Village Knowledge Centres (Vkcs) Established by the Foundation
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EVOLUTION OF A VILLAGE KNOWLEDGE CENTRE UNDER EXTRAORDINARY CONDITIONS: Case Study Of Tsunami Affected Akkaraipettai Village Process Document Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy (NVA) M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation MSSRF/MG/10/31 M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Third Cross Street, Institutional Area, Taramani, Chennai 600 113 Tel +91 44 22541698, 22542791 Fax +91 44 22541319 nva@mssrf.res.in www.mssrf.org; www.mssrfnva.in Photo Credits: Nagapattinam VRC & Mr Suchit Nanda Designed & Printed: Canara Traders & Printers Pvt. Ltd., Chennai -41 Contents Author’s Note Acknowledgement 1. Introduction 1 2. Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy (NVA) 1 3. Genesis of VRC and VKC Programme in Nagapattinam, a Background 3 4. Evolution of a VKC at Akkaraipettai 9 5. Relocation of VKC from the Rented House to a Portion of Sastra Building 35 6. Shifting of VKC from the Sastra Building to TATA Community Hall 59 7. A Note on the Community’s Perceptions and Impact 68 8. Comparing the VKC and other NGOs in Akkaraipettai-People’s Observations 105 9. Concluding Remarks 107 Author’s Note Over the last few years I have been closely following the development of Village Resource Centres (VRCs) and Village Knowledge Centres (VKCs) established by the Foundation. The experiences associated with the establishment of VKC in Akkaraipettai are distinctly different from other experiences of MSSRF. It is different because it was established under extraordinary conditions in the post Tsunami period without adopting the usual pre- establishment phase procedures. A detailed study of Akkaraipettai VKC has provided us with some signifi cant insights and lessons. Community based interventions cannot be effectively implemented without broad based support from all stakeholders. When support is not forthcoming from the required institutions and agencies, notwithstanding the commitment of the implementing agency and good will of members of the community, interventions have a high probability of failure. Tracking the development of the establishment and functioning of Akkaraipettai VKC has highlighted the issue of the need to execute on the basis of a proper plan as well as the importance of enjoying overall support and understanding from all stakeholders for the intervention to remain effective. The impact of the VRC/ VKC programme in Akkaraipettai deserves special compliments. Despite having to face challenges during the various stages of its evolution since its inception, the programme has made remarkable contributions to improve the socio-economic conditions of the fi shing community. The study has shown that access to information, skill development in computers, training and awareness programmes have played a signifi cant role in improving the lives of villagers. It is heartening to fi nd that social commitment of some youngsters has enhanced due to the exposure to various issues they received through the VRC/VKC. Although the VKC has been closed down, Akkaraipettai continues to be the ambit of Nagapattinam VRC which offers its services and organise training/awareness programmes to fi shermen and women till date. If these nuances in the development process of Akkaraipettai VKC are captured suffi ciently, then the purpose of this document is achieved. L Vedavalli 17 December, 2010 Acknowledgement I am deeply indebted to Professor M. S. Swaminathan who has always been very supportive and a source of inspiration to me. My special thanks are due to Mr S. Senthilkumaran, for his encouragement and support. I wish to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to Ms S. Velvizhi the Coordinator of Nagapattinam VRC programme and Mr S. Balakumar, who was associated with the programme for more than three years as a Project Associate. I am thankful to Mr Balakumar for suggesting a study on the Village Knowledge Centre at Akkaraipettai; the idea was earnestly supported and encouraged by Ms Velvizhi. Besides Velvizhi and Balakumar I am grateful to Mr Arul Selvam, Mr K. Rameswaran who were associated with the VKC programme in the initial days and Mr P. Mugil Nilavan who joined the VRC as a Project Associate later. Lengthy interactions and detailed discussions with them helped me to gain a clear picture regarding the circumstances leading to the setting up of the Village Knowledge Centre at Akkaraipettai, closing of the Centre and the present scenario. I am particularly thankful to Ms Velvizhi for her insights and support through out the fi eld work and later while writing the report. She and Mr Mugil Nilavan were very co operative and patient in providing clarifi cations/updates though I bothered them many a times. I am thankful to other staff at the VRC of Nagapattinam in conducting this study. