Kutch Livelihood and Education Advancement Project (K ...

CARE India Solutions for Sustainable Development

E-46/12, Okhla Industrial Area-II

New Delhi - 110020

Division of Hindustan Thompson Associate Pvt. Ltd

8, Balaji Estate, Guru Ravidass Marg, Kalkaji,

New Delhi 110019

Kutch Livelihood and Education Advancement Project (K-LEAP)

Endline Evaluation Study

Report of Findings

Endline Evaluation Study: K-LEAP Final Report

IMRB International 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................................ 5

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................................................................. 6

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 9

1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................................. 10

1.2 KEY PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION .................................................................................................................. 11

1.3 LAYOUT OF THE REPORT .................................................................................................................................. 12

CHAPTER 2 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................. 13

2.1 STUDY DESIGN AND TARGET GROUP ................................................................................................................ 14

2.2 GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE .............................................................................................................................. 15

2.3 SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATION ................................................................................................................................ 16

2.4 SAMPLING METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................................. 18

CHAPTER 3 : PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND DATA COLLECTION ................................................... 19

3.1 PRE-TESTING OF TOOLS .................................................................................................................................... 20

3.1.1. Objectives of Pre-testing .................................................................................................................................... 20

3.1.2. Pre-testing Exercise ........................................................................................................................................... 20

3.2 MAIN FIELDWORK ........................................................................................................................................... 21

3.2.1. Team Recruitments and Trainings ..................................................................................................................... 21

3.2.2. Data Collection .................................................................................................................................................. 22

3.2.3. Ethical Consideration and Confidentiality ......................................................................................................... 22

3.3 DATA MANAGEMENT....................................................................................................................................... 23

3.4 QUALITY CONTROL AND MONITORING ............................................................................................................. 24

CHAPTER 4 : CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS AND HOUSEHOLD PROFILE ..... 25

4.1. Demographic profile of the members of household .............................................................................................. 26

4.2. Ethnicity of the respondents and BPL status of households .................................................................................. 27

4.3. Type of house ......................................................................................................................................................... 28

4.4. Type of fuel for cooking and main source of drinking water ................................................................................. 28

4.5. Household membership in various committees ..................................................................................................... 30

4.6. Household income levels ........................................................................................................................................ 31

CHAPTER 5 : KEY FINDINGS – LIVESTOCK AND AGRICULTURE ............................................................ 32

5.1. Need for agriculture and livelihood intervention ................................................................................................... 33

5.2. Key findings – Livestock.......................................................................................................................................... 36

5.3. Key findings – Agriculture ...................................................................................................................................... 42

CHAPTER 6 : KEY FINDINGS – MICRO FINANCE ........................................................................................ 47

6.1. Need for micro finance ........................................................................................................................................... 48

6.2. Microfinance Federation ........................................................................................................................................ 48

6.3. Demographic profile of the respondents ............................................................................................................... 50

6.4. Self Help Group characteristics .............................................................................................................................. 50



CHAPTER 7 : KEY FINDINGS – EDUCATION................................................................................................. 55

6.1. Need for education initiative ................................................................................................................................. 56

6.2. Education scenario in primary schools ................................................................................................................... 57

6.3. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) and Primary Schools ........................................................................... 58

6.4. Classroom observations ......................................................................................................................................... 59

6.5. Impact – KGBVs and Primary Schools .................................................................................................................... 59

6.6. Scenario among adolescent girls ........................................................................................................................... 61

6.7. Adolescent Girls Learning Centres ......................................................................................................................... 61

6.8. Impact of AGLCs ..................................................................................................................................................... 63

6.9. School Management Committees (SMCs).............................................................................................................. 64



LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Block wise number of sampled PSUs ......................................................................................... 15

Table 2 Sample size for quantitative component ..................................................................................... 16

Table 3 Sample size for qualitative component ....................................................................................... 17

Table 4 Main source of drinking water ................................................................................................... 28

Table 5 Type of fuel mainly used for cooking......................................................................................... 28

Table 6 Membership of household members in village level groups/ committees ................................. 30

Table 7 Awareness about gram sabha and frequency of attending it ...................................................... 31

Table 8 Livestock characteristics ............................................................................................................. 36

Table 9 Awareness about K-LEAP services and their availing ............................................................... 37

Table 10 Livestock insurance and livestock loan .................................................................................... 39

Table 11 Decision making ....................................................................................................................... 40

Table 12 Awareness and accessibility of livestock related personnel ..................................................... 41

Table 13 Crop characteristics .................................................................................................................. 43

Table 14 Awareness about K-LEAP services and their availing ............................................................. 44

Table 15 Agricultural loans ..................................................................................................................... 45


Table 17 Initiation of SHG ...................................................................................................................... 50

Table 18 Key activities carried out by SHG ............................................................................................ 51

Table 19 Key motivators behind joining the SHG .................................................................................. 51

Table 20 Type of training received .......................................................................................................... 52

Table 21 Type of loan taken by respondents during past three years ...................................................... 52


Table 23 Household visits of key personnel in relation to child’s education .......................................... 58

Table 24 Viewpoint regarding various services under K-LEAP ............................................................. 58

Table 25 Key activities conducted at AGLCs ......................................................................................... 61



LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Age group of respondents ......................................................................................................... 26

Figure 2 Highest attained education years ............................................................................................... 26

Figure 3 Respondent’s religion ................................................................................................................ 27

Figure 4 Respondent’s social caste .......................................................................................................... 27

Figure 5 Type of house ............................................................................................................................ 28

Figure 6 Annual household income ......................................................................................................... 31

Figure 7 Gender distribution of respondents ........................................................................................... 35

Figure 8 Age distribution of the respondents – Livestock and Agriculture ............................................ 35

Figure 9 Highest attained education years ............................................................................................... 35

Figure 10 Highest attained education years ............................................................................................. 35

Figure 11 Increase in HH incoming post joining K-LEAP ..................................................................... 36

Figure 12 Awareness about cattle health camps ...................................................................................... 37

Figure 13 Decision making regarding care seeking pathway and participation in K-LEAP ................... 39

Figure 14 Agricultural farm land ownership ........................................................................................... 42


Figure 16 Adopting various agricultural techniques................................................................................ 44


Figure 18 Satisfaction from the income generated from occupation ....................................................... 46

Figure 19 Distribution of age: Microfinance participants ....................................................................... 50

Figure 20 Highest attained education years ............................................................................................. 50

Figure 21 Time since member of SHG .................................................................................................... 50

Figure 22 Frequency of SHG meetings ................................................................................................... 51

Figure 23 Awareness about National Pension Scheme ........................................................................... 54

Figure 24 Awareness about insurances .................................................................................................... 54

Figure 25 Current education standards .................................................................................................... 56

Figure 26 Child development activities at schools .................................................................................. 57

Figure 27 Awareness about SMCs .......................................................................................................... 58

Figure 28 Year of formation of AGLCs .................................................................................................. 61

Figure 29 Motivation of younger siblings for education ......................................................................... 62

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AGLCs Adolescent Girls Learning Centers

BPL Below Poverty Line

CBO Community Based Organization

FGD Focus Group Discussion

IDI In Depth Interviews

ISO International Organization for Standardization

KGBV Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

K-LEAP Kutch Livelihood Education Advancement Project

NDDB National Dairy Development Board

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NPS National Pension Scheme

MF Micro Finance

PSU Primary Sampling Unit

SD Standard Deviation

SIC School Improvement Coordinator

SHG Self Help Groups

SMC School Management Committee

SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan

VRTI Vivekanand Research and Training Institute



Executive Summary

This endline study was an attempt for measuring the extent to which the stated goals and objectives of the

K-LEAP had met and contributed towards increasing the income of the families, thereby resulting in

improving the quality of the life. As highlighted across various sections of the report, it was observed that

involvement in K-LEAP positively impacted the life of participants and also increased their household

income. Various initiatives undertaken as a part of K-LEAP are sustainable and have the potential to be

replicated in future.

