Nagaland Development Outreach

Micro Credit and Livelihood Program: NDO has initiated the sustainable livelihood and micro-credit program since May 2004 as part of its integrated approach for poverty reduction and women’s empowerment in rural areas. NDO’s microfinance program covers poor rural women through formation of SHGs which are equipped to run small business and enterprises and providing them long-term RLF to take up sustainable income generating activities.  In addition, staffs have been trained in this area in collaboration with other microfinance agencies like Centre for Microfinance and Livelihood, Guwahati, State Bank of India and have been sent for exposure programs to Bangladesh and the Philippines. Besides the credit made available to the SHGs, micro-credit programs support women solidarity, information sharing during weekly meetings, decision making, enhancing the confidence and will-power of women and equipping them to spread awareness on health and hygiene, HIV/AIDS and the importance of enrolling children in schools. Under this program, NDO has three projects:

Sustainable Livelihood for socio-economic empowerment of Women in Nagaland: In October 2007, the Danish Mission Council Development Department approved this project to develop capacity of communities, civil society organizations and local authorities to improve livelihoods for women and other marginalized groups in Nagaland.  This project supports pro-poor local economic and enterprise development mechanisms to enhance poverty outcomes in Peren District of Nagaland covering Zeme Baptist Church Council, Liangmai Baptist Association, Zeme Baptist Association and Kuki Baptist Association.  Under this program activities have been carried out to sensitize and train Association Development Officers of the 20 Associations under NBCC on microfinance. Local mobilizers have been selected and trained in subjects relevant for the activity. Women and men have been mobilized and formed into SHG’s.  Subject specific trainings on livestock management, bee keeping, vermin-compost, mushroom cultivation, candle making, detergent powder making, food processing and preservation, integrated farming and health and nutrition have been conducted for these SHGs. So far 44 SHGs have been provided revolving loan fund to undertake agricultural production, microenterprise and small business and all 50 SHGs have been linked to the bank.

Rural Micro-finance 1^st Phase: NDO has taken up the Micro-credit Project financed by State Bank of India (SBI) Evening Branch, Dimapur with a broader objective aimed at micro level institution building in the form of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and income generating activities for alleviating poverty and enforcing social and economic empowerment.  As part of the objective, necessary processes and interventions the State Bank of India (SBI) Evening Branch, Dimapur advanced a loan of Rs. 40,00,000 as a start up to cover 32 villages and some towns in a span of three years beginning from the year 2008.   

Rural Micro-finance 2^nd Phase: Having accepted the success of the first phase microfinance program, the State Bank of India has willingly come forward to enhance the loan amount to

Rs. 50, 00,000/-  to another 100 SHGs.  As part of the 2^nd Phase of the Microfinance Program, Nagaland Development Outreach could procure Agri Term Loan from State Bank of India Evening Branch for 100 self-help groups under Peren and Dimapur District. 

Indirect Rural Micro-finance Program: With the success rate of implementing micro credit program the Nagaland State Co-operative Bank (NSCB) came forward to work as partners especially in those places where the Banks could not provide financial services. With the negotiation subsequently in February 2016 the Nagaland Development Outreach and NSCB signed an MOU to partner together with the scheme named as Cash Credit Mode with initial sanction of Rs. 2,00,00,000/- (Rupees two crore) for the period of three years. Through this program NDO is promoting more than 300 SHG’s who are engaged in different livelihood program for their community and their family to become economically stable for self-sustenance.

Microfinance is a way of fighting poverty in rural areas.  It puts credit, savings and other basic financial services within the reach of poor people.  It also gives rural women an opportunity to find their own solutions. This strategy has been conceived for rural poor as a strategic priority in its poverty reduction plan.  The project goal was to achieve sustainable increased access to economic services and enhance the social and financial capital for people in the project area, particularly the poor rural women.

The lack of access to credit and financial services in the rural sectors prevents rural households and the poor to fully benefit from investments opportunities created by the rapid macroeconomic and agriculture reforms in the state and country.  

