Advocacy Capacity Building Unit

Campaign and Networking Unit

Governance and Advocacy Unit

Research and Documentation Unit

Media Advocacy Unit

Internship Unit

Vijaya, Vijendra and Sehjo facilitated an advocacy capacity building programme on the issue of HIV/AIDS from 23rd - 26th Feb ’10 at Guwahati for the 30 staff members and partners of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). All these partners are working on the issue of HIV/AIDS and belonged to Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and the North Eastern States. The programme concluded with the preparation of a campaign plan on the issues of HIV/AIDS and disaster mitigation.

A panel discussion on the theme of “Understanding Globalization and its Challenges from the Perspective of Marginalized” was organised in collaboration with research unit on 16th Feb ‘10 at Pune. The objective of the discussion was to develop conceptual understanding of the processes of globalization and identify strategies and spaces both at the national and international level for civil society engagement with specific reference to people centred advocacy.

We facilitated street play workshop on 5th Feb in SNDT University. The theme of the workshop was environmental justice.

We participated in the state meeting on Right to Food at the S. M. Joshi Socialist Foundation on 8th Feb.2010. Aim of the meeting was to discuss the Right to Food act and N.C Suxena's report. 45 participants attended the meeting from all over Maharashtra. Our 8 interns have helped in management and mobilization of the meeting. The next meeting will be held in Mumbai on 29th March10.NCAS has taken the responsibility to provide Marathi translation of act and Saxena's report.

The team attended program on 13th Feb “Prem is possible", a pro active campaign with men's involvement against violence on women.

On 10th Feb --- To give campaign support on behalf of NCAS the team participated in the preparatory meeting of padyatra was going to organized in Vadgaon to get justice to displaced people from Maval Mulshi Tehsi, Pune. At the time of facilitating the meeting, we gave the ideas of using old colourful sarees and their old white shirts, caps to write down the slogans and making banners. Immediately made some slogans like--- "103 varshapurvi budavali aamchi gav, aata chadhva jaminivar aamch nav or tatacha karar khalas zala, ata haklun lava tyala or ladhta ladhta aamche kes pandhre zale, ata natvanche divas ale--" People in the meeting have apreciated those ideas and afterward used them for mobilizing other people and for padyatra. The team with new director of NCAS attended press conference at Patrakar Bhavan.

We, with the help of internship unit and library made colourful banners which we used in Padyatra. As Padyatra was postpone due to blast in Pune the team joined in Padyatra and Demonstration on 20th and 21st Feb with our new Director.

One member from team participated in Public hearing on FRA implementation held by Jagtikikaran Virodhi Kruti Samiti at TISS, Mumbai on17th Feb 2010. N.D. Patil, Minster Husain Dalwai, Mihir Shah, Journalist Meena Menon, Rajendra Sathe etc were on the panel of this Public hearing. More than 500 tribal people attended Jansunvai from all over Maharashtra and presented each district's situation regarding FRA implementation. Most of the cases were of individual claims. The representatives from Govt. / tribal department did not make their promise to be present in hearing.

The team attended the book release function organized by Forum on water conflict: a book was edited by Ramaswamy Iyyer on 23rd Feb 10.

We actively participated in the meeting on 27th Feb at YASHADA, Pune on the issues of Right to Water and Sanitation organized by Forum on water Conflict.

One member of the unit actively particpated in the People's Mid Term Review of the 11th five year plan organised by CBGA,WNTA,NSWC and many other civil society organisations. Almost all the members of the Planning Commission and Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairperson, Planning Commission, were present and endorsed the recommendations made by the people through the process of People's Mid term Appraisal.

The Handbook on Adivasis and Governance in India is now geeting translated into Hindi.

The unit member also attended and actively participated in the SEZ audit planning meetings.A major responsibility has been given to NCAS i.e. mobilising MPs, collection of SEZ resource materials and booking of the venue which includes financial support as well.

The member also attended UNIC programme on World Day of Social Justice on 19th February.

