PROJECTS

 PROJECTS

This section consists of activiites/projects which the Society has undertaken with the help and funding of other organisations.It is divided into those projects that have been completed and those that are presently ongoing. 

COMPLETED PROJECTS

REPRODUCTION & CHILD HEALTH (RCH) PROGRAMME 

St. Vincent’s Welfare Society has been working in implementation of RCH with the support of Mother NGO, viz. Voluntary Health Association of Tripura (VHAT).  RCH is an on-going activity of the society in association with VHAT. The programme components including four major activities. These are:

• Immunization Programme.
• Health Camp & Distribution of Medicines at free of cost.
• Promotion    of   health   education  regarding  RCH.
• Adolescent   Awareness  Camps.

 Immunization:

The immunization for the children is done every forth of the month for the Npaltilla and Kathalcherra areas at St. Vincent's Welfare Society Hall, Kathalcherra. Altogether 173 children were immunized during 2008-09. The Society also participated in the pulse polio programme of the government to cover the Kathalcherra Holy Cross area. 

Distribution of Medicines:
    The Society has built up a facility for distribution of Medicines at its centre at Kathalcherra. On regular basis (a minimum of once in a month, but as frequently as needed during the summer season) the members of the society distribute medicines to the rural communities particularly among the poor people. For this purpose, the society has also received help from the Administration of Dhalai.

Health Camp : 

 The Organization conducted 15 Health Camp during the year. This Programme was done in order to promote Awareness on health among the rural poor people. Such programmes are generally conducted along with cultural programmes and puppet show. Health Camp is one of the most popular activities of the Society, as the Kathalcherra Village does not have any Hospital or Health Centre services of the government. So, the Society helping to see to the need of the people here at this area were the government does not reach.

Adolescent Awareness Camp:
Adolescent Awareness camp is held at different schools/villages of the project area. These programmes try to promote awareness among the adolescent on the ill effects of early marriage, unhealthy sex, personal hygiene, etc. these programmes are generally dovetailed with puppet show, drama, cultural programmes, etc. to make the programmes attractive, lively and participatory. Generally doctors and leading personality of the localities are invited as resource persons to give awareness talk to the young people.

D.S.T  PROJECT ( Department of Science  & Technology)

INSTITUTIONALIZING TECHNOLOGY BACKSTOPPING AND CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND ENCOURAGEMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT BASED ON SIMPLE RURAL TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN THE TRIBAL AREAS OF NORTH EAST INDIA.

Since the 2007, the society had initiated a project funded by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India, under the aegis of the G.B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.

The project entitled Institutionalizing Technology Backstopping and Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture Development and Encouraging Entrepreneurship Development based on Simple Rural Technologies within the Tribal areas of North East India has the following key objectives:
•    To showcase simple low cost appropriate technologies for sustainable agriculture development in Dhalai District of Tripura.
•    To identify location specific technology input needs in remote marginalized shifting cultivation (jhum) areas.
•    To establish centralized Demonstration & Dissemination centre.

Facilitate on farm demonstration (one on farm demonstration per cluster of 3 (three) villages.
•    To build up the capacity of farmers & villagers through on farm demonstration using Lead Farmers.
•    Capacity building of villagers/farmers in on farm technologies enhance technology dissemination through on farm demonstrations and training.
•    To prepare technology disseminations materials/audio-visual/manuals and ensure wide dissemination in local language.

The project has been initiated in three clusters or villages (East Kathalcherra, Kanchancherra & Nalkata) covering 10 hamlets under the Manu R. D Block, Longtharai Valley Sub-Division in Dhalai District of Tripura. The total population of these 10 villages is about 4500, most of whom are tribal population comprising of the Garos, Reangs, Debbarma and Darlongs (kukis).

A demonstration centre has been established at East Kathalcherra and Kanchancherra demonstrating low cost technologies for weed composting, vermin-composting, liquid manuring, nursery raising, trellis, bio-briqueting, multi-tier cropping, polyfilm technology, contour hedgerows and handi-pitcher technology. A total of 30 lead farmers (7 males: 23 females) have been identified, of which 20 have been trained at the demonstration site for adoption of various low cost technologies during the current year; while 50 farmers have been identified for onfarm trials on some of these technologies, of which 9 have undergone training at the demonstration site. While some of the technologies are new to the farmers (such as bio-briqueting, handi pitcher, vermin-composting, polyfilm, hedgerows) others are familiar to the farmers (such as multi-cropping, trellis, biocomposting).

The demonstration and trainings have convinced the farmers how these low cost technologies could further improve their farming and production systems. However, given the rural mindset of the communities due to illiteracy and poverty in the project areas, much more needs to be done in order to popularize these low cost technologies and at the same time in grounding them for large scale adoption by the farmers at the farm level.