The members comprise mostly of women and some few men groups.  Almost all of them are illiterate/ have little education and their occupation is cultivation.  The members have been provided training before taking up various income generating activities.  The groups have been in existence ranging from 1 year to 12 years.  Some of the groups already have their bank accounts.  The group members conduct meetings regularly. They also collect membership fee amounting to Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 200 depending on the group. 

 SHG members concentrate on activities such as weaving, loin loom, stitching, baking, pickle making, tailoring, poultry, gardening, farming, small retail shops, inter-loaning, mobile shops and goods delivered door to door, daily wage, SHG sales day, and weekly market to sale products. Besides the income generation activities they also conduct awareness program on various issues, group training etc. The purpose for such activities are family management, motivating women to be self reliant, share monetary benefits for family needs and for children’s education.  Promotion of SHG and income generation activities results in better economy, enhance family income and better standard of living and encourage earning among women leading to self reliance. 

Project Partnership with Holistic Child Development India (HCDI): In order to enhance and build the capacity of the rural people the Nagaland Development Outreach signed a partnership MOU with Holistic Child Development India.

The Liangmai Community Development Project (LCDP) as it is called is an integrated Community Development Program funded by Eriks Foundation, Sweden through Holistic Child Development India. The project is implemented in seven Villages under Tening Block in Peren District which comprises of Azailong, Nchangram, Tening village, Tepun, Nzau, Nzau Namsan, and Ntu where people live in very poor economic conditions depending on agriculture as means of sustenance. It has three poorly equipped health centres and 9 Government Primary schools for a population of approximately 6756 people. Under such circumstances the pilot phase of the LCDP Project started basing on the Child Focused Community Development model addressing urgent needs within the community to include education, health facilities, livelihoods. while at the same time addressing the longer-term process of community empowerment through strengthening and promotion of Community Based Organizations. The project has 11 staff capacity with one project Incharge, One Coordinator and, two Cluster Coordinators. Each village has an Animator identified from the respective villages.

NDO will overall be responsible on maintaining the accounts, transparency and the quality of delivery of programs in this project.

The pilot phase of the Liangmai Community Development Project has been approved for the period March 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014. The project objectives are Building rapport with people in the target areas; Community based Organizations formed and strengthened; Feasibility studies; Improve the functioning of early childhood care programmes and quality of school education; Identification of children to be ambassadors and Preparation and submission of long term project proposal. Within ten months time of this project period there has been changes observed in the project villages and the community concerned. For majority of the villagers the project activities were a first time experience. The LCDP project has made lot of difference in the lives of the children in their families.

Project Objectives  

Basing on analysis of the existing situations and problems, the main objectives have been worked out as follows:

• Improved quality of education and child care facilities in the target area
• Improved utilization of available health services
• Improved nutritional status of children below 6 years.
• Rehabilitating differently- abled persons, particularly children below 15 years.
• Enhanced income level of poor households
• Community based organizations (CBOs) are empowered due to the awareness of their rights and are able to contribute for effective village governance

Promote gender equity in all aspects of life

Education (Early Childhood Care, School education, Skill Vocational Training):

1. Teaching materials like alphabetical, numerical, flowers and vegetables along with black/white board provided to all the 271 children in all the 20 ECC Centers
2. Learning materials pencils, erasers, note book, crayons were provided to 271 children in the ECC centers
3. 250 children in the 20 ECC centers received play materials like soft balls, alphabetical and numerical play blocks and yoga mats to be used in the ECC centers
4. Cluster wise combined picnic was organized for 198 boys and 178 girls of ECC centers and Government Primary Schools.
5. Summer clothes were provided to 119 children of cluster I villages – Azailong, Nchangram and Tening
6. To improve the functioning of ECC/Anganwadi centers training was provided to 31 Anganwadi workers and project staff on the duties and functions of Anganwadi workers, maintenance of records, individual family survey, census record, and birth and death record.
7. 372 children enrolled in 9 (nine) government primary schools received educational materials like notebooks, pencils, erasers, geometry boxes, and chalks.
8. Village Education Committee and parents meeting was conducted in all the seven project villages. The discussion focused on the role of VEC, parents and teachers in improving the education system in GPS. The meeting also discussed to contribute one pumpkin by each household as nutrition supplement for school going children.
9. To mark the Youth Day joint leadership training and True Love Waits Camp was organized in collaboration with Liangmai Baptist Youth Endeavor where 44 young people attended.
10. Coaching centers are monitored by the Animators in all the project villages who assist the children in completing their home works, learn reading and writing, learn pronunciation etc.  Children come to the centers everyday to learn.

