for meat and cows for milk, CSG introduced hi-breed sheep, goats and cows to the tribal families.  In addition, CSG also arranged for weekly veterinary assistance along with providing training to tribal women in rearing these animals.

• Nutrition Initiative: Aimed at providing tribal families better meals at lower costs by helping them set up their own kitchen gardens to provide sufficient vegetables for their families.  It also helped tribal families access the government’s free meal scheme for children between 0 and 5 years.

• Dairy Society: With the introduction of hi-breed cows in the area, and finding no buyer for milk locally in such huge quantity, CSG initiated a tribal women milk producers cooperative society, and set up milk collection centers in 3 areas and sent all the collected milk everyday to the cooperative union to Salem, 60 kilometers away. CSG setup a milk chilling center to prevent the milk from getting spoiled before being sent to Salem.  This program became a very great success.

• Drinking Water Scheme: With no safe drinking water in most villages, CSG motivated the people to seek government support.  After several petitions to the state government by the women and meetings with the district collector, the tribal women were successful in getting the government to sink tube wells in all of their villages to provide them with access to safe drinking water.

• Healthcare Initiative: Given the remoteness of the area, CSG tried to provide basic healthcare by hiring a doctor and nurse, as well as basic health information about hygiene, communicable diseases, vaccinations, and natal care by conducting health camps.

Although now at an end, the Kalrayan Women Development Scheme, despite the many roadblocks it faced, has successfully met its objectives.  In keeping with CSG’s mission of promoting sustainable self-reliance, the groups in the Kalrayan Hills project area are now self-managed organizations under the name Vadakkunadu Pazhangudi Pengal Pannokku Iyakkam