Many rural communities suffer from a lack of adequate health care, quality education, sanitation, and income generation. Villages are not developed sustainably, and this leads to problems such as unemployment, bad infrastructure, lack of water, school dropouts, etc., which can continue for generations.
However, sometimes one NGO can make all the difference in the story.
In India, for example, there are various grassroots groups that have been able to demonstrate that change can start with a small amount of money and a small-scale project. But it frequently starts with something far simpler…
Knowing and gaining the trust of people, learning their needs and making solutions with them.
This is the story about the impact of an NGO working in a rural community that brought about a change in the whole village by educating, providing healthcare, empowering women, cleaning and providing livelihood to the villagers. It demonstrates, above all else, how community involvement over time can lead to lasting change that can be passed on from one generation to the next.
Also Read: Rural Development & Community Empowerment
Table of Contents
A Village Trapped in Poverty
The life of the village was very tough before the NGO’s arrival.
Farming was the sole source of livelihood for most families, and producers faced water scarcity and old ways of farming, which resulted in low-income generation. Even necessities were hard to come by in many households during tough years.
Many children dropped out of school to contribute to the family income. It affected girls particularly, as there was no emphasis on education for them. Many parents felt that it was important to survive rather than to be educated.
Healthcare was a huge problem, too, as was the basic infrastructure. The villagers had to walk long distances to seek treatment, and their awareness of hygiene, nutrition and prevention of diseases was very low.
The village had some issues including:
- school dropouts,
- poor sanitation,
- unemployment,
- unsafe drinking water,
- Lack of opportunities for women
But perhaps the biggest issue was hopelessness.
With time, people had been convinced that life in the village was a life of poverty and hardship. The options for development seemed far-fetched and impossible.
This attitude had to be transformed by the NGO.
Also Read: Rural Growth & Poverty Alleviation
The NGO Focused on Trust Before Projects
The NGO didn’t start with its big words or large development plans.
Rather, it began with a simple act: listening.
The field workers were regularly in the village for months, talking to families, going to meetings and getting to know what the people were actually having to deal with. They listened to:
- Farmers were concerned about income,
- Women who are financially dependent,
- and Parents who worry about their children’s future.
The villagers were at first skeptical as many outsiders had promised them things in the past and then left. However, this NGO was relentless in its efforts.
Instead of embarking on large-scale projects right away, the organization dealt with smaller day-to-day issues first:
- assisting families to avail government schemes, and/or
- providing relief to the poverty-stricken, and
- and to assist school children.
These little things helped to establish a sense of trust.
A significant turning point was facilitated by women’s self-help groups. For the first time, many women openly discussed money and education with women and issues in the village together.
The NGO realized that there was a great lesson to learn:
Change is not accepted until people have confidence in the change agents.
Once this trust was established, the whole village was ready to invest in development.
Also Read: Sustainable Rural Development
Why Women and Education Became the Turning Point
The NGO soon realized that actual change would not be possible without empowering women and educating children.
Early school dropout rates, particularly amongst girls, were high. Rather than faulting families, volunteers took the time to discuss with them how education could benefit their future and financial situation.
The NGO introduced:
- free learning materials,
- after-school support,
- and promotion of awareness and campaigns about girls’ education.
Slowly, attitudes began changing.
Once parents looked down upon education, they began to urge children to attend school. There was a continued increase in the number of girls continuing their studies rather than dropping out early to take on domestic duties.
Meanwhile, programs for women empowerment began to change the family life.
Women learned tailoring, financial literacy, handicrafts, and the skills of small business. Many found it life-changing since they could now earn their own income.
The largest change, however, was not economic, but emotional. Women gained in confidence, more involved in household decisions and began to have faith in their own capabilities.
This confidence trickled down through the village and helped to be one of the main factors that changed the village.
Also Read: Rural Prosperity & Poverty Reduction
The small changes in the healthcare and livelihoods sector had a significant effect.
Once the trust had been established, the NGO turned to working with the people to make their daily lives better.
A camp for health was organized periodically, providing the villagers with basic health checkups, vaccinations and health awareness for the first time in years. Families have also been taught to take care of their hygiene, nutrition and clean drinking water, thereby decreasing common ailments in the village.
Slowly, sanitation awareness also changed people’s habits. Better hygiene conditions and improved environmental conditions resulted in better health of the community.
Meanwhile, the NGO educated farmers on modern farming practices and water conservation. Vocational training was also provided for some of the youth, providing employment opportunities other than farming.
These were not large-scale projects, but when combined, they helped to bring visible changes in health and income stability.
The NGO has demonstrated that if they could do the same small, regular things over the long haul, it can have a larger lasting effect than the big, short-term things they do.
Also Read: Empowering Rural Communities
The Village slowly started to change.
This change in the village was not immediate.
However, following many years of sustained effort, the transformations became inescapable.
Children remained at school for longer. Women became financially independent. Productivity of the farmers has improved, and families are now aware of healthcare and sanitation.
Most important of all, the attitude of the village shifted.
Those who used to settle for poverty began to think about growth and opportunity. Women gained confidence in community discussion, parents became more supportive of the education of their children, and young people started to think about things beyond survival.
The NGO had not only enhanced the infrastructure but also the income.
It brought back the confidence, hope and faith in the future of the village.
Also Read: Creating Opportunities in Rural Areas
Conclusion
This is the story of an NGO that has managed to leave a mark on rural communities beyond the fleeting nature of charity. True transformation occurs when communities have the opportunity to become agents of their own transformation.
The NGO’s efforts enabled an entire village to shift from despair to a self-reliant future through its initiatives on trust, education, women empowerment, healthcare, sanitation and livelihoods.
Above all, the organization did not induce dependency. Rather, it provided people with the means, opportunity and confidence to make sustainable change themselves.
Much of this is still the case in many rural communities today. However, this is an example of what is possible when NGOs take a longer-term, grassroots approach to change, rather than a short-term solution.
When a village starts to believe in its own potential, then real change is finally possible.
Also Read: Advancing Rural Livelihoods
FAQs
1. How do NGOs help rural villages?
NGOs provide the necessary education, health, women’s empowerment, sanitation, and livelihood programs to the rural villages to ensure long-term development of the community.
2. Why is women’s empowerment important in village development?
As women are educated, skilled and financially empowered, families are more stable, and communities are more socially and economically powerful.
3. What is the biggest problem that rural NGOs face?
Trust is one of the major challenges that must be overcome within communities, and sustained funding for sustainable development projects is required.
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