Publications

Four GGG Reports were printed. A brief on ‘Adivasi and Climate Change’ and ‘Charter of Citizens’ Demand for Legislative Action on Lohandiguda’ were printed. A report on “Anti-SEZ Movement in Maharashtra” was sent for printing. The draft and design of a case story about community forest rights and a manual on the Forest Rights Act (FRA) were finalized. The same was sent for translation into Hindi. The Handbook on Adivasi Governance Issues was sent for translation into Hindi.

Visit from Ford Foundation Team

The Ford Foundation team visited NCAS. The team comprised of Ms. Maya Harris (Vice President), Steve (Country Head, Ford Foundation, India) and Shruti Pande (Programme Officer). Shirish made a presentation on NCAS and ARC. The meeting was followed by a field visit to Karla SEZ area and meeting with the local people. Suniti (NAPM) accompanied the NCAS and Ford Foundation team to the field visit.

Research

The research team (comprising Amit and two interns from NCAS and Dr. Suhas Kolhekar from NAPM) completed a research visit to Nandurbar between January 30 and February 4, 2010. The first draft of the report about the Anganwadis in this area is submitted by Dr. Suhas Kolhekar ready and is being reworked.

Seminars/Workshops/Meetings

Shirish and Amit read papers in a National Seminar on ‘Tribal Development in Gujarat and Maharashtra’ organized by GIDR, Ahmedabad on 8-9 February 2010.

Shirish, Amit, Lata and Vasudha attended Panel Discussion on the book “Water and the Laws in India” (ed. Prof. Ramaswamy Iyer) on 24 February 2010. Amit participated in the National Dialogue on Water Entitlements and Allocations for Livelihoods and Ecosystem Needs and the Legal-Institutional Framework for Conflict Resolution held on 25-26 February 2010 at Pune. The dialogue was organized by the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India and SOPPECOM. Shirish, Amit and Lata attended a one day workshop on Right to Water and Sanitation on 27 February 2010 organised by WaterAid India, New Delhi and the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India.

In February, the media unit published four articles in prominent Marathi newspapers and collaborated with English newspaper ‘The Sakaal Times’ about the possibility of providing more articles to be published about social issues.

The team conducted a media advocacy workshop in Chhattisgarh on 20 and 21 February. This was an interface workshop held in collaboration with the Adivasi Resource Centre (ARC) which sought to facilitate interaction between media professionals and civil society activists working on the issues of adivasis in the Chhattisgarh area. The resource people invited to the workshop provided some valuable insights to both groups about the importance of media advocacy in the area, and NCAS team members obtained perspective about prominent adivasi issues in the state.

The unit also interacted with two media colleges in eastern India – Chhattisgarh College and Kusha Bhauthakare College of Mass Communications – about the possibility of undertaking media advocacy workshops with their media students. The meeting with the latter institution was particularly encouraging, as the director of the college articulated keen interest in NCAS conducting a series of workshops to enhance students knowledge about social justice in India.

A presentation on using the internet for advocacy was held by the unit for the rest of the NCAS team, including the internship programme. This interactive presentation focused on using social networking sites, weblogs, video sharing sites and podcasts to facilitate social change in India through a people-centred approach.

The focus for this month was understanding caste issues with special reference to Dalit issues. Input Sessions and Exposure Visits were planned accordingly. Prof. Vilas Wagh facilitated a session on Meaning and Scope of the concept Dalit during the field visit to Samata Shikshan Sanstha. The organization runs Ashram School for the children from nomadic tribes. Interns also got an opportunity to interact with well-known Dalit writer and activist Prof. Sharankumar Limabale. The exposure visit to SOCIETY FOR HUMAN LIBERTY, SATARA provided deeper insights into rights based perspective in advocacy.

Equipped with a more a comprehensive understanding of the ‘Dalit’, the interns went for the week-long field visit to ‘Navsarjan’ an organization in Gujarat. Here they stayed among Dalit families in different villages, thus gaining a first hand experience about their lives and the social discrimination they face in day-to-day life.

Nicola, a volunteer from VSO provided inputs on Using Internet in Advocacy efforts of NCAS and was new experience for the interns. During the month interns also participated in convention on Right to Food, Prem Possible a youth program, which was focused on healthy gender relationship in the society.

The internship unit also planned for workshop with students of sociology of Pune University for 6th and 7th March 10, as part of its expansive activity.