Health (Child Health and Nutrition, Community Health and Hygiene)

1. 372 children enrolled in GPS receive nutrition supplement every month in the form of masoor dal, banana, egg, noodles and chana dal. The children do not receive any midday meal from the concern department
2. Nutritional care was provided to 35 mal nourished children for 4 months. Health of 27 children has shown great improvement. 
3. Awareness program on Nutrition and Health was conducted in all the
4. For four months health care and medicine was provided to 140 needy children
5. 13 male and 18 female Community Health Workers were trained to take care of village health issues.

Child Rights & Advocacy

1. Seven children’s parliaments have been formed in all the seven villages. Two neighborhood parliaments have also been formed in one village. 
2. All the project staffs were trained on CP formation, CP functions and modules of life skills by Ms. Magdali Lakra, project officer in children’s parliament CAHR department CAHR.
3. Four staffs went to attend basic training on CP and Life Skill at Pune from 15^th to 18^th July 2014

Community Based Organizations

1. Visited and interacted with all the youth clubs with major emphasis on the role of youth in community development. Each village has a youth club and proper guidance is required at this stage to motivate them and inculcate in their minds the importance of contributing towards society/community development
2. Meetings have been organized in the entire project villages to strengthen the functioning of CPs in the villages.  The CP concepts, issues of child rights or being responsible citizens are shared with the children.  In one project village two neighborhood CPs has also been formed
3. Visited and interacted with all the youth clubs with major emphasis on the role of youth in community development.  Each village has a youth club and proper guidance is required at this stage to motivate them and inculcate in their minds the importance of contributing towards society/community development.

Food Security Program: NDO has started this program in 2008 as a partnership program of NBCC and Eleutheros Christian Society.  This began with a training program of all the Church leaders under NBCC wherein participants were trained on the various phases of right to food campaign.  This was followed by a survey conducted by the different tribal development units of the NBCC in Nagaland in collaboration with the office of the Commissioner to the Supreme Court to assess the status of the implementation of the food and livelihood schemes in the poorest Districts of Nagaland. TOT training on Right to Food for the 20 Association Development Secretaries was conducted followed by formation of Social Concern Committee.  To pass on the required information on the different schemes covered by Right to Food campaign, NDO has developed a booklet and distributed to all the 20 Associations.

Disaster Prevention and Preparedness: Under this program, NDO has a non-funding/ strategic partnership program with OXFAM-India wherein two staff has already received training on Gender in Emergency and Emergency Need Assessment. As part of this program NDO has conducted trainings on disaster risk management with the support of Urban Development Government of Nagaland in Dimapur and Peren District.

From its humble beginning in 1999, NDO has come a long way despite the fact that it is one of the youngest Departments under the Nagaland Baptist Church Council. NDO’s initial focus was on human capacity building and infrastructure development but has now diversified and became a broad based development organization with programs in areas ranging from peace promotion, health and HIV/AIDS to Self Help Group promotion and micro credit, governance, civil society development and, on a continuing basis, human resource development. A significant contribution is the extent to which NDO has helped Naga Churches to develop their ability to work at the community level and helped communities to improve their quality of life. That contribution has involved strengthening local institutions and training local people so that the people and communities of Nagaland can take charge of their own development.