Community Care

COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING:

Many communities in our country have huge numbers of young people who are unemployed. They have no life skill or talent that any employer in the modern world can use. For example, a slum-dwellers community in Bangalore who used to make a living by cleaning people’s ears now don’t because not many people in cities these days care to get the ears cleaned that way, and the people of this community have no other skill by which they can earn a living. They struggle. All the youth in that community are unemployed and move into begging or other illegal trade.

Community capacity building project teaches the people of a community some skills that can be used for survival. Skills like tailoring, painting, farming, cooking, and so on. We teach them personal, family, and community health so that they can be more presentable to an employer. Presenting families with livestock (sheep), so that they can start income generation and learn to do business. Scientific methods of multiplying them for better yield.

Community capacity building also deals with mothers because they are the backbone of any community. Good mothers can make a good society. Mothers are taught family hygiene and related maters, the importance of educating their children, and the bright future it can bring to their families.

Bangalore City Mission also plans to look into basic village/community issues like the immediate need for water and sanitation.

MICRO CREDIT SCHEMES FOR INCOME GENERATION:

Self-help programs were started so that people make regular savings for their own development, so that they can give out micro credits to people in the same community to start small-time businesses. Milk production has always worked and due to the constant need for milk, starting a business with cows is a very good investment. We encourage people to set up their own small vegetable shops or small-time hotels to start income generation.

Implementation:

• We would lend some dalit families livestock like a cow for milk production hence starting an income for them.
• Some families would get sheep for multiplication through reproduction and hence generating income.
• A grant of loan for starting a small vegetable shop or road-side food center for income generation.

Achievability: This sort of program has worked well in the past. Families were lifted up from below poverty. One of the ladies now has 14 sheep and she keeps them producing more to get good income. The initially granted livestock would be owned by the mission and would be given to other families for the same reason.