Journals Information
International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION) Vol. 2(6), pp. 213 - 219
DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2014.020602
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From Individual Empowerment to Social Movement: Drought Management for Ecological Restoration
Fr. Joseph *, D'souza SJ , Fr. Siju Varghese SJ
Social Centre, Ahmednagar, India
ABSTRACT
If we believe human life is a gift then we ought to safeguard it. Today this life is at stake from the womb to the tomb. As a result there is imbalance in many aspects of life even in the climatic conditions. At Kankewadi, in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, where we began community mobilisation work, many people were facing a losing battle. They could hardly see any light at the end of the tunnel. Jesuit Priests responded to this situation through an innovative method known as the Watershed Development Programme which holds an ultimate vision of holistic, people centred development. The 'Social Centre', a philanthropic NGO came into being as a ray of hope to the rural folk in the drought prone Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. The paper describes the methods adopted to empower people and usher in improvements in the quality of life of the people. The results of the process disturbed social, economic, political and cultural benefits across all sections of the society in Kankewadi and its neighbouring villages. The so-called voiceless people became leaders of the local governing bodies. The social centre's approach of problem solving with participatory ideology has motivated Government institutions to adopt the watershed development. This involves the building of water as a critical resource for community empowerment, livelihood development and also to reduce internal displacement of the poor in India. The results of over 125 villages from this programme have the potential to turn into a movement of development which restores the ecological sanity, tackling both short term goals of poverty alleviation and long term goals of positively retaining people in their native habitat.
KEYWORDS
Watershed Management, Rural Poverty, Social Action, Social Work, Drought Management
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Fr. Joseph , D'souza SJ , Fr. Siju Varghese SJ , "From Individual Empowerment to Social Movement: Drought Management for Ecological Restoration," International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION), Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 213 - 219, 2014. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2014.020602.
(b). APA Format:
Fr. Joseph , D'souza SJ , Fr. Siju Varghese SJ (2014). From Individual Empowerment to Social Movement: Drought Management for Ecological Restoration. International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION), 2(6), 213 - 219. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2014.020602.