On occasion of #WorldWaterDay, we are reminded of a community-led initiative from Heslatoli revenue village, in #Jharkhand which perfectly embodies one of Caritas India's KSPs: volunteering. About 40 men & women joined together, facilitated by Gram Nirman, to construct a manual check dam that would collect summertime runoff and be used to irrigate five or six acres of surrounding land. The check dam was constructed using improvised materials found in the riverbed, including pebbles, rocks, and sand. According to the members' decision, each family contributed 5 sacks to fill the sand to build the check dam. By providing a #solar-powered, movable irrigation system, Caritas India has enhanced the communities' efforts and created an environment that is favorable for the Rabi crop.

Every year, Caritas India launches a Lenten campaign during the Lent season and each year we dedicate specific themes to address social issues and promote positive changes. Lenten campaign is one of the efforts and commitment initiated to mainstream the Strategic Pillars of Caritas India-Sharing Community. Through these initiatives, Caritas aims to address social issues, promote compassion, and inspire many communities to become an agent of change. Its invites individuals to participate actively and make a difference in the lives of others.

Side event includes:
• Gram Nirman program- Supported by CA
• Kushal Bachpan program,- Supported by CA
• Chetanalaya stall: The stall by Chetanalaya/ Society for Social
Development in the Northern Region has exhibited upcycled products, jute products and plants. These products are environment friendly. It initiatives offers employment opportunities for the marginalized community as it is made by women of the slum area from Jahangirpuri.
• Health Checkup- In collaboration with Nurses Association of Sacred Heart cathedral, a free checkup for BP and Sugar test were initiatives. Around 50 communities have come forward for the health checkup.
• Eye Banks campaign- In collaboration with National Eye Bank AIIMS, Eye Banks campaign was initiated to give awareness on Eye Donation highlighting on How You Can Help. Make yourself a friend of the Eye donation Movement.
Eye Banks campaign- In collaboration with National Eye Bank AIIMS


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Koilali Chapari is a secluded village in Dheemaji Assam, nestled along the Lali river. Surrounded by water, the local community relies on boat to bridge contact with the outside world. Incessant Floods are the common occurrence for the community, inflicting serious harm on livelihood and property. The erosion of bank from the Lali river was one of the key concerns of the local community which escalated the threat of floods. The community responded by employing an indigenous disaster mitigation practice, by using bamboo porcupines. In their community meetings, the locals decided to collect one bamboo from each household and strategically install them as a barrier to mitigate erosion from the river. The success of this method boosted strength in the community allowing them to focus on their livelihood and wellbeing of their children. The Global Program India has remained a stalwart ally in the village fostering disaster resilience in the community.

Vimla Devi, a 28-year-old woman, and her husband, Raju Manjhi, aged 32, reside in a marginalized rural community in Chilbili, a village on the outskirts of Patna, India. Their journey is a testament to the transformative impact of the Global Program, a comprehensive initiative that addresses critical issues such as malnutrition, food insecurity, healthcare access, and hygiene awareness in underprivileged communities.

The Global Program’s collaborative effort with government agencies, is designed to deliver essential services and information to vulnerable populations. A key component of this program is community awareness, where Vimla and Raju actively participated and gained invaluable knowledge about nutrition, food security, and hygiene.

With this newfound understanding, they began utilizing the services offered at Anganwadi centers, ensuring their children received proper nutrition and early education. They also recognized the benefits of institutional deliveries, opting for a government hospital for the birth of their fourth child, making them eligible for government schemes such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) which offers financial assistance for safe deliveries.

The impact of their participation in the Global India Program is profound. Vimla and Raju's family now enjoys improved health outcomes due to their better understanding of nutrition and hygiene. Their decision to deliver their child in a government hospital not only provided financial support but also access to quality healthcare.

Through their active engagement in the program, Vimla and Raju have been empowered to take control of their family's health and future, breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition to build health resilience. Their story is a testament to the potential for transformative change when communities are equipped with the tools and resources to make informed decisions about their well-being, ultimately becoming advocates for change within their community.

Bihar is disaster prone state, with its capital Patna witnessing hazards like earthquakes, lightning, heatwave, cold wave, as well as local disasters like fire, road mishaps, snake bite, dog bite, etc. Needless to say, that responding in case of emergency and applying Disaster Risk Reduction measures in slum areas proves to be a tall order due to poor financial conditions of the community members.

Initiating the BMZ Global Program in the 10 intervention villages of Patna Municipal Corporation and Sampatchak Nagarparishad areas posed significant challenges in organizing slum areas. To address this, a dedicated team of girls from the Patna-based organization was groomed to proactively mitigate risks and foster resilience in the community.
In response to the situation, Caritas India through its partner established the Gargi Girls Groups (G3), composed of 60 dedicated community-based taskforce members, with a focus on providing basic education and 21st-century life skills. The majority of Gargi Girls Group members are high school dropouts from marginalized communities. They received training from the Global Program on Early Warning, First Aid, and Search and Rescue. Subsequently, the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) certified these girls after a rigorous 7-day training session, collaboratively designed and implemented by BSDMA, SDRF, and Yuganter. In an effort to address their economic challenges, sustainable livelihood training in stitching and embroidery skills was provided to empower these girls and integrate them into the program.

Global program facilitated stitching and embroidery training to a total of 60 Gargi Girls Group members. In this drive, experts of the Usha Pvt Ltd imparted pros and cons of the aforesaid skill development training to them. The trainers also visited villages like Dusadhi Pakari and Khairatali Nahar of Patna Municipal Corporation and Sampatchak Nagarparishad respectively to impart training to the participants.

