Introduction 
BIKASH is active in a number of different areas. It started in the provision of rehabilitation of the disabled and has expanded into health, nutrition and micro-finance in order to provide a holistic approach to the communities in which it works.
PROGRAMME INTERVENTION
Our Present Activities
LEAD NGO SCHEME
Yet another milestone has been achieved in 2006–07, with Bikash being selected as Lead NGO of CAPART.
Bikash has become the Lead NGO partner of CAPART to implement its Skill Training for Rural Young Professionals Scheme (RYP) and Nodal NGO Scheme, in a focused manner on a need based and location specific approach, in the vulnerable pockets of Bankura district.
In the long run its aim is to enable CAPART to reach the most backward and unreached areas and in real time facilitate project, NGO mapping and provide reliable information regarding the unserved and underserved areas
The current priority intervention areas of Bikash as a Nodal NGO are as follows:
Creation and maintenance of database of NGOs in Bankura –I, Sonamukhi and Chatna blocks
Support to grassroot level NGOs for project proposal formulation, etc
Skill Development, Life Skill Development and Income Generation in Bankura - I block
Consequently, it has started networking with grassroot level NGOs of three blocks namely Bankura -I, Sonamukhi and Chatna blocks for creation of their databases (NGO profiles), need identification of their stakeholders and collecting project proposals from their working area as per their felt need.
On 4th May 2007 , Bikash organised a district level orientation meeting on Skill Training for Rural Young Professionals (RYP) and Lead NGO Scheme at its own office. Mr. Apurba Saha, YP from CAPART, Mr. Sudipto Porel, BDO, Bankura-I Block, Mr. Swapan Mukherjee, DSWO, Bankura and Representative from the Agriculture Development Office, Bankura-I Block facilitated the meeting. The underlying objective was to orient the stakeholders on the thematic aspect of the programme . Twenty-five stakeholders (male-14 members and female – 11 members) and Bikash staffs attended the session.
While, activities like network meetings, district orientation meetings, etc for Bankura – I are being conducted at Bikash office, for carrying out similar activities of LEAD NGO SCHEME for Sonamukhi and Chatna, two field offices have been taken on rent, one in each block respectively.
Besides, Bikash has already started it's first batch of Skill development, Life skill development and Income Generation Training for 25 trainees from Bankura – I block on four selected trades at Bikash. Bikash will try to create linkages with the concerned agencies/individuals and liaise with local Banks to provide subsidy facilities for employment and self-employment opportunities for the trained youth so that they can supplement their family income and contribute to community development.
Skill development, Life Skill development and Income Generation Training for Rural Young Professionals
Another recent development of 2006-07, this Skill development, Life Skill development and Income Generation Training for Rural Young Professionals programme is aimed at creating a group of professionals with required income generating and life skills from within the agrarian village community of Bankura, who can be a friend, facilitator and guide to the same community and act as an intermediary with the government and as representatives of NGOs in the grassroots.
Therefore the programme not only provides vocational skill for income generation to the rural youths, but also imparts life skills, disseminates information and generates awareness among them.
Consequently four trades under agriculture, allied agriculture and servicing sectors have been identified for vocational training :
i. Dry land farming / Livestock rearing
ii. Automobile driving and allied
iii. Electrical wiring and allied
iv. Electronic goods repairing and allied
The aforesaid trades have been selected on the basis of following considerations :
i. Rain fed and mono-crop agriculture
ii. Animal husbandry is one of the major livelihood option
iii. Scarcity of trained service mechanic in automobile, electrical and
electronic sectors and resultant demand for the same due to increase number of consumers of such products or items in rural areas
Within a span of two years, four training sessions per trade will be conducted and each training session will last for six months. 25 rural youths per batch will be divided into four groups on the basis of the four selected trades. Ultimately, in two years time about 100 rural youths from Bankura block –I, aged between 16 –20 years, will be trained in the various trades mentioned above.
These trade skills will provide value addition through which the rural youths are expected to enhance their income and access different livelihood opportunities.
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Centre for Special Education
The original premise and core commitment of BIKASH is the Centre for Special Education. Started in 1997 at the Modern School in Bankura, (courtesy of Bishop S.K. Kisku), since 2002 BIKASH has been operating a special school providing rehabilitation services for disabled children from its purpose-built site in Bankura. As of 2005 over 500 children from 0-18 years suffering from numerous mental and physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, mental disabilities, speech and hearing impairment, autism and multiple disabilities have been assessed, counselled, treated and educated according to their needs. On a daily basis approximately 60 children attend at any one time with around 250 being served in any one year. Not all the children can attend every day as so many have to be brought to the Centre by their parents from long distances and they may not be able to afford the transport cost or the time off work.
There are six Rehabilitation Professionals who conduct classes Monday to Friday 11am – 3.30pm, one Medical Practitioner who visits the Centre once a week to provide medical check-ups and a Physical Education Instructor who runs a sports programme.
The services of the Centre are provided completely free. Although partly funded by the National Trust, Government of India, the majority of the Centre's work courtsy of private donations.
Integrated Education for the Disabled Programme (IED)
Complementing the Centre for Special Education, the idea is to integrate school-age children with mild to moderate levels of disability into mainstream schools. The programme has a staff of 7 Special Educators operating over 5 blocks within the District of Bankura and has helped over 1,000 children in over 700 schools.
