VICALP

"VICALP and HELP partnership began with an initiative in just 30 villages in 1997 and over more than 16 years it has spread itself into 150 village communities with wider and growing levels of collaboration and cooperation among communities and peoples.This partnership has helped the communities in collective and individual land claims by 5000 plus families and forest land entitlements of 10,000 plus acres of land by more than 3000 households in the districts of Gajapati and Kandhmal under land and forest land rights Acts.The partnership has worked to enhance Food Security of the communities by developing 150 community grain-banks, vegetable gardens by 4700 small holding families, millet cultivation in 3000 plus acres of land, and fruits orchards in 53 villages; and ensuring food-grain supply by 8 PDS outlets owned by women’s groups.
It has helped the communities to develop their land and put them into regular cultivation and use."

"In 2000, VICALP and 50 partner villages were engaged in an animation project concerning Dalit Rights which sought to develop a network of community based NGOs addressing Dalit Rights and Dalit-Adivasi unity and mobilisation of state resources for community development.
This platform guided the religious communities constructively engage with the state government and in due course the Christian dalits of Odisha obtained Socio-Economically Backward Status and reservations in education and job quotas as well as other economic entitlements.
This partnership was instrumental in promoting Odisha Livelihood programmes Network, known as OLPN, which partnered 10 NGOs across the state and developed community owned watershed based land and agriculture development activities in 112 tribal and dalit villages across the state."

VICALP with the support from EU/EIDHR/CA implemented Adivasi-Dalit atrocity monitoring programme in Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Ganjam and Puri districts in Odisha. VICALP organised and promoted a Tribal-dalit lawyers forum involving 15 young lawyers with input support from HRLN and NCDHR, who have engaged themselves in the process of legal action and assistance to the human rights victims particularly of excluded communities.

VICALP has been actively involved in peace building and supporting the victims right from December 2007 communal unrest in Kandhmal, Kalahandi and Gajapati districts in association with 14 partner NGOs based in the local area. This peace building and reconciliation initiative leading towards ensuring communal harmony and promoting greater alliance and coexisting between the traditional ethnic communities, involved and engaged affected communities in 1194 villages in 80 Gram Panchayats of 7 blocks in the districts of Kandhmal, Gajapati and Kalahandi. In the process this intervention has included development aspects focussing on accessing government development schemes and programs and ensuring benefits of MGNREGS, FRA and other welfare programs.

VICALP with the support of DFID/Christian Aid has initiated poorest area civil society program in September 2011. VICALP, through a 4 member NGO network process, is implementing this program covering 23000 rural poor household in 396 villages in 3 blocks in Kandhmal and 4 blocks in Jharsuguda district of Orissa. The basic thrust of the project is to achieve the MDG in its operational villages through ensuring livelihood rights (land, forest, MGNREGS and IGP including ensuring entitlement) and ensuring basic service provision to the target beneficiaries. The PACS project also is helping VICALP to undertake focussed campaign and action on ensuring enrolment in Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) in 1200 plus villages in 3 districts, implementing community forest rights in 394 villages including entitlements for other traditional forest dwellers and budget tracking under SCSP and TSP through special package programs.

For the first time VICALP with support from Christian Aid-New Delhi entered in to Humanitarian Relief and Rehabilitation activities in 2011-12 and started a package titled as “Basic Needs and Livelihoods Early Recovery Program in Jajpur-Odisha” in five most affected villages of Bari block in the district of Jajpur-Odisha. In 2013-14 VICALP has actively taken part in the relief operation as part of disaster response after the cyclone PHAILIN in Ganjam and Odisha coast. VICALP has undertaken early recovery project with the support of Christian Aid/ECHO; and through this taken up Cash For Work, Unconditional Cash Transfer, water and sanitation and livelihood restoration activities in 17 villages of Ganjam and 7 villages of Balasore districts. This has been VICALP’s new area of work, which has helped and enhanced the efficiency and expertise of the organisation to be capable of relief and humanitarian assistance.

VICALP has promoted a campaign/movement to build unity, alliance and communal harmony among the Kandhs, Sabaras and Panos,who are categorised as indigenous scheduled tribes and scheduled castes. The campaign had its origin in the year 2000 against the back drop of communal violence engineered by outside fundamentalists, commercial and political interests. The movement which is known as “Ekta Abhiyan” (Unity campaign) has spread its coverage and influence to Gajapati and Kandhmal districts of Orissa. Presently two campaign are in motion. The first one is a campaign for restoration of peace and harmony in Kandhmal and Gajapati districts covering 80 Panchayats with a population strength of 500000 and the second is a campaign to building civil society response to practices of corruption in implementation of National Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme.