UJJEEVANAM: Transcending Barriers
Arathy K.R.
Breaking the vicious cycle of poverty is a herculean task. Kerala has proudly accomplished this through imaginative projects like Ujjeevanam.
When Vidya, a Community Resource Person at Karakkurissi, Palakkad first visited Savad’s home, the situation was deeply distressing. Savad, a cancer patient requiring weekly chemotherapy, had no source of income and depended entirely on the goodwill of villagers to fund his treatment. His son was in the 8th grade, and due to Savad’s illness, his wife was unable to work.
With assistance of Rs 50000 from Ujjeevanam Startup Assistance Fund, Savad opened a grocery shop. The local community rallied behind him, making a concerted effort to buy goods from his store. As a result, Savad’s income began to improve significantly. “Ujjeevanam literally gave me a new life”, says Savad. In myriad such ways, the Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme has touched innumerable lives.
T he most outstanding feature of Kerala’s Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (EPEP) is that it not only tackled the perils of poverty but also addressed the innate shortcomings in the conventional poverty eradication programmes. Keeping in mind the potential pitfalls, the project was designed with scrupulous planning and thoughtful deliberation, followed up with methodical implementation. The outcome–an inimitable project with astounding results.
Kerala’s Distinctive Approach Kerala’s EPEP turned out to be unique because of the comprehensive approach and compassionate governance. The project works family by family-it identified the poorest households and made tailored plans for each, ensuring no one is left out. Therefore, for the identified 64006 extremely poor families, 64006 micro-plans were constituted.
Analysing the causes of extreme poverty of each family, it was found that 4341 families needed assistance to earn livelihood. In order to achieve this goal, a campaign named Ujjeevanam was launched to engage families in livelihood activities and thereby bringing them into the mainstream of the society.
T he main objective of Ujjeevanam was to bring these families to a sustainable livelihood path by involving them in various Kudumbashree schemes. For this, necessary job training was provided to those in poor families who are capable of finding work.
Role of Kudumbashree In order to implement the Ujjeevanam campaign, Kudumbashree appointed 236 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) state wide, with each CRP responsible for overseeing four Grama Panchayats. The CRPs were tasked with identifying, evaluating, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries until their livelihood goals are successfully realised.
As part of the initial phase, the CRPs visited the homes of identified families to assess those willing and able to engage in livelihood activities. The beneficiary’s livelihood needs, various schemes that can be utilised for employment and financial support required were recorded in a special mobile app prepared for data collection. Thus, based on the information obtained through the home visits, a list of livelihood activities required for each family was formulated. “The commitment shown by the Community Resource Persons in identifying beneficiary families and the suitable livelihood activity for each family played a big role in the flawless execution of EPEP,” says Arun P Rajan, State Programme Manager, Social Development, Kudumbashree. Once the beneficiaries were identified, the next step was the preparation of project proposals, carried out with the assistance of Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs). These proposals were then reviewed and verified by monitoring committees in each Local Self-Government Institution (LSGI) before being submitted to the district mission for fund disbursement.
Towards Self Reliance Financial assistance was provided to the beneficiaries through various schemes of Kudumbashree such as Pratyasha, Special Livelihood Scheme, schemes in the agricultural animal protection sector, SVE schemes and Community Enterprise Fund. Beneficiaries were able to set up tailoring units, petty shops, lottery agencies, poultry farming, goat and cow rearing, food catering units, auto rickshaws, online service centers, beauty salons and many other micro enterprises through this scheme. Shareena, a divorcee from Nellaya Grama Panchayat, Palakkad, was given assistance to start a poultry farm through the Ujjeevanam Startup Assistance Fund. “I was at a desperate juncture in my life when this project came through. Now, I am able to support my mother and daughter and lead a peaceful life”, says Shareena with a heartening smile.
“With the help of government, I was able to start a lottery agency and restart my life. I was astonished by the ease with which the assistance fund was granted to me”, says Sreedevi from Kottarakkara. Leela from Chembu, Kottayam is now the proud owner of Kripa Paper Carry Name of Beneficiary : Haridasan Type of Livelihood : Petty shop Name of LSGI : Nellaya 34 Bag Unit. “The unit was set up after considering my health conditions and capability and it has been a true blessing for me”, says Leela.
Based on the proposals prepared on the basis of the house visit, these 4341 people were provided financial assistance to enable them to earn a livelihood. The Ujjeevanam campaign has undoubtedly ensured that these families come out of poverty forever. More than a poverty alleviation effort, Ujjeevanam is a transformative movement that is empowering some of Kerala’s most vulnerable families.
Most poverty alleviation projects often fail because they do not address the root causes of poverty or they are poorly designed and implemented. Projects are designed without consulting the beneficiaries. Solutions imposed from outside often do not match local needs, culture or realities. Many projects give immediate relief like food, cash or subsidies but do not create sustainable income opportunities. Once the aid stops, poverty returns. Some projects make people dependent on external aid rather than empowering them with skills, jobs or resources to stand on their own. Sustainable success needs community driven, transparent and holistic approaches that combine education, healthcare, skill development and job creation. This vision makes Ujjeevanam different and makes the lives of many invisibles visible.
Beneficiaries were able to set up tailoring units, petty shops, lottery agencies, poultry farming, goat and cow rearing, food catering units, auto rickshaws, online service centers, beauty salons and many other micro enterprises through this scheme.