SAMUHA
Money, Technology, Vision
- some people believe that that is all you need to solve the world's problems. If you are one of them, you might want to tune in to MTV for their latest update on the state of the world!
people, neighbours, communities...
Money, technology, vision may be the bubble and fizz! that makes our world exciting, but without people, neighbours, communities...they are flat beer.
SAMUHA is Sanskrit for 'organised group' or 'society', and as the blurb says: the word reflects our belief that sustainable development is best undertaken through group processes.
And that group process includes the person who lights the candle as much as it does those who benefit from having a little of their darkness dispelled.
Working with people to improve the Quality of Life
Implicit in that SAMUHA goal statement is the acknowledgment that if we can help make the world a better place, then we make the world a better place for all our children.
Working with people...
To ensure that people are partners, not recipients, SAMUHA assists the people it works with to organise into informal associations. These associations become SAMUHA's partners in the field.
Practicing what we preach
Narayanswamy is the SAMUHA Director. And the buck stops with him. But all decisions before they go to the SAMUHA Board are discussed at the SAMUHA Project Heads Forum. In practice, the Office of the Director is a collegiate of the 17 project heads.
SAMUHA believes in consensus decision-making. While the Director can, and does make independent decisions, all decisions, especially those on which there is no unanimity are reported to the SAMUHA Board.
SAMUHA's General Body and Governing Council are made up of the same 8 members which functions as a collective. What they may lack in numbers, they make up in experience and in development cohesiveness:
Between themselves, the 8 SAMUHA Board members account for 175 years of developmental experience as volunteers, workers, planners, evaluators, donor representatives and heads of international and local organisations.
Public Accountability
In 1996, Justice HG Balakrishna, former Judge of the Karnataka High Court accepted an invitation from SAMUHA to become the SAMUHA Social Auditor.
Financial Accountability
Braganza & Associates, Bangalore, are the SAMUHA Auditors. Because of the range of its activities, and their far-spread nature, SAMUHA follows a system of monthly society audits.
Donor support
The quality of SAMUHA's work, the transparency of its accountability systems, and the integrity of its Board and senior management is reflected in the wide range of support that its activities have attracted.
Current SAMUHA donors are:
- Government of Karnataka
- Government of India
- ActionAid, India
- OXFAM, India
- The John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, USA
- Swiss Development Cooperation, India
- PLAN International, India
- SAMUHA Overseas Development Association, Canada
- India Assist SAMUHA, Germany
- Individuals
...a little history
SAMUHA was set up in 1986 to work in the Raichur district in the South Indian state of Karnataka. SAMUHA decided to work in Raichur district because it was the second most backward district in Karnataka with no major organisation working there. That it was, and continues to be so despite 5 of its 9 taluks being irrigated by the Tunghbadra Canal Irrigation project, speaks for the level of poverty in the 4 dryland taluks which keeps the whole district's average so low.
SAMUHA started work with 2500 families from 24 villages of Deodurg taluk in Raichur district. Deodurg is a drought-prone area which survives on a single rain-fed economy. And that does mean just surviving. Even with a good rain, 30% (60-80% in the event of rain delay/failure) of the families here migrate for 3-6 months of the year in search of work and food. In 1981, the general literacy percentage was 11% - while female literacy was a little over 7%. In 1991, the general literacy level had gone up to a little over 17%.
SAMUHA Today...
SAMUHA works with 55,000 families over 278 villages in the district. SAMUHA has also initiated work with vulnerable people in Bangalore City, the State capital, and in the Western Ghats in Uttara Kannada district.
- SG Susheelamma - President. Susheelamma is the founder, and the current head of the Sumanagali Seva Ashram, Bangalore, Karnataka,a home for women and children in distress. Susheelamma is one of the recipients of the President of India's awards for excellence in the field of child welfare;
- NS Hema - Vice President. Hema is one of the founders, and the current President of the Association of the Physically Disabled, Bangalore, Karnataka. Hema is also a recipient of the President of India's awards for excellence - in the field of disabled welfare;
- N Samson - Treasurer. Samson is the founder, and current head of Gram Abhudaya Mandali, Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh. GRAM has committed its resources to organising Dalit (oppressed) people in the Nizamabad and Adilabad districts of Andhra. It is one of the rare organisations that has helped initiate and sustain a people's movement;
- T Pradeep - Secretary. Pradeep is currently a Director of ie.echt, a commercial enterprise that is exploringthe compatibility of profits, equitable wages for primary producers, and eco-friendly products. Before setting up ie.echt, he was the founder Secretary and Director of SAMUHA;
- R Ramachandran - Member. Chandru is currently Executive Director, ADD-India,Bangalore. Action for Disability &Development supports organisations to integrate disabilities and development across the country.
- Dr Gurveen Singh - Member. Gurveen is the co-founder with Rusveen, her sister, of the Centre for Learning, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. She is also currently the Secretary of CFL. CFL caters to both the peri-urban poor and to private students, and is an articulation of Gurveen and Rusveen's commitment to children and education;
- HR Prakash - Member. Prakash is currently Director, ARTIC, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. The Appropriate Reconstruction Training & Information Centre was set up after the Andhra Cyclone and Tidal wave of '77. Today, it integrates its disaster response capability with long term developmental needs of people in disaster areas;
- Raja Menon - Member. Raja is the founder and Head of Jeevike, Calcutta, West Bengal. Jeevike was set up to explore livelihood options and practices for the poor in and around Calcutta.