In order to access the effectiveness of the various components of the project and to access whether multiple

memberships had any effect on living standards, we analysed the levels of current household income of

the respondents by cross tabulating it with the data of multiple membership as well as with the data of

various combination of the project component. Analysis of the data suggested that multiple memberships

of household in various initiatives had a positive relation to the household income. The households which

had participants associated with only one component were found to have a comparatively lower level of

average annual household income than the households where participants had multiple memberships.

Further synthesis of data suggested that irrespective of the fact that all the components of K-LEAP were

successful in enhancing the quality of life; the one combination which worked best was that of agriculture

and dairy component of K-LEAP. The households which had participants with this combination reported

a higher average annual household income than those with other combinations.

How did the initiatives performed individually?

Various activities undertaken under livelihood initiative led to an increase of livestock ownership and

better animal healthcare in the region. The dairy initiative was also highly successful intervention and most

of the livestock participants reported an increased milk production and were benefitted from the milk

marketing initiative. The linkage with formal dairy market has helped increase the prices of milk sold by

the livestock participants. Tie-ups with SARHAD Dairy and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)

provided a ready market for milk for the milk producers. Trainings provided for improving the fat content

helped in increasing the fat content in the milk in the region which in turn helped in increasing the milk

prices.

In relation to the animal healthcare, para vet services were introduced which enabled livestock owners to

receive treatment for their cattle on time and lead to a regular vaccination of their cattle. Demand for breed

improvement services like artificial insemination spiked. Training provided for proper animal healthcare

enhanced the knowledge of the livestock owners and made them aware regarding the proper animal

healthcare practices. Cattle feed is now available at centres at the village and the members no more have

to travel far to buy cattle feed which has reduced the cost for each of the bags.

Agriculture initiatives too positively impacted the life of participants and by various activities undertaken,

ensured better irrigation facilities, better availability of seeds and led to a better return for farmers for their

produces. The Agro Service Centres created under K-LEAP have acted as a main source for purchasing

hybrid seeds. Around 70% of the participants who were involved in cultivation of cotton mentioned Agro

Service Centres as a main source for purchasing hybrid seeds. Services such as SMS based agriculture

updates, training on agriculture increased knowledge and awareness of the participants.

Micro Finance Federation was incorporated with a long term goal of providing financial services in the

Kutch district. The federation has contributed towards emancipation of its participants by forming SHGs.



Due to this women frequently step out of the house for meetings. This may not reflect drastic

empowerment, but at a setting where women are expected to confine themselves to the household chores,

such a change is certainly commendable. Their appreciation in perception as well as concrete benefits of

being part of the SHGs was unequivocal during the discussions.

The education initiative had a positive impact on the participants as it helped them perform better at school

and made learning interesting for them. Girl’s education level in primary schooling outclassed the boys.

AGLCs irrespective of new implementation helped in improving knowledge and skills of adolescents in

the implementation areas.

Few suggestions:

Additionally, there were a few suggestions made by different stakeholders while interactions during the

group discussions and interviews. The suggestions have been listed as follows:

a. Education initiatives should involve all the villagers at all levels of the program and should begin at

village level. This it will include most crucial stakeholders for making the program more effective

b. Villagers should be trained as para teachers to meet the needs of inadequate teachers in school

c. Program co-ordinators should be assigned lesser number of schools for better execution next time if

the program is implemented

d. Training on computers should be initiated as technology is very important nowadays

e. Support should be provided for starting a computer lab

f. Agricultural marketing can be introduced in the future and agro centres can also focus on agricultural

products

g. Producer Company can expand its reach to benefit higher number of villagers

Focus on staff retention is needed to continue operating the agro-centres, producer company, MF

federation effectively and their proper monitoring as it was observed that there were frequent changes in

program co-ordinators during the time the program was ongoing



Chapter 1 : Introduction



1.1 Background

Background and context of the study

A joint initiative of CARE and Cargill, the Kutch Livelihood and Education Advancement Project (K-

LEAP), was implemented in five blocks of Kutch district in Gujarat, India. Launched in the year 2008, the

key focus of this program was primarily on economic development of rural households and education for

primary school children. Following were the two key goals set by K-LEAP at its inception:

• To empower 9,000 families and marginalized local communities of 225 villages and to improve the

sustainable livelihood opportunities in five blocks of Kutch district of Gujarat in India

• To improve the quality and accessibility of primary education for over 43,000 children in 122 formal

schools

K-LEAP provided an improved schooling and learning opportunities to over 43,000 primary school

children and has created profitable economic opportunities for over 9,000 rural families in 225 villages,

identified on the basis of their fragile livelihood options and social and economic disparity.

K-LEAP livelihood programs, engaged with small and marginal farmers for improving agriculture

practices and infrastructure through various interventions such as farm bund, land reclamation, irrigation

facilities and capacity building to improve land productivity and fertility besides increasing profit margins

by supporting them with appropriate market information and value addition facilities. K-LEAP dairy

interventions focused on strengthening market systems at villages, ensuring availability extension services

for vaccination, breed improvement through artificial insemination, fodder and feeder shops and milk

collection facility. The project established a producer company to sustain the initiatives undertaken under

agriculture and dairy activities.

Micro finance interventions assisted women to establish and revive Self Help Groups (SHGs) for savings

and credit facilities. Besides providing opportunities for commencing household business activities, the

project also with the help of women formed member owned and controlled micro finance federation to

sustain micro finance activities.

K-LEAP education activities focused on improving schooling activities for children by improvising

teaching methods, teaching aids and equipping schools with recreational and learning facilities and

supporting teachers to adopt child centered teaching and class room management practices. The project

also aimed to increase retention of children at school besides mainstreaming children dropped out of

school. To achieve this program worked with formal school children, established Adolescent Girls

Learning Centers (AGLCs), supported Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) schools and trained

School Management Committee (SMCs) members.



1.2 Key purpose of the evaluation

Understanding the effectiveness of any project and evaluating its impact on the target group is essential.

The results from such an exercise not only help programmers to understand the strengths and the

weaknesses of the project, but also help implementers in revising the strategy, if needed. The findings at

times also serve as a benchmark for setting targets for future projects.

The current endline evaluation study was conducted across the five blocks of Kutch district in Gujarat

where K-LEAP was implemented by CARE. The main purpose of the evaluation was to assess the extent

to which the project activities contributed in increasing the household income, in improving the quality of

life of the households by achieving the stated goal and objectives and in improving the quality and

accessibility of primary education. Apart from this, gaining an understanding of how the dairy, micro

finance, agriculture and education activities, which were carried out as a part of K-LEAP, helped the

communities was intended.

Research Objectives

The broad objectives of the evaluation was to measure how project helped communities in increasing their

access to practical needs (financial, technical and managerial expertise) and strategic needs (community

organizations, advocacy efforts in recognition of women contribution in economic activities)

• What was the increase in household income achieved by the project through its livelihood, dairy and

agriculture activities?

• To what extent project increased capacities of a family to increase household earning? What are the

livelihood options made available to them including financing mechanism either to commence or

strengthen existing livelihood activities?

• What are the participant’s perceptions on activities undertaken by K-LEAP to achieve its objectives,

whether it was adequate enough to deliver expected outputs, outcomes and capable of leading to

increased income?

• What were the changes in strategic activities pursued by the project to achieve its goals?

• How the project activities contributed towards improving quality of learning at public schools and

its impact on retention and enrolment rates of children at schools particularly female children.

• Whether the project activities helped in greater recognition of female literacy and positively

influenced household decisions in sending their children to school?

• How increased household income is helping families to improve the quality of life? (How the family

uses additional income for what purposes?)

• Whether the changes or impacts achieved at household level are sustainable or transitory? What are

the products, services and institutional arrangements are made available to help families in sustaining

the impacts?

