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| Social Determinants of Health > Community Level Action > KHOJ Projects |
| KHOJ Projects |
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KHOJ – an Integrated Health and Development Project
The Khoj Project is an initiative of VHAI to bring about a holistic change in the lives of its beneficiaries by uplifting the socio-economic and health status of vulnerable communities. Its primary objective is to develop an enduring partnership between VHAI and the implementing organizations thereby strengthening the latter to effectively implement innovation, self sustaining community health and development programmes.
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Voluntary Health Association of India’s deep concern about making a breakthrough in the health status of the people, particularly those living in the remote and in- accessible areas and generally of extreme low economic status, led to the evolution of an innovative approach of tackling health and development issues Khoj.
The Khoj Project is one of the long term initiatives of VHAI being implemented since 1993 to bring about a holistic change in the lives of its beneficiaries by uplifting the socio-economic and health status of vulnerable communities.
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Its primary objective is to develop an enduring partnership between VHAI and the implementing organizations, thereby strengthening the latter to effectively implement innovation, self sustaining community health and development programmes.
Of the 21 projects initiated in 1993, 9 were phased out by August, 2006, after nine years duration. Currently 5 projects are being implemented and will continue for a further term of three years till 2010 in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim. The thrust areas of work taken up under this programme are: |
- Health: Health interventions are mainly used as an entry point, and provision of curative services was the main emphasis. In addition, health and relief camps in epidemic situations are organized in project areas. A health centre is established in each project site to take care of emergency situations. Priority also has been accorded to improve women’s health status in the community and focus on health promotion by improved communication and developing need- based area specific strategies.
- Community Development: To ensure community participation in the project implementation process, all projects have initiated steps to organize peoples groups at different levels in the project villages. Involvement of the Community will help Panchayat and increase literacy levels in the community.
- Community Organization: Though Khoj is a health initiative, the focus on health has never been with a narrow vision. Health has been addressed as a part of the overall development process. Therefore community development is an extremely important area of thrust. Major strategies adopted for community development are capacity building, income generation programmes and education.
- Environment: Village and Town environment, sanitation and drinking water related activities, prevention of deforestation, preservation of natural resources; kitchen gardens are some of the areas covered by the project.
Over a period of time a marked changed has been seen in the above mentioned areas in all the Khoj Projects. However, all the projects are at different stages of achievement due to differences in the time of their initiation and considerable variation in local situations, geography, culture, political scenario and law and order situation. |
| Some activities of the Khoj projects: |
• The Khoj programme in J&K State is implemented in Chadoora and Khan Sahib blocks of Budgam district reaching the most vulnerable families. Under the project, curatives services are being provided, various trainings, health promotion and awareness generation programmes were conducted, orientation sessions were organized for the field staff for implementing the programme effectively, and for economic development of women, income -generation activities were implemented, which will lead them to socio-economic empowerment.
The neighboring villagers have been requesting that their area also be included under the project activities, after evaluating the positive outcomes in the project implementation area.
• Dzongu is one of the remote areas consisting of 30 small village hamlets located in North Sikkim. Geographically covered with hills, mountains and trenches. As per the Sikkim government notification, Dzongu area is a protected area, imposed due to the backwardness of the inhabitants so as to protect them from exploitation.
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The Dzongu Khoj project was initiated with the goal to improve the health and economic status of the inhabitants of Dzongu block. The Khoj project in Dzongu focuses on optimum utilization and strengthening of the government health infrastructure for long term sustainability through orientation of the PHC & PHSC Staff, MLAs and Board Members, conducting health awareness generation programmes, ensuring economic empowerment of the community through SHG strengthening, group formation and health promotion camps and fairs.
• Urban Health Project, Khoj Katwa, West Bengal - Through an urban project launched in 19 wards in Katwa Municipality, West Bengal, VHAI is working in locations of Baganipura, Katwapara, Khalpara, Mondaolpara, Faridpur colony and Mathpara for health promotion with the goal to improve health and socio economic status of the people of Katwa town, especially women and underprivileged sections of the project area. Under the project, activities like community health promotion, formation of SHGs, their support and training, school health promotion activities and community medical health check-up camps are being organized in the Katwa Municipality. |
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• The Khoj Programme implemented in Kujanga Block of Jagatsinghpur district in Orissa is one of the most underdeveloped regions where not much development has taken place in the last 50 years and the area is also prone to different kinds of disasters. The project is one of the model programmes where the issue of poverty is addressed with a right-based approach and the overall development of the community is structured by organizing community level health, livelihood and disaster management initiatives.
Activities undertaken were orientation programmes for volunteers on health issues, health promotion activities in schools and community, health promotion programmes in the slums of Bhubaneswar, disaster preparedness initiatives, right-based activities for poor and marginalized community, linkages with other development activities for sustainability of the project and self-help group initiatives for economic empowerment and improvement of the social status of the women members in the community.
• The MPVHA Khoj project in Maheshwar block of Madhya Pradesh attempts to improve the health and socio-economic status of the people, especially women and underprivileged sections of the project area. The project aims to strengthen the health-related structure of the community organizations to work as more effective change agents, implementers and confluence of backward and forward linkages to ensure the success of health along with development programmes in an integrated manner. The project primarily focuses on Health; Community Development and; Environmental issues. Thus improving health and socio economic status of the people of 25 villages especially women and underprivileged sections of the project area. |
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