This programme is supported by the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), Bankura.
Integrated Nutrition and Health Programme (INHP) Phase II
Having successfully completed Phase I of this programme between 1999 and 2002, the goal of this phase continues to be to improve the health and nutrition of pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and their children aged up to 6 years old. Since it started in September 2002 BIKASH has helped improve the health of over 600 pregnant women, over 700 breast-feeding mothers and over 2,000 children under 2 years old.
This programme is supported by CARE, West Bengal.
Credit and Savings for Household Enterprises Programme (CASHE)
One of the newest programmes, but one of the fastest growing, is this micro-finance project that aims to significantly increase the income and economic security of poor women and their households by providing them with a range of financial services. Women’s self-help groups are established and begin to save so that they may begin inter-loaning between members at very low rates of interest and hence keep out of the hands of moneylenders. More established groups may then borrow money against their savings and start up micro-enterprises either as a group or individually.
Most loans are used to start small businesses, improve land cultivation or invest in livestock. Such is the success of the project that there has been 100% repayment of loans.
Poor rural women across 250 villages are currently formed into around 650 self help groups, each averaging 12-15 members, so over 8,000 women have been reached within just 2 years of operation. Living standards of the families involved in the project have been demonstrably improved as a result of participation in CASHE and abject poverty has been reduced.
This programme is supported by CARE, West Bengal.
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Rural Sanitation Programme
Education of rural communities about the importance of sanitation to a healthy life and the introduction of sanitary facilities to those communities is at the heart of this programme. The aim is to have a basic lavatory installed and properly used in 16,000 households across 100 villages in Bankura Block 1.
Started in 2001, up to 2005 a total of 3,000 lavatories had been installed and the members of those households educated in better sanitation habits.
This programme is supported by UNICEF and Bankura Zilla Parishad
Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojona Programme (SGSY)
Using the same self-help group approach as CASHE, the difference with the SGSY scheme is that it works with even more impoverished groups of women and aims to bring every assisted family above the poverty line within 3 years. This is achieved by ensuring a sustained level of income over a period of time using a holistic programme of micro-entrepreneurship covering all aspects of self-employment.
Like CASHE, groups start by saving and then, if successful, move onto inter-group revolving loans. The type of economic activity this enables includes livestock rearing and making moori (puffed rice). By 2005 over 50 self help groups had been formed.
This programme is supported by the District Rural Development Cell of Bankura and Bankura Zilla Parishad.
Food Security Programme
This project is designed to ensure the food security of poor, rural women through the strengthening and empowering of women’s self help groups. As well as education on setting up grain banks and managing through the lean season, women are trained to understand the nutrition of the food they are consuming. Some women have developed kitchen gardens at home for their own use, selling any surplus at the market.
Other training focuses on the use of fertilizers and pesticides and education on the best yield available from the drought-prone land. More advanced groups have started storing and exchanging seeds and developing plant nurseries. Information is also provided on non-farm activities and alternative income-generating activities.
This programme is supported by CASA (Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action)
Reproductive and Child Health Programme
Serving couples, their young children and adolescents, this project is all about safe and healthy family planning. It aims to raise awareness amongst some of the poorest people about the need to reproduce and regulate their family properly, to increase the number of successful pregnancies and to encourage safe sex.
This programme covers 30 villages, 16 self help groups, representing around 1,250 beneficiaries.
This programme is supported by the West Bengal Voluntary Health Association.
Community Based RehabilitationPhase I
This programme grew out of the fact that so few children were able to attend the Centre for Special Education (CSE) on a regular basis and means of communication to more remote cases was so difficult. In addition, the philosophy behind the plan was that rehabilitation of disabled children best takes place in their own social environment. Hence the core services of the CSE have been taken into the field.
By 2005, 6 centres had been set up, one for each Gram Panchayat in Bankura Block 1, and around 75 children were participating. Leaders of these centres were trained by CSE personnel and run sessions three times a week using rooms borrowed from their local primary schools.
This programme is currently un-supported and survives on private donations. All work is carried out voluntarily.
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Future Plans
Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) PhaseII
The next stage for the CBR programme is to extend it’s operation to a total of 30 centres – adding a further 4 to each Gram Panchayat at a cluster level representing around 4 or 5 villages. The target of covering a total of 150 villages by the end of 2005 is reliant on receiving some sort of formal funding, not just to set the programme up but to purchase teaching materials, pay for formal training of the leaders etc.
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Programmes Completed
Training programme for rural poor women on “Making Soft Toys”
Amongst the women’s self help groups 50 members were identified for this scheme to train them in the craft of making soft toys. Training by experts in this field provided instruction 4 times a week over a 6 month period. It is planned that the toys will be sold in local markets.
This programme was supported by the West Bengal Women’s Development, Government of West Bengal.
Training of Care Givers
A carefully selected group of 10 parents of disabled children and volunteers who had worked in the field of disability for some time attended training sessions at BIKASH, 3 times a week over a 6 month period. The training was provided by external Consultants in Community Based Rehabilitation as well as in-house personnel.
This programme was supported by the National Trust, Government of India.
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