• How the project increased community access to various agriculture and dairy extension services and

what were resources leveraged for complementing project activities

• How project activities led to greater recognition of women’s rights to access, control and ownership

of livelihoods and related resources



1.3 Layout of the report

The first chapter helps in understanding the background of the study, its rationale and the research

objectives. The second chapter provides an overview of the research methodology utilized and elaborates

upon the study design, target groups, sample size estimation and sampling methodology. Information

regarding the project implementation and data management has been put in chapter three. The subsequent

chapters present findings of the survey. In chapter 4, the characteristics of surveyed respondents and

household profile have been discussed. The participant group wise findings of the study have been

presented in the subsequent chapters. It starts with the chapter 5 which presents the key findings from

livestock and agriculture segments. Next two chapters’ viz. chapter 6 and chapter 7 present the key research

findings from microfinance and education segments. Across all the chapters both the quantitative findings

as well as qualitative findings have been presented.



Chapter 2 : Research Methodology



2.1 Study design and Target group

A cross sectional design was adopted in this study, covering households in the selected Primary Sampling

Units (PSUs) of the five blocks of Kutch district of Gujarat state by utilizing both quantitative and

qualitative methods of data collection. Under the quantitative component, the structured household

interviews were conducted with program participants (involved in the livelihood related to livestock,

agriculture and microfinance) whereas for education group, mother/primary care giver of children and

adolescents girls was interviewed. As a part of qualitative component, In Depth Interviews (IDIs) and

Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) were carried out with program stakeholders and participants at district,

block and community levels.

K-LEAP END LINE EVALUATION STUDY

Review of existing secondary documents related to education, livestock,

agriculture and micro finance specific to Gujarat state in particular to Kutch

district

Primary Data Collection through Quantitative and Qualitative

Methods

Household Interviews

Stakeholder interview at

community level

Stakeholder interview at block level

Stakeholder interview at district level

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2.2 Geographical Coverage

The study was conducted across selected five blocks viz. Adbasa,

Lakhpat, Mandvi, Mundra and Nakhatrana of Kutch district of Gujarat

where K-LEAP was implemented.

Table 1 Block wise number of sampled PSUs

S.

no. District Block name

Sampled PSUs

Total Agriculture Livelihood Micro-finance Education

SIC AGLC

1 Kutch Adbasa 17 2 5 4 2 4

2 Kutch Lakhapat 14 3 5 2 2 2

3 Kutch Mandvi 11 3 3 3 2 0

4 Kutch Mundra 12 3 4 3 2 0

5 Kutch Nakhtarana 9 2 4 3 0 0

Total 63* 13 21 15 8 6

*An additional PSU was selected for those PSUs where the total numbers of participants as per MIS list were less than 22



2.3 Sample Size Estimation

Quantitative Component

For the quantitative component, sample size (n) required at district level was computed based on following

formula and the key parameters

* Deff

Where:

n = the sample size

p1= current rate (assumed to be at 50%)

p2 = expected level, assuming a 10% change, upwards

Z1-α= Constant set according to the confidence level, for 95%, this value is 1.65

Z1-β = Constant set according to the power of study, for 80%, this value is 0.84

Deff = Design effect

Based upon the above estimation, the sample size was worked out to be 306. Upon adding the design effect

value of 2 and considering a non-response of 10%, the final sample size was estimated as 673. For each

program element the sample required at 90% confidence level was 220. This sample was spread across 5

blocks and 8 PSUs in each block. The 8 PSUs were 2 PSUs / groups enrolled under each of the four

program elements.

Table 2 Sample size for quantitative component

Particulars Dairy Agriculture Micro-Finance Education Total

Blocks 5 5 5 5 5*

PSUs per Block 2 2 2 2 8

Total PSUs 10 10 10 10 40

Participants per PSU 22 22 22 22 22*

Total Sample Size 220 220 220 220 880

*Overall across all program elements 5 blocks was covered and 22 participants were covered from all PSUs

Qualitative Component

In order to understand and gauge the program stakeholders’ perception in terms of challenges, benefits

and impact of the project and to enlist the suggestions for making the project sustainable, qualitative

activities were undertaken at the community, block and district levels. As a part of the qualitative

component, a total of 53 activities In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) were

carried out. A total of six participants participated in each of the FGD, and hence we have termed it as a

mini-group. The qualitative sample size has been illustrated in the table below.



Table 3 Sample size for qualitative component

Target respondents No. Activity type

Program Officials 2 IDIs

Government Officials 1 IDIs

Coordinators at Block Level 10 IDIs with a block coordinator for each program element (2)

in each of the 5 blocks

Key Stakeholder 3 IDIs with local govt. officials, market actors-from

banks/dairy

Teachers 4 IDIs with KGBV teachers

Classroom/School observations 4 At KGBV schools

Mentors/teachers 1 Mini-Groups-AGLC

Adolescent girls 2 Mini-Groups

Women leaders/Office bearers of institutions

managed by K-LEAP 5

IDIs with women leaders/office bearers of community and

institutions managed by K-LEAP

Producer Company and Micro Finance Federation 4 IDIs

Community Leaders 3 Mini-Groups

SHG members 3 Mini-Groups

SMC Members and teachers 5 Mini-Groups

Farmers Groups 3 Mini-Groups

Livestock Groups 3 Mini-Groups

Total Sample Size 53



2.4 Sampling Methodology

This study utilized a three staged sampling methodology, as illustrated in the ensuing paragraphs:

Stage 1: Selection of the blocks

The selection of block was purposive in nature and was completely based on the blocks where K-LEAP

was implemented.

Stage 2: Selection of the PSUs

The selection of PSUs was done by using Probability Proportion to Size (PPS) sampling technique from

the PSU wise participant list provided by the CARE team, which served as a sampling frame. A total of

64 PSUs were selected covering each of the four K-LEAP category. As discussed earlier, an additional

PSU was also selected for those PSUs where the total number of participants as per MIS list was less than

22.

Step 4: Selection of the participant households

In each of the selected PSU, target participant were randomly selected based upon the participant list

provided by the CARE team. A total of 22 participants HHs were covered in each of the selected PSU and

in case of a shortfall of participant households, a nearby selected PSU was approached to cover the

shortfall. In all the cases where it was observed that at a selected HH, participants belonging to multiple

K-LEAP initiatives were present (scenarios of multiple membership), all of them were covered and

interviewed.



Chapter 3 : Project Implementation and Data

Collection



3.1 Pre-testing of Tools

Prior starting the main fieldwork, pre-testing exercise was conducted under real field settings and involved

the same process that was followed during the main data collection. All the findings from pre-testing were

documented and incorporated in the final version of the questionnaires.

3.1.1. Objectives of Pre-testing

The pre-testing exercise was conducted to gather information mainly on the following points:

o Flow of the questions

o Ease in understanding the questions by the respondents

o Ease in administering of the questionnaire

o Length and time required in administering of the questionnaire

o Comprehensiveness in terms of information coverage

o Skipping, additional instructions etc. required for field interviewers o Testing of the language used and appropriateness of translations

3.1.2. Pre-testing Exercise

The draft research tools for undertaking the pretesting were developed by IMRB team while taking into

account the objectives of the survey and width of the information sought. After getting an approval from

CARE team on the questionnaires, the draft version of research tools were translated into local language

(Gujarati) for utilization during pre-testing exercise.

Pre-testing was undertaken in four villages of Naliya cluster of Abdasa block. It was ensured that the

villages selected for the pre-test were not among the sampled villages to be covered during the main survey.

A total of 21 interviews were conducted during the pre-test, covering all the four participant groups. Two

researchers travelled from New Delhi to Bhuj in order to undertake the pre-test. One day training of

investigators was organized prior to the pre-testing at Bhuj.



3.2 Main Fieldwork

3.2.1. Team Recruitments and Trainings

The recruitment of the field teams was done from the pool of investigators who possessed significant

experience in conducting social studies in Gujarat state and in order to confront rejections and drop-outs,

10% buffer resources were recruited. Gender distribution was maintained and both male investigators as

well as female investigators were considered for recruitment based on the following criterion:

o Educational Qualification (graduates or above were preferred)

o Experience in the field of social research

o Willingness and enthusiasm shown for the study

o Respect for ethics

o Communication skills (expressiveness of thoughts and ability to communicate purpose of the study)

o Attitude (intention to put in long hours of work)

o Willingness to work with the target community

o Other factors like convincing appearance and friendly body language and gestures

Final selection of the interviewers and supervisors was made based on their understanding and execution

of the sampling techniques, questionnaires and exhibition of interviewing skills during the field training

exercise. A list of the selected investigators was provided to CARE team after making their final selection

post completion of the training program. Keeping in view the timelines of the study, for quantitative

survey, a total of five teams with a composition of 4:1 (4 investigators and 1 supervisor) were deployed

on field while 3 teams consisting of one researcher and one moderator each were deployed for the

qualitative survey.

