Information,
education and communication (IEC) inputs are today widely recognised
as a powerful and effective means of translating the sometimes arcane
and complex messages of social interventions for the benefit of a
diverse range of target groups. The term is often used synonymously
with ICT (for information, communication and technology), though there
is a significant difference between the two. ICT inputs are in essence
a set of technology backed tools for project managers, governments,
donors and the like to deal with large data flows, track monitoring
indicators, analyse information etc. IEC inputs, on the other hand,
are a more loosely strung together series of creative strategies to
evolve an idiom for communication between formal organisations and
communities. IEC becomes relevant and effective wherever the target
group of the proposed intervention consists overwhelmingly of poor
households, lives in a geographically dispersed area, is remote in
terms of physical and other modern forms of communication and is
poorly served by social services such as access to education, health,
water and sanitation and, above all, information. IEC inputs can
be seen as a language that must be constructed to enable a dialogue
between formal organisations, such as a project management unit, and
poor communities. This is essential so that not only does the central
message of the proposed intervention get across to a diverse group of
stakeholders in the community, but also so as to provide a channel for
reverse flows of communication from the target group to project
managers. This paper summarises the experiences of using IEC in
the Jharkhand-Chattisgarh Tribal Development Programme (JCTDP). The
paper is Chhattisgarh specific. The programme seeks to develop a
new model of tribal development by investing in the capacity of the
community to take charge of its livelihood portfolio and build
institutions that enable sustained growth.
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Roundtable
on Microfinance and Livelihoods
IFAD
hosted a two-day roundtable discussion on Microfinance and Livelihoods
at
Bhopal
from
September 1-2, 2005
. The objective of the
roundtable was to get different perspectives on several major current
issues in the microfinance sector in
India
and to provide guidance to
IFAD for its current and future rural livelihoods and women’s
empowerment projects in
India
. A distinguished gathering
of selected civil society leaders, administrators, policy makers,
bankers and resource persons attended the workshop. The roundtable has
underlined emphatically the importance of looking at microfinance as
part of a larger rural livelihood strategy and not as a single,
end-in-itself intervention.
To
Download
the report of the roundtable Click
here
Livelihood
Case Study in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu
Following
the tsunami disaster of
December 26, 2004
, the World Bank (WB), Asian
Development Bank (ADB) and the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) have developed independent long term recovery
programmes in consultation with the State Government of Tamil Nadu to
address the reconstruction and rehabilitation
needs of the affected communities. This
case study was prepared by Pravesh Sharma, IFAD Field Presence
Coordinator in
India
, during the joint World
Bank/ADB/IFAD mission, which reviewed post-tsunami rehabilitation
measures in Tamil Nadu from 8-16 September 2005. A presentation on the
main findings of the study was made on
15 September 2005
at a Livelihoods Workshop
hosted by the State Government at Chennai.
This
case study of one coastal village in Cuddalore district was developed
using the sustainable livelihoods framework as part of the mission’s
field work with the following objectives:
-
To
gain insights into the current livelihood coping strategies of
tsunami affected communities in coastal
Tamil Nadu
-
To
build awareness among senior policy makers and administrators at
the state, district and local level, and among resource
institutions and NGOs, on the major issues impacting
livelihoods, especially of
vulnerable
households
-
To
create an understanding of targeting issues among the project
partners
-
To
identify key policy issues and pre-project activities for the IFAD
assisted project.
To
download the case study in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, please
Click
here
Livelihood
Case Study in Chamoli district, Uttaranchal
The
Livelihood Improvement Project for the Himalayas (LIPH), assisted by
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Government
of India (GOI), Government of Uttaranchal (GOU) and Government of
Meghalaya (GOM), is targeted at five districts each in the states of
Meghalaya and Uttaranchal to develop an integrated set of
interventions to enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable households in
these districts. The project became effective in October 2004 and was
visited by a UNOPS led Supervision Mission between
November 17-25, 2005
. A case study of livelihood
coping strategies in one village in the state of Uttaranchal was
prepared by Pravesh Sharma, IFAD Field Presence Coordinator in
India
as part of the
Mission
’s field work.
The objectives of the study were:
-
To
promote mutual learning among the project partners on current
livelihood strategies in the target area and to build greater
awareness among senior policy makers, government agencies at the
district and block level, project staff and partner NGOs on the
major issues impacting livelihoods of vulnerable households.
-
To
highlight targeting issues and to build an understanding of
vulnerability.
-
To
identify key policy issues which need to be addressed at the
district and state level.
To
Download
the Case Study in Chamoli district, Uttaranchal,
please Click
here
Innovative
Approaches to Poverty Targeting, Participatory Processes and Best
Practices: A Study of the IFAD-assisted Chattisgarh Tribal Development
Project
This
is an insightful study into the unique approach to targeting adopted
in the CTDP. Based on a detailed primary survey, the study explores
the effectiveness of the targeting in the programme, in terms of
reaching the actual poorest of the poor, specifically the socially
marginalized, and ensuring gender equity in beneficiary selection and
participation. The study also provides a useful assessment of the
people's response to programme activities and evaluates their success
in meeting the objectives of the programme.
To
download the report on
Innovative approaches,
please
Click
here