The Transformation of Jolhakarma

Avijit Mallik . January 1, 2015

Having been able to assure food security among the villagers and realizing that economic self-sufficiency alone was not going to alleviate the basic problems faced by women, the focus in Jolhakarma is on ensuring pipe water supply and sanitation units within homes to assure them a life of dignity, free from the ordeal of open defecation and the drudgery of getting water for daily use from remote sources

Having been able to assure food security among the villagers and realizing that economic self-sufficiency alone was not going to alleviate the basic problems faced by women, the focus in Jolhakarma is on ensuring pipe water supply and sanitation units within homes to assure them a life of dignity, free from the ordeal of open defecation and the drudgery of getting water for daily use from remote sources

J olhakarma is a revenue village in the Chandwara block of Koderma district and is located about 12 km from the district headquarters. The village has approximately 56 households, of which about half belong to the Muslim community and the remaining are from the Other Backward Communities (OBCs). Whereas agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the villagers, the absence of irrigation facilities, coupled with small landholdings, makes farming a fragile practice in the area. Food insecurity and the absence of gainful income opportunities locally have pushed the men of the region to migrate to towns, at least for half the year.

Total households - 56
Total population - 296
Men - 155
Women - 141
SC population - 22
Total literate - 192
Literate men - 108
Literate women - 84

PRADAN started its work in Jolhakarma in 2006–07. The initial focus was on organizing the women into Self Help Groups (SHGs). There was resistance from the men of the Muslim households to the idea of women joining SHGs. Through PRADAN’s consistent efforts, women from the OBCs were persuaded to form two SHGs that was involved initially in savings and credit.

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