Field Team Trainings

In order to make investigators well acquainted with the tools, they were extensively trained prior to the

launch of the fieldwork. Separate trainings were organized for different components of this study i.e.

quantitative component and qualitative component. All the necessary documents were received from the

CARE team viz. approval on final questionnaire and on the sampled PSUs before the training of survey

teams. A brief manual explaining all the sections of questionnaire was prepared by the researchers from

IMRB which was used as a base for making investigators fully adept at using research tools. The training

manual included the field protocols to be followed and standard quality norms to be adhered.

Quantitative Survey Training

The field work for this study was managed by IMRB field office at Ahmedabad, Gujarat and considering

the same a three days training of field investigator was organized at Ahmedabad under the guidance of

CARE project team. The training sessions were undertaken jointly by members of CARE team and

researchers from IMRB.

Qualitative Survey Training

Two days training for the qualitative moderators was organized at Naliya (Adbasa block) of Kutch district.

The training was led by researchers from IMRB and the participants were briefed on the qualitative

discussion guides and questionnaires.



3.2.2. Data Collection

The quantitative research tools for this study, after being pre-tested were finalized in consultation with

CARE. The final translated version of the questionnaires was utilized for the training of the field teams

and post completion of the training; the field work was launched across all the selected blocks. The

duration of the fieldwork activities for the quantitative component of the study was two weeks.

The qualitative discussion guides and questionnaires were prepared by IMRB researchers and were shared

with the CARE team for their perusal and feedback. Upon their finalization, the training for the qualitative

component of the study was undertaken with the participation of professional qualitative research

moderators. All the qualitative interactions on field were audio recorded after availing informed consent

for the same from the respondents. The transcriptions of the audio files were undertaken by a professional

transcription team. The qualitative component of the fieldwork was undertaken for ten days post

completion of the qualitative training.

3.2.3. Ethical Consideration and Confidentiality

Ethical protocols were laid down and followed throughout the course of this study. Entire project team

working on the study including all the staff and freelancers maintained integrity and confidentiality of the

data collected. Informed consent was taken from each and every participant, wherein the purpose of the

assessment was explained. Their willingness to participate was asked and interview was conducted only if

the respondent gave their consent for the same. The respondents were also informed about the risks and

benefits for participating in this assessment. It was also clearly mentioned that they could decide anytime

during the interview not to respond or discontinue the interview. Confidentiality of the identification

details of the respondents was maintained and hence information collected could not be linked to any

individual respondent. All interviews were conducted in the vernacular language.

o An informed consent was taken from all the respondents before the interviews were conducted

o The name, and the contact details of the respondents were kept anonymous and no information

about their responses was released to a third party

o In order to not infringe upon the work schedules of the respondents, the field team made multiple

visits, so that they can take interviews when respondents were not preoccupied



3.3 Data Management

Data Scrutiny and Coding

All data entry forms were assigned a unique study identification number (study ID) to assist with data

management and data entry. Before data entry, each and every questionnaire was scrutinized. All coders

and supervisors who received training from the systems analyst were involved in scrutiny and coding.

During the scrutiny, open-ended responses were coded. All questionnaires were checked to ensure that

they had been assigned a study ID and that there was no identifying information for respondents recorded

on the questionnaire.

Data Entry

The data structure was developed by IMRB’s research team prior to start of the data entry. The data entry

operation was carried out using data entry and editing software - FoxPro and was completed on password-

protected computers. The data entry operation was initiated post completion of the data collection, data

scrutiny and data coding. Program-based logical checks were used to clean the data and the inconsistencies

were resolved on the basis of the responses recorded in the questionnaires. The system analyst for the study

as well as the core research team members closely monitored the data entry. Post completion of the data

entry, column wise ASCII data was fetched and it was read by using Quantum and SPSS software. The

final data analysis was done by using SPSS software.

Data Confidentiality

To avoid risks associated with the disclosure of sensitive information, every effort was made to ensure that

participant’s responses were kept confidential. Completed questionnaires, field notes and other study

results were kept locked in a dedicated storage facility and access to these was limited to the Principal

Investigator and to the data management consultant. The computer files containing participant data were

password protected and all personal identifiers (except study ID) were removed from analytic files. The

final data set was only accessed by IMRB staff and was hand over to CARE team. Names were not

recorded in any document and data was reported in aggregate form only. The research team was

responsible for data storage after the completion of the study.



3.4 Quality Control and Monitoring

Field department of IMRB has obtained International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification

after developing conformance standards over the years. The field teams comprised of four levels of staff

who were involved in the data collection and monitoring of the data collection process. At the central level,

research team consisting of research manager and research associate, closely monitored the entire process

of data collection.

At the state level, all aspects of fieldwork was supervised and controlled by the field executive - the officer

in charge of the field who was responsible for maintaining the overall quality of data collection. Field

executive was on field during the fieldwork and coordinated with the research team regularly. Each team

of field investigators was led by a supervisor who supervised the fieldwork for his/her team. The main role

played by supervisor was to see if the investigators were comfortable with the flow of the questionnaire,

were canvassing the questions as they should be and were recording the responses correctly. Supervisors

back-checked/ accompanied 25% of all interviews to ensure that data was collected as per the study

requirements. They also carried out on-field quality checks, apart from 10% spot checks, to ensure data

quality.

Spot checks, in this context, refer to making sure that the investigators were filling the research tools

properly and conducting the interviews in identified locations/households. In an accompaniment the

supervisor accompanied the investigator to see whether the screening was done properly. Back checks

were done after an interview was completed. The supervisor went to the same household and after ensuring

that the household has indeed been covered, asked key questions from the questionnaire to ensure correct

responses. The supervisors conducted the back checks during the time when the team was working in the

same village, so that discrepancy if any were rectified in the village itself.

Adding to this, route plans and field updates were shared regularly to CARE officials for monitoring

purposes. For quality assurance and close monitoring of the fieldwork, one researcher of IMRB research

team was deployed on field throughout the duration of the fieldwork. Guidance from the CARE officials

was also sought as and when required throughout the fieldwork.



Chapter 4 : Characteristics of the Survey

Respondents and Household Profile



Characteristics of survey respondents and household profile

This subsection presents demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the surveyed respondents. As

a part of this study, a total of 880 households were approached for interview across five selected blocks of

Kutch district. Basic demographics relating to which information was captured in this study and has been

presented in this section comprised of respondent’s gender, age group, educational levels, religion, social

category, occupation etc.

4.1. Demographic profile of the members of household

As illustrated above, a total of 880 households covering a population of 4,832 were visited and information

on age, sex, education, occupation was collected. The mean size of the households covered under the study

was five (SD=+2.09). More than half (56.9%) of the sampled households had a family size of less than or

equal to 5 members while a little higher than two fifth households (41.1%) had 6 – 10 members in their

family. Small percentage (1.9%) had a family of more than 10 members.

The figure below shows proportions of different age groups of the household members in the sampled

population. As illustrated, a high percentage of the household members were less than 14 years of age

(27.6%). This was followed by the ones who were in the age group of 15-24 years (23.2%). Mean age of

household members upon analysis came out to be 28 years. Analysis of data by gender indicated that an

equal proportion of male and female family members were present in the surveyed households (Male:

50.1%; Females: 49.9%).

Close to three-fifth of the household members (58.5%) were ‘currently married’. The percentage of

unmarried members were close to two fifth (39.2%) and a very few percentages were

widowed/separated/divorced (2.2%).

