Background
People’s Empowerment for Accessing Rights to Livelihood (PEARL), is being implemented by IGSSS and its partner organizations in 40 districts in 11 states of India with support from Misereor, Germany.The programme addresses livelihood through three rights
- Right to Food
- Right to Work
- Right to Natural Resource Management
It is aimed at addressing the key entitlements of people, viz., forest and revenue land, credit, food security and access to social security schemes.
Building capacity of the vulnerable and the marginalized to raise voices for their rights, access to credit to invest on livelihood and community mobilization has been the key strategies to deal with food insecurity issues. The focuses are on, ensuring that the community is entitled to government resources and schemes, like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaranty Act, (MGNREGA), Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), mid day meal (MDM) etc, which are all driven towards poverty alleviation and livelihood enhancement.
Achievement
Strong Community Based Organizations (CBO's) have emerged and are taking initiatives at community level. Job cards have been applied for, received, and land pattas issued to tribal under Forests Right Act (FRA).
The Programme has successfully contributed to monitoring of the government food security schemes through food calendar in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka and monitoring the PDS through CBOs in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Innovative approaches such as strengthening of Kisan Vikas Kendra in Uttar Pradesh, creation of labor forums in Karnataka, State and District level networking of civil society organizations in Assam and Manipur were effectively utilized as tools to deal with poverty and address issues of underprivileged and marginalized communities.
Impact
Right to Food
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6929 Families assisted in obtaining BPL Cards.
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23 villages conducted Social audit and public hearing on food security schemes.
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217 schools are providing Mid Meal due to the said intervention.
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164 ICDS centres functioning well.
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249 Functional PDS.
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112 livelihood security forums formed.
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80 grain & seed banks formed.
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214 SHGs were assisted to mobilize financial grant from SGSY, NABARD etc.
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7225 families were helped by the intervention to access credit facilities.
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148 farmers's received farmer's card.
Right to Work
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16,239 Families received job card.
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5738 families received work under NREGA.
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150 families linked with insurance agencies.
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982 families provided increased employment through skill enhancement trainings.
Right to Natural Resources
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86 families were involved in watershed management schemes.
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5624 families received forest and homestead land with joint patta.
Stories of Change
Mogi. . . . . . . . . . . An Entrepreneur
Mogi, 45 year old woman, lives in Ambada Village, a hilly area of Dungerpur District of Rajasthan State, with her two sons and husband. Being hilly and stony land the area is less suitable for agriculture forcing people to migrate to neighboring state in search of alternative livelihood. Survival was an enormous problem for Mogi's family, as they do not have any means of income except the less fertile stony little land dependant on the mercies of rain. Poor economical situation of the family, forced her husband to migrate to Gujarat and earn money to sustain family livelihoods.
Mogi learned about PEARL interventions through PEDO (People's Education and Development Organization, Partner organization of IGSSS in Rajasthan), in a community meeting in her village and was encouraged to join the self help group, by her relative. Initially she observed the proceedings in an ongoing meeting and immediately decided to join the group. She actively participated in various capacity building programs on self help group management, IGPs( Income Generation Program) and other leadership programmes. She received financial assistance of Rs 30,000/- as a loan from the self help group to initiate a small income generating activity. She started a flour mill in her own house and created an earning source that was steady and sufficient enough for her family. Mogi's husband could not stop himself from returning home as he now had a secondary income source to fall back on and stay with his family. He assisted Mogi in their small family business.
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What We Do 
WHAT WE DO » Key Areas of Intervention
Promoting Sustainable Livelihood
