Valunteer can Venture

More than Just a Volunteer

Bankura, West Bengal

Uttam Mondal worked as a supervisor for an earth movers company in Bankura. Returning home one day, sitting on the mudguard of the tractor, Uttam never thought, that will be his last ride on a tractor and that he will not return to the site again. He slipped off and the wheel ran over his leg.

The accident was a big blow on his life and the family. The burden of winning bread for the family of three fell up on his wife. Until almost three years after the accident, he was depressed and struggled to pull on. But as days went by, he began to gain confidence and had positive perspectives for life. He began to move in the village with crutches and even managed to ride on a bicycle, peddling with one foot. He was fond of visiting and encouraging those who are disabled and depressed, as he was looking for his own rehabilitation.

Like some of the women in the village, he began to learn necklace making from organic sources available in the area. His concern for the needy and helpless made him an eloquent speaker. Politicians and the local panchayat offices began to take his help in addressing common issues.

It was during this period, Uttam met the CADIP staff who wanted to arrange a meeting in his village. Attracted by the ethos of the project, Uttam did not think twice to commit to assist the CADIP staff. For every components of the project, Uttam was a volunteer ready at any time to go to any village. He was incidental in every activity that followed in the block including the formation of SHGs. There are three very active SHGs - Proyas, Swami Vivekananda and Netaji- in Ranipur where Uttam lives. Uttam himself became the leader of a SHG- Netaji. The seven member group is doing extremely well. Awareness on Leprosy, polio immunization camps, eye-camps, village meetings, school awareness programmes, women gatherings, all fell perfectly in place with the motivation of Uttam. He could see seven school dropout children rejoining school. During the project period, 80 cataract operations were done in Ranipur alone. Eye camps are still arranged in the area with the help of other service organizations.

Commenting on CADIP’s impact in the village, Uttam was happy to take us to his home. Uttam has a son who is studying in 7th standard. His wife recently has found job as a cook for the midday meal provided for students at the local primary school. Up on our visit both were away from home. His wife had gone to school after making his lunch ready. She also makes ‘pop-rice’ for selling, which is a small source of income to the family. Uttam took us around the renovated house with a hall and two rooms. The rooms were kept neat and tidy. He told us that he sold his old black and white TV to Sunil (the basket maker from Proyas SHG) and bought a new colour TV. His wide colourful face revealed his grateful heart about CADIP’s intervention in Ranipur.

Responding to the question on the biggest component of the project in Ranipur, he highlighted, “Self Help Group”. Uttam is a good motivator and a positive thinker. He had led two more individuals to become volunteers with CADIP; Gunamoi Mondal assisted the project activities in the same block and Santhosh Das in the nearby block.

Santhosh Das is an enthusiastic young man. He is doing his second year Bachelors. The honorarium he received as a volunteer was of course an encouragement but his motivation was much more. Even after the completion of the project, Santhosh continues to serve the cause by awareness building. He led us to a high school he had visited recently and arranged an awareness program single handedly. The headmaster of the school and the students, whom he called up on our request, witnessed the effect and sustainability of the awareness building that a volunteer could do beyond the time frame of the project. Santhosh is the son of a leprosy cured person and he was excited about the leprosy eradication and awareness programmes. Nine months ago he also became a Life Insurance agent. He was able to achieve almost the double of the minimum business target of a year! Yet, more than anything, Santhosh cherishes becoming a staff of TLM. ‘Santhosh’ means ‘happiness’ and he is happy that he was part of CADIP.

Uttam has become an opinion leader in Ranipur and his service extends to several other villages, in spite of hurdles on his free mobility. He was happy to accompany his ‘disciple’ Santhosh, who led us to the Japamali D. B. High School where he had arranged the awareness programme.

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CADIP: Community Awareness and Disability Impairment Prevention, an awareness and advocacy project conducted in ten districts in two phases.