Question related to highest standard of completed education was administered to all the members who

were aged more than five years of age on the date of survey. It was found that more than two out of ten

household members (22.1%) had attained education for less than a year. Mostly the years of completed

education were either between one to five years (29.8%) or between six to eight years (26.4%). Very low

percentages reported being educated beyond 12 years (3.5%).

27.6

23.215.8

13.4

20.0

Age group of household members

Less than 14 years 15 to 24 years25 to 34 years 35 to 44 yearsMore than 45 years

Base (All HH members): 4832*Figures in %age

Figure 1 Age group of respondents

22.1

29.826.4

18.23.5

Highest education attainment

Less than one year Between 1-5 yearsBetween 6-8 years Between 9-12 years12 years and above

Base (All HH members>5 years): 4544*Figures

in %age

Figure 2 Highest attained education years



Findings reflect an improvement in the level of education from the baseline figures where more than

two-fifth of the population was illiterate and around a quarter had their primary education.

4.2. Ethnicity of the respondents and BPL status of households

The survey captured information related to religion and

social caste of the head of the household. At an overall

level, Hinduism and Islam were the two main religions

observed. While more than three-fourth households

followed Hinduism (78.1%), a little over one-fifth

households (21.7%) followed Islam.

Caste wise analysis indicated mostly the households

belonged either to General category (43.0%) or Other

Backward Caste (42.7%) category. Further, at an overall

level, close to six households out of ten were Above

Poverty Line (APL) households (57.3%) while nearly two

fifth households were a Below Poverty Line (BPL)

household (39.3%).

Upon cross tabulating the social caste data with the status of the household, it was observed that in General

category the households were mostly APL (68.5%) while the OBC households had nearly an equal

distribution of BPL (49.2%) and APL (47.2%) households. Percentage of APL category households was

again higher (53.5%) in Scheduled Caste households than BPL category (42.3%).

78.1

21.7

0.2

Religion of the respondents

Hindu Muslim Others

Base (All HHs): 880*Figures in %age

Figure 3 Respondent’s religion

Figure 4 Respondent’s social caste

43.0 42.7

11.12.1 1.1

General Other Backward Caste Scheduled caste Scheduled tribe No Response

0.0

25.0

50.0

75.0

100.0

Base (All HHs): 880*Figures in %age



4.3. Type of house

In order to classify a house as pucca1, semi-pucca2 or kachha3, the material used for constructing walls

and roof was observed. The assessment of the type of construction material and thereby the type of house

was based upon investigator’s observation.

Overall, a majority of the households were semi-pucca

(54.6%) followed by the ones who were pucca (30.1%)

and kachha (15.3%). More than nine out of ten Hindu

households were pucca (90.2%) while Muslim

households were mostly kachha (40.7%).

The baseline finding reflected that most of the

households were semi-pucca houses (71%). Findings

from our study indicates that the proportion of semi-

pucca houses have gone down (54.6%) while that of

pucca households have gone up (30.1%).

Mostly the households were ‘owned’ (97.2%) and very

low percentages reported them being ‘rented’ (2.6%). The mean number of rooms in a house was two and

in close to two-third households (63.3%), a separate room was being used as a kitchen.

4.4. Type of fuel for cooking and main source of drinking water

Most of the households reported electricity as the main source of lighting (94.7%). It was observed that

nearly all the households were electrified across the study blocks barring Lakhapat where kerosene was

the main source of lighting in more than one-fourth households (25.4%). When asked about type of fuel

mainly used for cooking, more than three-fourth households (76.7%) reported using ‘wood’. Use of

‘LPG/Natural gas’ was prevalent in around 16% households.

Household electrification has increased in the study blocks as compared to the baseline survey which

showed that 81% households were electrified.

1 Pucca Houses: All the houses where both walls and roof were made of high quality materials viz. burnt bricks, cement bricks,

metal/asbestos sheets, stones (duly packed with lime or mortar) and concrete. 2 Semi Pucca Houses: All the houses where a mix of low and high quality materials was utilized for constructing walls and roof. 3 Kachha Houses: The houses where both walls and roof were made of low quality materials viz. grass, leaves, reeds, bamboo,

mud, unburnt bricks, wood.

Table 4 Main source of drinking water Table 5 Type of fuel mainly used for

cooking

Characteristics

Characteristics

BASE: All households 880


Piped water into dwelling yard/plot 63.2

Wood 76.7

Public tap/stand pipe 19.7

LPG/Natural Gas 16.4

Dug well - protected 5.6

Charcoal 2.8

15.3

54.6

30.1

Type of house

Kachha Semi-pucca Pucca

Base (All HHs): 880Figures in %

Figure 5 Type of house



Tanker /truck 2.8

Electricity/Heater 2.3

Tubewell or borewell 2.3

Bio gas/ Gobar gas 1.0



Analysis of the data corresponding to drinking water sources reveals that more than nine out of ten

households (92.5%) were using an improved source of drinking water while the usage of unimproved

sources remained limited to 7.5%. An improved source of drinking water includes, water piped into the

dwelling, yard or plot, water available from a public tap or standpipe, a tube well or borehole, a hand

pump, a protected dug well, a protected spring, and rainwater. The most common improved source of

drinking water was piped water into dwelling yard/plot (63.2%). Close to one-fifth households (19.7%)

obtained their drinking water from public tap/stand pipe, as could be seen from the adjacent table.

All the respondents were further asked whether in their household, purification of drinking water was

being done. Analysis indicates that at an overall level in two-third households (66.9%), drinking water was

purified prior drinking and key method used for purification was ‘straining through a cloth’ (90.7%).

Indicators in context of drinking water and its purification have improved. During the baseline survey,

dependency on public tap was highest (40%) while practice of purifying drinking water was deemed as

‘poor’ and close to two-third households had reported that they do not purify drinking water.

4.5. Household membership in various committees

The survey also accessed membership of respondents/any member of their household in various village

level groups/committee. Mostly the members of the interviewed households were member of at least one

group/committee and a low percentage of households (9%) were identified where none of the member was

a part of any of the group/committee. At an overall level, SHG was a group/committee which had highest

membership percentages. Respondents from more than one third households (36.9%) reported that at least

one member of their household was a member of SHG. This was followed by the membership of household

members in farmers committee (32.5%) and in livestock rearer committee (26.8%). In one household out

of ten, members were also found to be a part of AGLCs (9.9%) and dairy co-operatives (9.6%).

Table 6 Membership of household members in village level groups/ committees

Characteristics All


Women Self Help Group 36.9

Farmers committee 32.5

Livestock rearer committee 26.8

Adolescents Girls Learning Centres (AGLC) 9.9

Dairy Co-operative 9.6

More than two third households (71.4%) were aware about gram sabhas and expect for a little more than

one fifth (21.2%), rest all had attended gram sabhas some or the other time, as could be seen below.

An increased awareness about gram sabhas existed among the households than the baseline survey

where around 64% households were aware about gram sabhas.



Table 7 Awareness about gram sabha and frequency of attending it

Characteristics All

Awareness about gram sabha


Aware 71.4

Not Aware 28.5

Frequency of attending gram sabha

BASE: All households aware about gram sabha 628

Once 26.4

Twice 27.6

Thrice 15.3

Four times 4.8

More than four times 4.8

None 21.2

4.6. Household income levels

The poverty line is the minimum level of income deemed

adequate in a particular country4. The international

poverty line was updated by the World Bank in the year

2015 to US $1.90 a day5 from existing figures of US

$1.25 a day which was based on 2005 purchasing power

parity6.

Mean annual income of household came out to be INR

1,06,494 (US$ 1,6057). The adjacent graph depicts the

classification of the annual household income. As could

be seen, more than one-fourth (27.1%) of the households

had an annual income less than or equal to INR 46,000

(US $693) while around one-fourth (25.8) had an annual

household income between INR 46,001 (US$ 693) to

INR 71,001 (US$ 1,070).

Agriculture contributed most to the household income followed by the contributions from livestock and

wage labour. Mean average income of household from agriculture came out to be INR 73,604 (US$ 1,109)

while that from livestock and wage labour was found as INR 60,986 (US$ 919) and INR 40,604 (US$ 612)

respectively.

