Conclusion
Activities of the Society have been successful on account of the help and co-operation received from various individuals and organizations. I would like to acknowledge and place on record our gratitude to all those who contributed towards the growth of the Society. I would like to mention some of them specifically. They are:
a. All the members of CWS - old and new- who support the organization wholeheartedly with their tangible and intangible resources.
b. All the members of CWS Executive Committee who make sure to attend meetings of Executive Committee and spent their quality time for its growth
c. SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE WORD, for its support and guidance
d. Rourkela Steel Plant which has given us the land for the hospital, quarters on rent for our staff to stay, and for ongoing co-operation and support.
e. NIT Rourkela which is very supportive of our organization and hospital. They have given us always a preferential treatment.
f. New York University (NYU), USA for supporting our Malaria Research works
g. The media and press personnel which gave us always positive coverage for our programmes.
h. All the suppliers who promptly execute our orders
i. Our Pharmacy, canteens and sanitation departments which are outsourced and are doing a commendable service by facilitating patient care in the hospital
j. All the consultant doctors of the hospital who are very generous with their time and talent for CWS activities
k. All the Staff of CWS and CWS hospital who workday in and day out literally to provide quality service to the poor in slums and patients in the hospital.
l. Society of the Divine Word, Handmaids of Mary and Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit who support the organization by sparing their members to work in slums and hospital.
Once again on behalf of CWS family, I extend our gratitude to all those who have supported, helped and encouraged us in our endeavours.
Fr. Bennichan K Peter, SVD
(Secretary, Community Welfare Society, Rourkela)
Annual Report 2020-2021
During the period under review, the society undertook various activities in areas related to social and economic development, education, women’s empowerment, and health care. Given below is a brief account of various activities CWS carried out in 2020-2021. Activities of CWS are broadly classified here in six segments here:
Government of India declared lockdown from midnight of 24th March 2020 because of COVID-19 pandemic. All the people were ordered to remain home and not to venture out for any activities. This was done in view of restricting the social contact and to stop the spread of COVID-19 to a greater number of persons. The whole country embraced the order and started remaining home. Civil and police administrations cooperated to implement the order of the Premier. When the said lock down became a reality, it created a lot of difficulty for daily wage earners, cycle rickshaw pullers, widows, persons with leprosy, and rag-pickers.
To alleviate their pain and distress we designed number programmes and requested various agencies for financial help and they responded very generously. Given below are the relief activities carried out by CWS during COVID-19 Lock-Down.
a. Minimum Food to families which were finding difficult to cop up:
In discussion with our Co-ordinators and Animators we selected 275families in slums of Rourkela as our beneficiaries for this programme. Most of them belonged to the above-mentioned categories. The youth from Rourkela came forward willingly to support the programme by contributing their time and expertise for getting the materials, transporting it, and to packing them. Youth also helped us to identify the beneficiaries in some areas. In this programme what we have given was 2kg rice and 250gm pulses. The total cost of the programme was 75 INR per family. We used to give this supplementary food provision once in three days. Once in alternative week we used to give 500ml cooking oil too, which was costing 49 INR. Distribution of this food provision we began on 27th of March. This distribution we continued regularly throughout both phases of lockdown (period between 24th March to 3rd May 2020). Here ‘regular’ means three distributions in a week to selected beneficiaries. Even during the third lockdown period (4th to 17th May) we tried to continue the distribution; but in a more controlled and selective manner. During the 4th phase of the lockdown many people started going for work. So, we reduced the number of beneficiaries to 80. To them even today we are distributing the kits with the same materials mentioned above. Here we need to mention about two mega distributions done with the help of CSR fund of NSPCL. On 11th of April we had received an amount of 270000 from NSPCL and distributed 550 nutrition kits and it contained 8 kilogram of Rice, 1.5 kilogram of pulses, 1 litre cooking oil, 1 kilogram of sugar, one mask, 4 pieces of bathing soap and 4 pieces of washing soap. Again on 23rd May we did another mega distribution for a beneficiary list of 670. During this distribution too we included the same type and volume of materials.
b. Feeding the Pavement Dwellers:
There are good number of people living in the pavements of Rourkela city. In good times they have been fed by a group of Youth with the food that they get from different restaurants in the city. As the restaurants were closed, this youth group named Dream Team Foundation came to us for support and we agreed to support them. Their expenses for providing food for one day was Rs.5,000/- We supported this group of youth for a period of 11 days. Then we found that there are many other philanthropic organizations interested to do the same service and we withdrew the support.