Interestingly, all the members happen to be the active members of Taskforce Committees. Out of which, 10 members have become master trainers who are supposed to impart stitching training voluntarily to the fellow girls in their respective localities. Many girls started to work at nearby boutiques, while some of them engrossed into encrypting beautiful designs on the cloths on their own houses.

Apart from it, they were equipped with android phones to provide them basic education and 21st century life skills. Now, the Gargi Girls Group members are in position to make their both ends meet on their own and at the same time they are quick to respond in case of emergency, thanks to BMZ Global Program.

In Bihar, a state prone to various natural and human-induced disasters, lightning has emerged as a significant threat, resulting in numerous casualties, especially in rural areas. Since its inception Global programme India has been working to reduce the vulnerability of the population to disasters and the number of victims and extent of damage caused by disasters by improving the disaster management system at the national, state and local levels. During the course of Participatory Disaster Risk Reduction Process, Lightning emerged as one of the Major disasters in targeted districts. Caritas India through its Global Program initiative is promoting lightning arrester– a community-based disaster risk reduction model. The Bihar State Disaster Management Authority has also initiated a program aimed at increasing resilience and reducing the impact of lightning-related disasters.
• Lightning arresters have been strategically placed in 30 villages in Nawada, Supaul, and East Champaran districts. These devices provide accurate and scientific protection against lightning, diverting it safely into the earth when detected.
• #We4Resilience: A comprehensive awareness campaign has been conducted at the micro-level, covering 80 villages in 22 Panchayats. This campaign focuses on educating the community about lightning safety and the use of lightning arresters.
• Training of Volunteers: Three program staff members from Nawada have been trained to prepare and install lightning arresters, enabling them to educate their communities on lightning safety measures.
These initiatives aim to reduce the impact of lightning-related disasters and make Bihar a safer and more disaster-resilient state.

In Munger, Bihar, Global Program India partnered with a Middle School to establish Child Clubs, sparking a transformative impact on the students. The headmaster of the school observed a remarkable shift in the children's perspectives, including understanding of their rights, the importance of health and nutrition, and positive changes in sanitation and cleanliness practices.

Prior to these forums' establishment, such initiatives were not widespread. However, through sustained dialogue with school authorities, these meetings have become an integral part of the school's activities.

The Child Club members have taken proactive steps to address Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) issues. This highlights the program's success in empowering children to advocate for their rights and well-being.
In their quest for change, Child Clubs took proactive steps, including conducting awareness campaigns, identifying issues related to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), documenting problems, formulating recommendations, and drafting applications submitted to school authorities.
They identified these issues through participation in awareness programs and Child Leadership and Child Rights training under GPI. The children's roles encompassed facilitating communication on WASH issues, raising awareness, and making collective decisions.

Their initiatives brought about enhanced awareness, positive behavioral changes, and resilience building, even if the frequency of meetings depended on school teacher availability. The action plan was facilitated collectively, with Headmaster Shri Ram Vikas Rajak leading the way, supported by 13 dedicated Child Club members. This is a story of remarkable transformation through the unwavering determination of Child Clubs in Munger, Bihar.

In the flood-prone state of Bihar, India, recurring natural calamities, including boat accidents, lightning, and drowning thunderstorms, have taken a toll on local population. Despite advancements in understanding and predicting these disasters, communication gap still looms large, especially for reaching the last-mile communities. To address this challenge, Caritas India's Global Program, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of Germany, and Caritas Germany, focused on enhancing the resilience of the most disaster-prone districts in North Bihar.

Under the #WeForResilience campaign, Global Program India, embarked on a unique boat-based public awareness campaign from December 22, 2021, to December 24, 2021. The campaign aimed to reach isolated communities in the Koshi river catchment area, where road connectivity was a significant challenge.

The campaign utilized a specially designed boat chariot equipped with awareness-generating posters and a sound system. The campaign started from Lokha Bhaptiyahi and sailed through multiple villages, reaching out to a total of 1900 people in Supaul district. Community volunteers disseminated pamphlets provided by the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority, offering essential safety tips and information.

Throughout the journey, the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) committee members shared messages on flood safety, drowning prevention, boat safety, and cold waves through brochures. This innovative boat campaign was well-received by the community and garnered local media attention, effectively bridging the communication gap to build resilience among the most vulnerable communities in North Bihar.

In disaster-prone areas, communities often become the first responders in times of crises. The Global Program India has been instrumental in empowering communities in Assam by forming 60 Task Forces comprising 837 members in 60 villages, providing them with vital life skills training, including search and rescue and first aid.

These Task Forces, consisting of both men and women, including government frontline workers and community members, are now well-equipped to assist vulnerable communities during disasters and community development activities.

One noteworthy achievement of the Global Program is the installation of early warning sirens at the bank of the Ranganadi river, a flash flood-prone area. Selected volunteers, trained by NEEPCO and ASDMA, operate these sirens, providing the community with vital early warnings before dam water is released.

Mr. Manik Borah, one of these volunteers, shared the importance of the sirens, explaining how they create alarms and early warnings that help the community prepare for impending floods. He highlighted that the sound of the siren travels up to 3km, allowing people to save their belongings and livestock.

The Global Program's impact extends beyond early warnings. Volunteers like Mr. Manik Borah have received training on search and rescue and first aid, becoming proactive members of Task Forces. Their role has evolved to include messaging early warnings and assisting vulnerable community members in moving to safer locations.

The program is working towards sustaining these Task Forces by registering their members in AAPDA MITRA, promoting local leadership, and encouraging the formation of Farmers Producers Organizations, ensuring the protection of livelihoods. Through their dedication and training, these Task Force members are playing a critical role in building resilience within their communities.