4 Ravallion, Martin Poverty freak: A Guide to Concepts and Methods. Living Standards Measurement Papers, The World

Bank, 1992, p. 25 5 "World Bank Forecasts Global Poverty to Fall Below 10% for First Time; Major Hurdles Remain in Goal to End Poverty

by 2030". www.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2015-10-06.

6 Ravallion, Martin; Chen Shaohua & Sangraula, Prem Dollar a day The World Bank Economic Review, 23, 2, 2009, pp.

163-184 7 Value of 1 US$ = INR 66.36, based on exchange rates prevalent on 21st November 2015

27.1

25.812.8

11.7

4.8 3.8

2.3

11.8

Annual household income

Less than or equal to INR 46,000Between INR 46,001 to INR 71,001Between INR 71,002 to INR 96,002Between INR 96,003 to INR 1,21,003Between INR 1,21,004 to INR 1,46,004Between INR 1,46,005 to INR 1,71,005Between INR 1,71,006 to INR 1,96,006INR 1,96,007 and above

Base (All households): 880*Figures in %age

Figure 6 Annual household income

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/10/04/world-bank-forecasts-global-poverty-to-fall-below-10-for-first-time-major-hurdles-remain-in-goal-to-end-poverty-by-2030

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/10/04/world-bank-forecasts-global-poverty-to-fall-below-10-for-first-time-major-hurdles-remain-in-goal-to-end-poverty-by-2030



Chapter 5 : Key Findings – Livestock and

Agriculture



Key findings – Livestock and Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the process of cultivating the soil for growing crops for sustenance and/or economic

gain. The primary aim of agriculture is to make the land productive and to protect it from deterioration and

misuse. Agricultural practices include irrigation, crop rotation, application of fertilizers and pesticides

which have evolved over the years. Agriculture is one of the major occupations of the Indian population,

employing approximately 56% of population.

Livestock farming includes rearing of animals for food and other related uses. It is a key livelihood and

risk mitigation strategy for small and marginal farmers. Livestock rearing has evolved as artificial

insemination, embryo transfer technique and better fodder for the animals which has improved the overall

livestock rearing practices. Livestock rearing helps beneficiaries economically and supplies them food

throughout the year.

5.1. Need for agriculture and livelihood intervention

K-LEAP has helped in changing the prevalent practices and has guided the villagers to adopt newer

methods for improving their lives. There was a need to introduce the agriculture and livestock interventions

in the Kutch district because of the following reasons:

a. High dependence on rain – Kutch region is a rain fed area and agriculture is dependent on rain for

irrigation due to lack of other irrigation facilities. Kutch region is prone to receiving irregular rainfall

which impacts the agriculture produce in that area. This has a direct impact on the income of the

people who rely on agriculture for their livelihood.

b. Lack of preparedness of farmers – Farmers usually purchase and sow the seeds after the first or

second rainfall as they are not prepared for sowing the seeds before the rains. This practice was

followed to avoid loss as it is difficult to predict the rainfall in the region.

c. Animal healthcare – It was difficult to get the services of veterinary doctors in Kutch due to the

huge demand supply gap in the area. For instance, only one veterinary doctor was available for 165

villages in the Kutch region. This made it difficult for villagers to avail the service of the veterinary

doctor who could not cover the entire region.

d. Lack of awareness of government programs – Government has initiated many programs for the

benefit of the people staying in backward and remote areas. But villagers in many areas did not know

about the current programs which had been introduced to benefit them.

e. Market Access – People staying in Kutch had sufficient milk produce but they did not get fair prices

for their produce as they were not linked to the formal dairy market. Villagers had to travel to urban

areas to get feed for their livestock which consumed a lot of their time as well as money.

Target group formation

Participatory Rural Appraisal as a baseline survey was conducted in Kutch district for need

assessment and identifying participants for the program. Farmer and livestock groups were

formed for implementing the program in villages. Villagers already involved in agricultural

activities were selected as members of the farmer group and villagers involved in livestock

rearing formed part of the livestock groups.



Cluster co-ordinators and change agents visited the villages to form groups and a member fee of INR 50

(US$ 0.8) was collected initially from all the participants. A maximum of 25 members were there in each

group.

Incorporation of Producer Company

Virat Rural Agro Producer Company was incorporated with the objective of making the initiatives

sustainable in the long term so that they can remain available for the members even after the completion

of the program. K-LEAP was initiated as a combined effort of CARE, its implementing partner and the

participants with an aim to make it a successful as well as sustainable initiative. The centres started for the

participants are still functional and other services like para vet, milk marketing is continuing.

Producer Company is capable of managing its functions and aims at developing its resources for capacity

building in the region. It has a dedicated team along with appointed directors who are responsible for

managing the day to day affairs of the company.

BEGINNING

It started in January 2012

It is registered under Companies Act

The initial funding for business of INR 15 lakh was given by CARE

It currently has 4,600 members

Monitored by CARE partner (VRTI)

PROJECT INITIATIVES

Centres provide cattle feed to villagers

Revolving fund was created to provide financial support

Para Vet services and training

Milk marketing

Cattle insurance

IMPACT

55 centres for cattle feed

Current turnover is INR 12-15 lakh per centre

Vaccination and artificial insemination has drastically increased

Milk prices have gone up by over INR 20

Training has helped members



Demographic profile of the respondents

The figure on the right depicts the gender wise

distribution of the livestock and agriculture

participants. As could be seen, most of the

participants were ‘male’ (Livestock: 85.8%;

Agriculture: 87.8%). The mean age of the

participants was skewed towards a higher age group

and it came out to be 45 years upon analysis.

As illustrated from the figure below, close to half of

the respondents were ‘more than 45 years of age’

(Livestock: 49.1%; Agriculture: 50.4%). This was

followed by the ones who were in the age group of

35-44 years (Livestock: 26.6%; Agriculture:

30.0%).

Figure 8 Age distribution of the respondents – Livestock and Agriculture

In relation to the highest standard of completed education, it was found that mostly the years of completed

education were ‘one to five’ (Livestock: 32.2%; Agriculture: 33.7%) or ‘less than one’ (Livestock: 29.2%;

Agriculture: 27.8%). As anticipated, while animal husbandry/livestock rearing was the primary occupation

of two-third livestock participants, about one-fifth livestock also mentioned agriculture as their prime

occupation. Among the agriculture participants, agriculture remained the key primary occupation. Mostly

the participants were head of their respective households.

3.4

21.026.6

49.1

2.2

17.430.0

50.4

15 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years More than 45 years

0.0

25.0

50.0

75.0

100.0 Age distribution of respondent

Livestock

(N=268)

Agriculture

(N=272)

*Figures in %age

85.8 87.8

14.2 12.2

Livestock(N=268)

Agriculture(N=272)

0.0

25.0

50.0

75.0

100.0

Male

Female

*Figures

in %age

Figure 7 Gender distribution of respondents

29.2

32.2

21.0

12.4

5.2

Highest education attainment: Livestock

Less than one year

Between 1-5 years

Between 6-8 years

Between 9-12 years

12 years and above

Base (All livestock beneficiaries): 268*Figures in %age


27.8

33.7

23.3

14.8

0.4

Highest education attainment:

Agriculture

Less than one year

Between 1-5 years

Between 6-8 years

Between 9-12 years

12 years and above

Base (All agriculture beneficiaries): 272*Figures in %age




5.2. Key findings – Livestock

Livestock ownership, their breed and milk production:

Information on ownership of different kinds of livestock as well as their morbidity and mortality was

gained from livestock participants in the survey. It was seen that the intervention led to an increase of

livestock ownership and better animal healthcare in the region. In terms of livestock ownership, most of

the participants (83.6%) owned cow followed by two-third who reported an ownership of buffalo (65.8%).

Close to one participant out of ten mentioned owing goat/sheep (11.9%) and bullock (11.9%). ‘Deshi’ as

a breed of livestock was observed to be most famous among livestock participants. Irrespective of whether

the category under consideration was that of a cow or buffalo or goat/sheep, deshi breed of livestock was

prominently owned.