c. Feeding the Slum Dwellers:
On the 5th of April, the Municipal Corporation Rourkela invited the NGOs for support to feed the people living in slums. CWS responded to this invitation positively as slum areas are our target areas of operation and they were in need our help. Hence, on the 5th of April onwards CWS started cooking and giving food to the needy. Initially the cost of getting the food ready for 500 persons was Rs. 20,000/-. As the days passed by, the number of beneficiaries increased in number and we started cooking food for 700 persons both in the morning and evening and the cost of the activity increased to Rs. 28000 per day approximately. We continued this programme which started on 5th April till 15th of May. On the 14th of May decided to stop this Community Kitchen because of two reasons:
i. Many of our beneficiaries started going for work as some of the shops and business units had started functioning by then.
ii. Thirty-nine days our youth friends have been staying and working without a break. Some of them requested for a break.
d. Community Kitchen:
When we closed the community kitchen, our animators told us about the difficulties some of the people are facing in slums. So, we had a meeting with some of the community leaders of Gopabandhupalli, Malgodown, Madhusoodan Palli, and Railgate Slums. They requested us to continue with the Community Kitchen, if not in a big way, in a smaller manner. We told them that we are ready to cook and hand over 300 packets of food each in the morning and in the evening. Then the community leaders were requested to have group discussion and decide about the modalities of distribution. After group discussion they handed over a list with number of packets required in each slum. Based on this list we resumed our community kitchen programme on 16th May. In this second innings we took the help of our 4 crèche workers for cutting of vegetables and to pack the food. Only for cooking, we sought for help from others and we had to spend money on. We continued this second phase of the community kitchen till 7th June 2020.
a. As the pandemic was continuing still, as economy is in a dormant position and as citizens are facing difficult times, as slum dwellers are facing the worst of their fears - not able to have a square meal for the family - we identified 80 families and continued distributing rice and pulses twice a week.
b. We made multigrain flour, fortified with protein rich pulses, and distributing to 200 children who have been attending our creches. This flour was made with grains and pulses which are roasted already. And to make it tasty we added sugar to it. Before consumption, beneficiary need to boil water and put this flour into it and stir. The mix is ready for consumption. Children usually savour it. We give half kilogram of it once in ten days.
CWS has three tailoring training centres. All three trainers there are employees of the society. During these pandemic days, we have been utilising their service for stitching clothe masks for the people. With their support we have stitched and distributed 7000 masks. Our beneficiaries belong to Urban and rural areas of the districts. We also distributed good number of soaps for hand washing and to keep our beneficiaries free from COVID19. Our Community Organizers have been going around the slums giving education on preventive measures to safeguard oneself from the pandemic. It was besides the works they did of identifying the beneficiaries for food provisions we supply. Our employees are going for home visits to slums wearing three-layer surgical masks and sanitizers to protect themselves from any infection the virus.
CWS has been running a number of programmes for the welfare of children in various slums. The main aim of these programmes is to facilitate the education and character building of children. However, owing to COVID-19 spread all over the town and as the Government has ordered close down of all schools, we closed down our Day Care Centres and tuition programmes from the 22nd of March 2020 onwards. We plan to resume our programmes for children once schools reopen. For giving nutritional support to our children in day care centres, we have been preparing a mixture of various cereals and pulses and distributing among them.
Unlike other years, we have done only a limited number of programmes for the youth this year. All the same, during last one year some programmes were organised for the slum youth to foster unity and motivate them to become better and productive citizens. Some of them are:
a. CWS Youth SHGs:
Presently we have 57 CWS Youth SHGs. Monthly meetings are being conducted regularly and groups are being animated for better unity and saving activities among them. 30% of the youth SHGs have opened account in banks.
b. Tailoring Training Centres:
CWS has three tailoring training centres in slums; Gopabandhupalli, Sector 2 and Basanti Colony. Classes are conducted in two batches every day for a period of six months in each centre. At the end of the period an examination is conducted, and a certificate is issued. During the year a total of 83 girls and women have completed tailoring course through CWS.
c. Beautician Courses:
Beautician courses were organized twice each in Sector-2 and Gopabandhupalli centres. This course is conducted by a qualified beautician. The duration of each course is two months. 20 to 25 girls participated in each of the programme. We had three such trainings within the reporting period and 69 youth completed their training programme.
d. Help to Youth for Income generation and Education
We have financially supported the education of 07 youth in vocational education and training. Comparatively in 2020-21, number of applications for educational help was less owing to COVID-19 pandemic disruption.
