KHOJ is one of VHAI’s long-term initiatives being implemented since 1993. KHOJ, meaning search, has proven to be a successful model in the field of community health and development. It takes an integrated approach to improving the health status of the entire community. VHAI-KHOJ projects are located in some of the most remote and difficult areas of the country, with high mortality and morbidity rates and where practically no semblance of health services existed.  Of  the 21 projects, 9 were phased out by August 2006, after  nine years duration. 5 projects are currently active in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Orissa and West Bengal. These projects will continue for a further term of three to five years after August 2007.

At the conceptual level, the project emphasized development that was truly participatory and sustainable in nature. Direct health related activities were given primary importance during the initial years. As health patterns improved, other developmental activities were slowly introduced. The initial phase involved meetings with the district administration, health and education personnel, formation of village development committees (VDCs), identification of village health workers, capacity building of TBAs and periodic reviews of OPD clinics and mass health camps, etc. As the project continued,  community organization, income generation, women empowerment, non-formal education and awareness generation gradually, became the main focus areas under KHOJ. These projects also successfully enhanced the knowledge, attitudes and practices of community members with regard to health, nutrition, water and sanitation. To bring in women’s empowerment, self help groups (SHGs) were formed and linked with banks. Non-formal schools operated by the projects have created an opportunity for deprived children to assert their right to primary education.

Some current activities include capacity building of the State VHAs, partner CSOs and second line management staff through exposure visits to other development projects and training workshops, conducted by VHAI, on various health and development issues. KHOJ experiences have been recently published by VHAI in a revised edition for a wider circulation amongst the central and state governments, like-minded organizations, projects and international concerns. The documentation of various KHOJ projects will provide an insight into the comprehensive functioning of various projects in remote and difficult areas nationwide.

The Shehjar-KHOJ Project in Budgam district of Jammu & Kashmir started its actual work from 2005 onwards, following a baseline survey. Khan Saheb is a very backward region of fifteen villages and about 12000 people. Community Health Services are provided by a health team under a trained local medical officer. The project activities are discussed annually with the Budgam District Administration and other functionaries of the Health Department of Kashmir. Village Development Committees (VDC’s) and Project Implementation Committees (PICs) have been constituted in each village to plan and monitor the programmes.
In recognition of the good work done by the KHOJ project in Budgam district (J&K), the National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity (NVA), selected two Health Supervisors of the Shehjar-KHOJ Project Budgam (J&K) for the third set of “Jamsetji Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity Fellows”. Both the woemn supervisors did excellent work in the field of community health, hygiene, sanitation, gender issues, and promotion of girls’ education in the villages of the Shehjar- KHOJ Project Budgam (J&K).

Keeping India’s growing urban population in mind, an urban health project was launched at Katwa, West Burdwan District of West Bengal, in April 2005. The project emphasises health and related issues in an urban setting with special focus on health promotion. The project works intensively with young adults and adolescents. It involves the formation of youth, women and farmer groups to function as Social Action Groups and to establish bridges between the community and the government. Some important activities of the project have been: training for different income generation activities; formation of SHGs and their linkages with the banks; training on leadership, management and marketing principles. Adolescent girls received training on various aspects of health and nutrition; watershed management, integrated farming and the use of natural fertilizers were also incorporated into the project. The non-formal education programme was extremely helpful in bringing school dropouts back into the mainstream of primary education.

A key principle of the KHOJ project is to help people help themselves. VHAI strongly believes that after a certain period, the people who are part of the project should become completely independent. Hence, six years from the date of its launching, the project went into its withdrawal phase, ending after the completion of nine years. The working of the Village Health Committees (VHCs) has been noteworthy. VHCs have been formed and strengthened in the area to sustain health-related activities, and also to ensure that basic health services would continue to be available to the people after the completion of the project.