Comparison with the baseline findings indicates an increased number of livestock per livestock

developer. The maximum variation in ownership percentage was that for goat/sheep followed by cow and

buffalo. A drop in morbidity and mortality rates was also evident.

Table 8 Livestock characteristics

Characteristics Main breed Mean Ownership Mean morbidity Mean mortality

BASE: All livestock participants

(N=268) Name % 2007/08 2014 2007/08 2014 2007/08 2014

Cow Deshi 70.2 03 08 01 00 01 00

Buffalo Deshi 46.6 05 11 01 00 00 00

Bullock -- -- 02 02 00 00 00 00

Goat/Sheep Deshi 10.5 22 62 01 01 01 00

Most of the livestock participants reported milk production from livestock [Cow (80.6%)/Buffalo

(59.0%)]. On an average, while cows produced 15.6 litres of milk per day, the corresponding milk produce

remained at 13.3 litres per day from buffalos. Out of the total milk produced, per day on an average, the

participants were able to sell 13.7 litres of cow’s milk and 12.1 litres of buffalo’s milk.

Livestock related income:

At an overall level, more than nine out of ten livestock participants

(91.4%) were satisfied with the income being generated from their

occupation and a little over sixty percent (60.8%) reported that their

household income had increased post their involvement in the K-

LEAP. The key source of income for livestock participants was

‘Milk selling’ and on an average, mean annual income from this

source came out to be INR 70,865 (US$ 1068). Close to half of

participants (45.1%) reported that they had joined K-LEAP in the

year 2007/2008.

As compared to baseline indicators, a higher proportion of participants reported livestock related

income. The satisfaction from the income was also high among the participants. Baseline findings had

indicated that 56% participants had livestock related income while the satisfaction was observed to be

among three-fifth of the surveyed participants.

60.839.2

Increase in HH income post

joining K-LEAP

Yes

No

Base (All livestock

beneficiaries): 268

*Figures in %age

Figure 11 Increase in HH incoming post

joining K-LEAP



Livestock related services:

During the survey, livestock participants were probed regarding the availability of different kinds of

livestock services like fodder bank, livestock feed, trainings on animal husbandry, vaccination, medication,

artificial insemination and breeding/delivery facilities. Frequency of availing these services and the

corresponding satisfaction levels with the services was also inquired.

As could be seen from the table below, ‘vaccines for livestock’ (47.4%), ‘medicines for livestock’ (44.4%)

and ‘poushtik ahar/khan-dan centre’ (42.5%) were the three key livestock related services provided under

K-LEAP about which the participants were most aware. In line with awareness, the percent of availing

these services during past 12 months was also high. Fodder bank, irrespective of a comparatively lower

awareness, reported high availing and nearly half of the respondents (48.1%) who were aware about fodder

bank happened to use its services at least once during the past 12 months. Corresponding to all the livestock

related services provided under K-LEAP, a high amount of satisfaction was also observed, as illustrated

below.

Table 9 Awareness about K-LEAP services and their availing

*: Percentage not reported due to a low base

Less than half of participants (45.5%) were aware about cattle

health camps and close to half of the aware participants (48.4%)

mentioned that these camps are organized at their villages.

‘Vaccination’ and ‘general treatment for small diseases’ were the

main activities conducted during these camps, as reported by 84.8%

and 66.1% participants respectively.

During the survey, livestock participants were probed for

availability of fodder in terms of number of months in an average

year. On an average, the participants have availability of fodder for

seven months. One fourth of participants (25%) also reported that

fodder is available to them throughout the year.

Availability of funding:

Apart from micro finance services, revolving fund was made available to the members for the purchase of

cattle feed from the centres. Members can still avail this facility to purchase cattle feed from the centres

and repay in instalments.

Service Category

Awareness about K-LEAP

services

Availing of the K-LEAP

services

Satisfaction from K-LEAP

services

Base: All

livestock

participants

%

Awareness

BASE: All

aware

participants

% who

availed

services

during past

12 months

BASE: All

who availed

services

during past

12 months

% satisfied

to some

extent

Vaccines for livestock 268 47.4 127 55.9 71 81.7

Medicines for livestock 268 44.4 119 52.9 63 84.1

Poushtik ahar/Khan-dan centre 268 42.5 114 56.1 64 92.2

Training on animal husbandry 268 32.1 86 31.4 27 *

Artificial insemination 268 29.9 80 25.0 20 *

Fodder bank 268 29.5 79 48.1 38 94.7

Breeding/delivery 268 25.4 68 23.5 16 *

45.554.5

Awareness about cattle health

camps

Aware

Unaware

Base (All livestock

beneficiaries): 268

*Figures in %age

Figure 12 Awareness about cattle health

camps



During the baseline survey, most of the above listed livestock services were either not available or if

available, were not accessible. In fact the baseline report stated that participants had even laughed upon

when they were probed regarding the concept of formal training on animal husbandry. Due to efforts made

by K-LEAP project team, today a comparatively higher percentage of the participants are not only aware

about these services but are also availing the services frequently. Increased satisfaction from the services

is also evident among the participants, as could be accessed from the table above.

Presence of the dairy cooperatives and its membership:

During the baseline survey, only 6% of the respondents had reported having dairy in their village and

membership of participants with dairy was observed to be even lower at 1%. The findings from the endline

study indicate that presently close to three-fifth villages (59.3%) have dairy cooperatives and the

membership of participants in these cooperatives have also gone up to one-fourth (24.6%). The presence

of dairy cooperatives was observed to be comparatively higher in the villages of Mundra (86.4%) and

Mandvi (81.0%) blocks.

Milk marketing initiative: The cattle owners were not linked to the formal dairy market but CARE’s

intervention focused on these linkages to improve the household income of livestock owners. They entered

into tie-ups with SARHAD dairy and NDDB for bulk purchase of milk from the Kutch region. A roadmap

was created for each village to ease the process of procuring milk.

This initiative has drastically increased the income earned by cattle owners who now receive a fair price

for their milk produce. Milk prices have increased by over INR 20 (US$ 0.3) as earlier they received up to

INR 15 (US$ 0.2) for each litre but now can get up to INR 40 (US$ 0.6) depending on the fat content of

the milk. Fat content in milk is the deciding factor for the price of milk.

Livestock insurance and loan:

The awareness regarding the livestock insurance and loans for livestock was high but the percentage of

participants who availed these services remained low. In relation to both i.e. insurance as well as loan,

while close to two-third participants (Livestock insurance: 64.2%; Loans for livestock: 63.4%) were aware

about the service; close to one-tenth reportedly availed it (Livestock insurance: 12.2%; Loans for livestock:

15.3%).

Nevertheless, a comparison with the baseline findings indicates a noteworthy increase in both awareness

and availing of these services. Only about 5% participants in the baseline survey carried with them

knowledge about the livestock insurance while the awareness about the concept of livestock loan was

almost non-prevalent.

Milk Marketing has helped us a lot. It has led to an increase in income as well as livestock. We can

be sure that the milk can be sold to the dairy – Livestock group, Nakhatrana

“Convinced the dairy officials to buy milk from the cattle owners in Kutch district and assured them

of the quality and consistency of the milk supplied “– VRTI functionary, Naliya



Table 10 Livestock insurance and livestock loan

Livestock care seeking:

When inquired about how the sickness of livestock is treated when they fall sick, mostly it was reported

that a para-vet is approached for treatment (71.6%). More than one-fourth participants (26.5%) reported

that ‘treatment is done at home only’. More than two-fifth participants (42.5%) mentioned their

involvement in K-LEAP have impacted decision making about the care seeking pathway for livestock.