Realizing the significant position of women and the role they can play in family and society at large CWS began its women’s empowerment programme way back in 1997. We have 12 women animators and three field supervisors implementing this programme effectively. Activities carried out during this period of one year are:
a. Animation of Self-Help Groups:
As part women’s empowerment programme CWS began the formation of Self-Help Groups in 2002. Presently we have as many as 426 functioning groups. These groups enable women to attain financial security and create habit of regular savings. These groups are also a platform for women to come together and discuss their problems and difficulties. These SHGs function as support groups for women. We have a total of 6328 women as members and thus we are touching the lives of this many families.
b. Training on various health and social issues:
During the period under reporting using the platform of SHGs, we have carried out innumerable trainings. Issues that we dealt with are: prevention of dengue, COVID-19, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, health and Hygiene, substance abuse, drug addiction and anti-tobacco use.
a. Rag-pickers:
We have two Animators working with Rag-pickers for obtaining greater identity, creating credit facility, to form community-based organizations and to facilitate the education of their children. Presently we have 47 SHGs exclusively of Rag-pickers. We have a Day Care Centre in Jamtolli Basti for children of Rag-pickers; though it is not opened yet owing to COVID-19.
b. Rickshaw Pullers:
We have two animators working for Rickshaw pullers. They are another group of marginalised groups for whom the Society in general do not care. We are in touch with 165 cycle rickshaw and have organised 16 joint liability groups with Rickshaw pullers. They save small sums every moths. The society has so far given small loans to 38 rickshaw pullers for purchase of second-hand rickshaws and to repair their existing rickshaws. We help school going children of rickshaw pullers for the purchase of books and other study materials.
c. Programmes for Leprosy Colonies
We have two animators working under a co-ordinator for the Leprosy patients. We have initiated this project one month ago. Activities of this programme include formation of community-based organizations, facilitate the regular dressing of ulcers of leprosy affected patients and facilitate the removal of taboos related to leprosy from the society in General through awareness programme. We have as many as 16 SHGs functioning among them. We also have appointed four persons to dress the ulcerous wounds of the leprosy patients and a total of 60 patients are being dressed every day.
d. Programmes for Widows:
We are working with as many as 430 widows from slums in Rourkela. We have organized them into 40 Self Help Groups. Like previous years, this year too we had a celebration of International Widows Day. Regular visit to widows’ homes, support for their children’s schooling, subsidised medical treatment for the widows’ families makes it a socially significant programme of CWS.
From the very outset, CWS paid a lot of attention towards the health care of people in its operational area. Mobile clinic, medical camps, Sunday clinics in Gopabandhupalli and Sector – 2 Khariabahal Basti and finally the CWS Hospital in Jagda justify this claim. Here is a detailed account of CWS’s healthcare programme:
a. Medical Camps:
During the year under review CWS has conducted two medical camps; in Gopabandhupalli and Sector-6.
b. CWS Hospital:
CWS Hospital with 120 beds at present is the most ambitious and visible project of CWS healthcare programme. During the last one year we had a total of 269 deliveries, 190 deaths, 682 major surgeries and 703 minor surgeries. Total inpatient admissions were 666 and outpatient registration was 107941.
c. Malaria Research Programme:
Malaria is a global public health concern, affecting millions of people. In many tropical and subtropical parts of the world just like Odisha, this mosquito-borne parasitic infection has high burden of morbidity and mortality in humans. Despite research advancement on antimalarials, vaccines, pathogenesis, and vector control, there lies numerous challenges ahead of Malaria elimination from the affected regions. Accordingly, there is a growing need for enhanced and focused malaria research efforts to fight the long-standing battle with malaria and ultimately help eliminate it from the globe. With this background and mandate, a Malaria Research Center was established in CWS Hospital Rourkela (CWSH) in 2018-19, by the Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi) and New York University (NYU), USA under the International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR-India) program of US-NIH. The current research aims to investigate the effectiveness of the Govt of Odisha’s malaria elimination drive DAMaN (Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran), which is undertaken in partnership with the Govt. of Odisha, Health and family Welfare Dept and New York University, USA, led by globally renowned malaria researcher and Genome Biologist Prof. Jane Carlton along with an interdisciplinary team of senior Faculties and Scientists from NYU, USA.
A new Molecular Biology Laboratory was set-up at CWS Hospital equipped with modern scientific infrastructure for undertaking malaria research. Highly skilled and trained capacity for Lab and Field teams were engaged at CWSH, led by Dr. Praveen K Sahu (Molecular Biologist) and renowned Malaria Clinician-Researcher Dr. Sanjib Mohanty, with management support from Dr MA Haque (Vector Coordinator) and Mr. Timir K Padhan (Project Coordinator). Alongside it’s primary research activities in the malaria affected districts in Odisha, the lab provides free-of-cost Malaria diagnosis to the patients of CWS Hospital Rourkela.