ONGOING PROJECTS

 TRAGETED INTERVETION (TI) PROJECT

 Owing to the fact that only a very low percentage of drug users   actually receive any treatment service against frightening high rate of HIV infections among injecting drug users, there is a need to address the issue specifically in the North and Dhalai districts. Realizing this serious gap and understanding the need to address these issues with a sense of urgency and social responsibility, the St. Vincent’s Welfare Society began to initiate works in this frontier of social challenges primarily for awareness building against HIV infection with the injecting drugs users in North & Dhalai District of Tripura with the help of the National AIDS Control Organisation  (NACO) and the Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSACS). 

The need to address the issue of HIV/ AIDS is due to:
Rapid spread of HIV among the IDUS though they do not think that they are at risk.
HIV is higher from IDUS to the general community through sharing of needles and unprotected sexual behaviour. The messages being carried through this programme.

•    Prevent drug use (primary prevention / treatment ) – ‘IT IS SAFER NOT TO INJECT
•    Where drug use occurs, prevent injecting drugs use.
•    Where injecting occurs, prevent sharing of equipments.
•    Where sharing occurs, prevent effective cleaning.

Incidence of Substance abuse / Drug uses:

In Tripura like other states drugs are taken in different ways such as drinking, swallowing, sniffing, smoking and injecting. The main age of using drug between fifteen to forty-five. Majority of substance abuse are in the form of alcoholism, reporting as much as  (60%) incidences. In most cases it was found that alcohol addiction is followed by use of cannabis, inhaling dendrite and injecting S.P (spasmo Proxyvon) capsules, respectively. SP is a pain killer, a non-injectable drug its uses are high due to easy availability and lesser cost and also non-aviability of the injecting drugs. Significantly, very few users began drug use with the injecting mode. This mode of substance abuse is found to be adopted at a later stage among most of the drug users.  The risk perception of HIV/AIDS was low among drug users interviewed. In all sites, only a small proportion indicated that they are at risk for acquiring and transmitting the HIV varies. Indeed, the majority perceived themselves to be at no risk at all.

Injecting Drug uses:

            Injecting drug was observed in the sites of North and Dhalai District of Tripura our area of intervention. Surprisingly and interestingly we found increasing incidence of injecting drug uses among the youth of certain tribes both in North and Dhalai District of Tripura, more so among semi-educated youths. For reasons of protecting their identities and also the need to deal these issues with social sensitivities and caution, we are refraining to share this data at this juncture. Moreover, our work in this area is still work in progress that requires much more to be done than anticipated earlier. Within a brief period, our baseline survey reports we have identified at least 400 numbers of IDUs in the small area of Dhalai and North District of Tripura.

Abscesses, uncuring wounds, skin infections, vain damages mental illness etc, are fairly common among the drugs injectors indulging in unhygienic practices.  But the injecting drug users and the parents, relatives still hide themselves and do not come forward because they are afraid that people might not accept them if they come to know they are living with HIV + ve . They thought that once the community comes to know that the society will not let them live freely like others. Hence they do not want to go for collection of blood test and other treatment.

With increasing incidence of drug abuse and injecting drug uses, there is a social urgency to do more in this frontier of social evils and ailments. We need more money and dedicated manpower to reach out to every corner of the two districts. The incidences and statistics are much more revealing and alarming than thought to be or anticipated. There is urgency both for the government and NGOs to work together in this frontier of our current social challenges. Otherwise, the disease could spread much quicker and faster than we can prevent it. Awareness education along with counseling and rehabilitation centres is the needs of the hours.


Activities Undertaken So Far

We at St. Vincent’s Welfare Society has taken up this as one of our missions to reach out to the needy youths and communities to the best of our abilities. Although we are a vary small team and disadvantaged with lack of finance, infrastructure and manpower, we think that it is our moral responsibilities to begin to contribute our share of social obligations in this frontier of current social challenges that is spreading fast in most hill areas of North East India, including the Dhalai and North District of Tripura. Our activities in this area continue to be combinations of the followings.

Awarness Campaign/Community Events/Group Discussion:

This is one of the main components of the project. The Out Reach Worker mainly conducted awareness campaign through group meetings/Community Events  with the target groups. The Coordinator, Medical Officer also attended in some of the group meetings. The following topics were discussed in the group meetings include:

• Injecting drugs is always risky.
• Sharing, lending, or borrowing injecting equipments can spread HIV/ AIDS and also other Blood borne Diseases.
• Never share, lend or borrow injecting equipments including such as needles & syringes.
• Don’t ever share with your boy friend or best mate.
• Disposal of the used equipments carefully and leaving used equipments in disposal is dangerous and risky.
• Danger of unprotected sex and correct used of condoms, including where and how to get condoms.

Besides there, we also solicit the help and cooperation of parents, guardian, village elders, village council members and respected citizens of the localities in spreading the massage of danger of HIV/ AIDS and various meant of prevention of such diseases. Awareness at this level in the communities could greatly assist the cause of HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. 