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Ramesh, Ms Satyavani, Ms Menaka, Ms Akila, Ms Bhavya, Ms Manju Bhargavi, Ms Nitya, Ms Roopa, and Ms Punitha who served the Village Knowledge Centre as volunteers/Knowledge Workers at various points of time. Interactions with them proved very useful in understanding various aspects related to the growth and functioning of the VKC in the village. I owe a lot to my friend Dr R. Rukmani more than I can express for being a major source of strength to me. In spite of her demanding work and various preoccupations she went through the draft more than once. Her valuable comments and suggestions helped me to organise the report in a much better way. My sincere appreciation is due to my friends Ms Latha R. Kumar, Ms Vijayalakshmi Bhaskar, Dr V. Arivudai Nambi and Ms Asha Ramani for suggesting improvements and Dr Smita Mishra, Ms G. Anuradha and Dr R. Rengalakshmi for their encouragement. I am grateful to Mr P. Sivakumar for organising the photographs for this work and coordinating with the printers. I thank Mr M. Selvaraj and Ms A. Uma Gopi for their technical support and Ms S. Punitha for helping me with the map. I thank Ms Sri Vidya for her help in the fi nal stages of the report. My sincere thanks are due to Dr Shubashree Desikan for copy- editing this document. I thank Canara Printers, Chennai for printing this work. Last but not the least women, men, youth and children of Akkaraipettai village deserve special mention and sincere thanks for enthusiastically sharing their experiences and information. Their contribution is invaluable which has made this study possible. I am grateful to each one of them. L. Vedavalli 1. INTRODUCTION This study is a modest attempt at analytical documentation of the various processes involved in setting up the Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) in Akkaraipettai, Tamil Nadu. Akkaraipettai is a fi shing village in Nagapattinam district, which was severely affected by the Tsunami in 2004. As a post-Tsunami intervention this VKC was set up by M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), with the fi nancial support of TATA Relief Committee (TRC), in early 2005. Setting up of this particular VKC during the stressful post-Tsunami period and the development of the VKC over the years have certain unique and interesting features and therefore this VKC has been chosen for a detailed study. This study is organised in nine sections including the present one: Section 2 provides a general introduction to the Village Knowledge Centre /Village Resource Centre (VRC) programme of MSSRF. Section 3 provides background to the genesis of VKC/VRC programme in Nagapattinam district; also village/location profi le and methodology adopted for the study is explained. Section 4 discusses the processes and setting up of a VKC in a private property* (a rented house) as a post-Tsunami intervention at Akkaraipettai, the process of awareness-creation and mobilisation of the community and the challenges involved. At the end of this section, services and activities of the VKC in its fi rst venue are briefl y described. Section 5 talks about moving of the VKC from the rented house to another location namely Sastra building. The challenges confronted by the Centre and its services and activities in this venue are discussed. Section 6 deals with the shifting of the VKC from its second venue to a new location in TATA Community Hall. Activities of the VKC to address the various needs of the community are mentioned in brief. This section concludes with a signifi cant development which ultimately resulted in the VKC being closed, and how, in spite of this, the VRC tries its best to disseminate daily important information using its various ICT tools and conduct training programmes for the fi sherwomen and men. The major aspects discussed in Section 7 are the general views and perceptions of women and men on the uses and benefi ts of the services and activities of the VKC. This section also throws light on the impact of the programme on different sections of the community. Section 8 provides the views of the villagers about VKC and other NGOs in Akkaraipettai. Section 9 forms the concluding remarks. 2. JAMSETJI TATA NATIONAL VIRTUAL ACADEMY (NVA) It has increasingly been recognised that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has great potential as a tool to promote social and economic development in rural areas. Information and knowledge empowerment is vital to improve the lives of the rural population particularly the poor. In this context, MSSRF, which is a non-governmental *It is the practice of MSSRF to set up VKCs in a public building identifi ed by the respective community. However, given the unique condition under which the VKC was set up in Akkaraipettai the usual procedure could not be followed. Evolution of a Village Knowledge Centre Under Extraordinary Conditions: Case study of Akkaraipettai Village 1 organisation, has initiated Village Resource Centres (VRCs) and Village Knowledge Centres (VKCs)/Community Technology Learning Centres (CTLCs) programme in 1992 to promote and strengthen rural knowledge empowerment. In order to scale up the VKC programme, the Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy (NVA) was created in 2003.