Author: Rakhi Ghosh

her life

Help desks and counselling reduce gender-based violence

Bringing down gender-based violence (GBV) in remote Odisha villages, “GBV warriors” set up help desks, offer counselling and point victims towards Sakhi centres that offer medical and legal help.

her life

When COVID-19 reaches the vulnerable tribes in hilltops

Despite government’s efforts, reluctance to get tested and isolated, and not adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, has led to an increase in infection among Odisha’s particularly vulnerable tribal groups

her life

Mandatory registering on Co-WIN hampers universal vaccination

Erratic mobile connectivity, digital illiteracy and lack of devices to access the portal have made inclusivity in vaccination impossible in remote villages of Odisha

her life

Lack of facilities in villages hamper COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment

An inadequate rural healthcare system, a lack of awareness about the spread of coronavirus, combined with the difficulty in home isolation leads to increase in number of infections in Odisha

her life

Solar energy enables medical service during power cuts

With sustainable solar power, community health center is able to treat patients uninterruptedly, provide emergency care, bring down diesel expenditure for generators, and serve as a model

her life

Transitional houses help villagers rebuild life after cyclone

Villagers have rebuilt their life after Cyclone Fani, by building transitional shelters with local material. Building by themselves has given them dignity, besides a safe space

her life

Volunteers in Odisha ensure stranded migrants do not go hungry

Social service personnel working on migration issues network with philanthropists, administrators and volunteers to ensure stranded Odia migrants and other state migrants in Odisha are fed

her life

Closure of seasonal hostels leaves migrants’ children in the lurch

While the lockdown left migrants stranded at destination sites, their children staying in seasonal hostels had to be sheltered with relatives or had to fend for themselves

her life

Seed festivals put spotlight on conservation of indigenous seeds

As we commemorate International Women’s Week, in remote villages of Odisha, women farmers, traditional custodians of seeds, are conserving indigenous seeds, reviving soil health and nutritional biodiversity

her life

Community kitchens help tribal children overcome malnutrition

Rough terrains hampering access to anganwadi centers and hence nutritious food, men bring anganwadi ration to the village; women cook in a common facility and feed the children, to fight malnutrition

her life

Local livelihoods curb exploitative labor trafficking

To stop poor villagers from becoming bonded migrant labor, the Odisha government needs to strengthen latest steps to cut out middlemen and boost the rural jobs guarantee program with higher wages

her life

Stigmatized Lodha tribe starts new life trajectory

Education and sports have helped the Lodhas, a particularly vulnerable tribal community that was forced to lead an excluded life because they were stigmatized as thieves, to increasingly join the mainstream

her life

Child cabinets bring students at work back to school

Poverty forces villagers in Kendrapara district to pull children out of school to work and add to household income. Awareness and counseling are now sensitizing parents to let children continue their education

her life

Bhunjia women need better care after childbirth

Women of Odisha’s forest-dwelling tribes face a greater health risk because of their preference for childbirth at home. Counseling by health workers is now slowly helping new mothers get better postnatal care

her life

Why Dongria Kondh women prefer childbirth at home

Lack of easy access to government healthcare in Kalyansinghpur, in addition to cultural and dietary differences in hospitals, is forcing Dongria Kondh women in remote villages to opt out of institutional delivery

her life

Migrant children get a shot at continuing education

A scheme by the Odisha government has enabled children of migrant workers to continue their education at destination sites, preventing child labor and ensuring continuity in education

her life

Oriya bonded labor languish after being rescued

Migrant workers from western Odisha who are rescued from bondage at destination sites continue to languish in poverty for want of rural employment and rehabilitation support

her life

Maternity homes provide safe haven to tribal women

Pregnant women from tribal villages in Kandhamal that lack roads and mobile phone connectivity have found a safe shelter in intermediary maternity homes that prepare them for institutional delivery

her life

Child marriage ban helps Gond girls pursue dreams

In Gond tribal villages where child marriages were the norm till recently, a resolution by elders to ban marriages before legal age has helped girl children to continue their education

her life

Pipli craftsmen adapt to modern needs for better prospects

Despite falling demand, applique craftsmen and traders of Pipli in Odisha are trying to ensure that their handicraft evolves to satisfy changing aesthetic needs, with hopes for a better future