Counseling

The Outreach Worker/Counselor and the Project Coordinator of the T I Project undertake counseling. They counseled the clients on the following issues:-

• S.T.D (How to prevent from S.T.D.)
• Use of Condom during Sexual intercourse.
• Safer injecting – (NSEP) for those who cannot immediately give up.
• Partner counseling for prevention.
• Blood Testing for Diagnosis.

Promotion of condom uses:

The staffs of TI Project involves in giving away the condom to the needy like for long term and short term. They educate the people the correct use of condom with demonstration. During this period 13946 numbers of condoms are distributed to the people. It has been collected from various PHC and even from Chief Medical Officer Ambassa. Initially it was a challenging experience as people were shy to talk about use of condom. However, with the persistent approach and careful communication with the families and partners of the drug users in particular, success were met gradually. We used the message of high risks of diseases involved if condoms are not used. With this message, people came to realize the advantages of condom use and now they are accepting condoms as a sense of social responsibilities.

Promotion of needles & syringes.

Needles & Syringes were distributed to the current users of our clients IVDUS in our operation areas. 2406 numbers of Needles & syringes are given out to the current users out of which 2649 numbers of old needles & syringes are returned by the drug users. Approximately each drug users need 10 numbers of new needles & syringes in a month. In the mid of our intervention many of the current users gave up and turn into oral drug users by counseling them. However, it must be clarified here that promotion of needle and syringes are not to encourage the use of them, but rather to help the current injecting drug users more humanely. The underlying principles have been to help the drug abusers to come out of such habits. These interactions gave us opportunities to counsel them, and most of who give up use of injecting needles. Some of them had even gradually given up drugs entirely in due course of time. However, the project period is yet too short to really assess the impacts of these efforts but there are encouraging sins of hope if interventions are timely and positive. We only need more fund, manpower and movement facilities for this purpose.

Abscess Management

Some of the IDU’s are infected with wounds in their body. 24 numbers of IDUS are identified out of which 13 of them are under the treatment. Available medicines in the organization clinic is given free of cost but unavailable are purchase from pharmacy. We are very thankful to Medical Officer Incharge of Manu PHC, SDMO, Chailengta and MOIC Chawmanu for supplying the medicines as per required. 3 nos. of IDUS are fully recovered and some of them are re-infected due their daily wages work and inability to maintain hygienic living. Even some family members are also taught in abscess management so that they can take care of the wounds of drug abuse from their respective families.

 IEC Materials
 IEC materials were distributed to aware the people in general and IDUS in particular regarding HIV/AIDS causes of transmission and prevention. The following IEC materials were distributed to the target groups.

• Know AIDS for No AIDS (Wide dissemination in local languages ‘AIDS Hoi Raw AIDS Atanga Inveng Theina’) develops by St. Vincent’s Welfare Society, Distribute 1616 numbers.
• Poster on HIV/AIDS develops by TSACS 167 nos.
• Stickers on HIV/AIDS, develop by TSACS 20 nos.

This IEC material distributed in the group meeting, Community Events/Awareness campaign or directly to the Target Groups. We also plan to reach out the youth groups in the villages and also high school students in due course of time. We hope to be able reach with the intended message in all the important target villages of our operational areas in the next coming years. We only hope that there could also be video films on these themes that can be shown to every place and in any awareness meeting counseling sessions, advocacy meetings, etc. these is also need to produce such video films in local language or dialects to have greater effects and mass appeal. With appropriate funding support form the government, hopefully these goals will realized in future. The need are much particularly in some concentrated pockets with in the North and Dhalai Districts of Tripura.

Advocacy Meeting

The St. Vincent’s Welfare Society have made contact with Church leaders, Village Committee, Youth leaders of YMA/YDA of every villages. With members The St. Vincent’s welfare Society conducted regular advocacy meeting. Some of the advocacy meeting also conducted with the part time Medical Officer regarding the project purpose. During the advocacy meeting the project purpose are thoroughly discussed regarding treatment facilities and necessary help available in the project. The most advantages of advocacy is that people comes closer and get the knowledge on HIV/AIDS for timely help both for preventive and curative (treatment) purposes if required. They also become more open and positive in their outlook and attitudes towards the needs for preventing HIV/AIDS and also to care those are unfortunate with such diseases.

Adult Education (Condense Course)

To cover the drop out Student and also eradicate illiterate in the rural areas, the Organisation with the support from Tripura State Social Advisory Board, incepted the condense course education with total strength of 25 nos. beneficiaries from various marginalize section of families and dropout students especially for the women group age between 15-35 yrs. For to attend the course at least to the primary level. It’s the course given opportunity to those who are unable to participate a regular schooling. This course provides learning and reading to the unprivileged women.