K-LEAP’s initiatives in animal healthcare were very crucial as the livestock owners in the Kutch region

reported a higher number of deaths and lack of proper veterinary service in the area prior K-LEAP.

a. Para vet services were introduced as part of the K-LEAP study to cater to needs of the cattle owners

who could not receive services from the veterinary doctor. Selected villagers were trained for two

months to provide them the skills and necessary inputs to function as para vet. This enabled the

livestock owners to receive proper healthcare for their cattle which was not the case earlier. Para vets

were trained to provide animal health care services (Example - five para vets trained in Abdasa block)

and were approached by the residents of the Kutch district. Para vet visits currently have gone up to

35 per month.

b. Vaccination and artificial insemination were introduced in Kutch district during K-LEAP. Livestock

regularly received vaccination as part of the K-LEAP and artificial insemination was also undertaken

under the project. The number of livestock covered gradually increased during the time period when

the project was operational. Artificial insemination had increased from 3-4 per month to 40 per month

and cattle vaccination had increased from zero to twice a year on regular basis. Linkage with

government programs helped the participants in receiving free of cost vaccines from the government.

The participants’ perception regarding the usefulness of K-LEAP

in context of decision making regarding care seeking pathway for

livestock was further accessed by capturing their response on a

five pointer scale.

Under the scenarios wherein the participants perceived K-LEAP

as beneficial, they rated it either as ‘1’ or ‘2’ indicating a ‘high

usefulness’ and ‘usefulness to some extent’ respectively. Under

the scenarios where K-LEAP was perceived as non-beneficial in

context of decision making regarding care seeking pathway for

livestock, participants provided a rating of either ‘4’ or ‘5’ which

showed ‘somewhat non-usefulness’ and ‘high non-usefulness’

respectively. All other cases were rated as ‘3’ i.e. neither useful

nor non-useful.

Service Category

Awareness Availing of service

Base: All livestock

participants % Awareness

BASE: All aware

participants % who availed service

Livestock insurance 268 64.2 172 12.2

Loans for livestock 268 63.4 170 15.3

42.557.5

Decision making regarding

care seeking pathway for

livestock and participation in

K-LEAP

Participation was impactful

Participation was non-impactful

Base (All livestock

beneficiaries): 268*Figures in %age

Figure 13 Decision making regarding

care seeking pathway and

participation in K-LEAP

Para vet services have helped as cattle does not fall sick frequently, vaccination is done on a regular

basis – Cattle owner, Abdasa



Overall more than two-third participants (68.3%) perceived that their involvement in the K-LEAP was

useful to some extent in context of livestock’s care seeking pathway related decision making. Close to

one-tenth participants perceived the usefulness of K-LEAP as neither useful nor non-useful. The

proportion of the participants who mentioned it to be non-useful was around one-fifth (19.9%).

Market linkages:

Primarily the produces from livestock were being used by participants for self/household consumption

(37.7%). Dairy Cooperatives (33.2%) and traders (26.5%) were other key consumers of the livestock

products. Particularly in Mundra, Mandvi and Adbasa blocks, the proportion of cooperatives as key

livestock product consumers remained high.

Collective selling of the livestock produces was reported to be very low and one-tenth (10.1%) participants

reported selling of the products through collective. Close to three-fourth participants (72.4%) reported that

the livestock products are sold individually by them without any involvement of middlemen. ‘Dairy

cooperatives’ (23.5%) and ‘Community Based Organizations (CBOs)’ (13.4%) were observed to play the

role of facilitators behind the sale of livestock products.

K-LEAP has helped in providing market access to the participants. Feed or

fodder for livestock was available only in urban areas and villagers had to

travel to these markets to buy cattle feed for their livestock. VRTI, the

implementing partner of CARE’s program in Kutch helped in providing

cattle feed at a nearer location to the participants. VRTI buys the cattle feed

from the market which are sold to the members at a reasonable price through

the centres opened in different villagers. This helps the members save up to

INR 65 (US$ 1) on each bag of cattle feed purchased. It is a successful initiative in the region as many

participants agreed that these centres had made cattle feed procurement easier and cheaper.

Livestock participants and household decision making:

Mostly the household level purchase decisions as well as livestock related purchase decisions were taken

by respondents (Household: 80.2%; Livestock: 75.8%). Comparatively higher percentages were reported

for joint decision making in livestock related purchases (17.5%) than household purchases (12.7%). It was

also reported that milk collection payments were mostly received in the name of participants only (72.4%)

and in around 10% households, milk collection payments were being received in the name of a woman

member of household.

Table 11 Decision making

Key decision maker Decision making in a household

Household related purchases Livestock related purchases

Base: All livestock participants 268 268

Mainly Self 80.2 75.8

Mainly Spouse 4.5 5.6

Jointly 12.7 17.5

Jointly but not with spouse 1.1 0.8

We can now buy cattle

feed at lower rates from

the centre and do not

have to travel far –

Livestock group,

Abdasa



Accessibility to livestock related personnel:

Among various livestock related personnel, para veterinary doctors were the ones about whom maximum

awareness (86.9%) existed among the participants. Their accessibility also remained high and easy. The

awareness and accessibility of ‘jila pashu chikitsa adhikari’8 and other agencies/institutions remained low.

Further, the participants were also probed if they have availed benefits under any government service and

only 5% of all the livestock participants assented to this question.

Table 12 Awareness and accessibility of livestock related personnel

Training and Awareness

a. Awareness programs were conducted for the members regarding scientific agricultural practices

where agriculture specialists were invited to participate and interact with the members. Members were

informed about the best agricultural practices to be adopted for improving the quality of the crops

grown. This has helped the farmers in improving the quality of crops grown in the Kutch region

b. Para vets were trained for two months to provide the necessary skills and knowledge for fulfilling

their responsibilities effectively in the absence of availability of a veterinary doctor

c. Training and awareness programs were also conducted covering any new agriculture practice, usage

of quality seeds and cattle feed as when deemed necessary for the members of livestock and

agricultural groups

8 District Veterinary Officer

Government personnel/

department

Awareness Whether aware before joining

K-LEAP Accessibility

Base: All

livestock

participants

%

Awareness

BASE: All

aware

participants

% aware

before joining

K-LEAP

BASE: All

aware

participants

%

Accessible

Para veterinary doctors 268 86.9 233 78.1 233 77.7

Jila Pashu Chikitsa Adhikari 268 34.7 93 62.4 93 46.2

Other agencies/institutions 268 27.6 74 54.0 74 43.3

Awareness has increased regarding scientific agricultural practices and can buy agricultural

equipment with the help of loan – Farmer, Mundra



5.3. Key findings – Agriculture

Land holding among the participants:

Majority of participants were land holders and the percentage of

landless participants was very low (4.0%). The adjacent figure

shows categorization of agricultural participants into marginal

farmers, small farmers and big farmers. As could be seen, mostly

the participants were marginal farmers (57.7%) i.e. owned less than

or equal to 3.5 hectares of agricultural farm land. Analysis of the

data indicated that the mean agricultural farmland ownership was

3.91 hectares.

The percentage of participants who leased out or leased in the

agricultural land although remained low (14.3% and 3.7%

respectively) and majorly the participants reported that the

agricultural farmland was operated by their household.

Irrigation facilities:

Close to two-third participants (63.9%) reported that an irrigation facility was present in their area. Most

common irrigation facility in the region was ‘well/bore well’ (76.4%) followed by ‘check dams’ (13.22%)

and ‘farm pond’ (12.6%). More than half of the participants (53.3%) have irrigation facility in less than

3.5 hectare of farm area while one-fifth (20.6%) reported it to be present in the farm area of between 3.5

hectares to 7.0 hectares. The mean farm area for which irrigation facility was available came out to be 3.4

hectares.

More than one-third participants (35.7%) had access to irrigation facility in both the cultivation season -

Rabi and Kharif season while around 32% participants had access to irrigation facility in ‘only Kharif’

(32.4%). Close to one-fourth (23.5%) reported access throughout the year.

Cultivation practices and usage of seeds:

Cultivation was observed to be practiced in the region either only during Kharif season (40.0%) or during

both Rabi and Kharif season (39.0%). During the survey, participants were probed regarding the details of

the crops sown during the last one year. As could be seen from the table below, the four major crops which

were sowed and cultivated in the lands of agricultural participants were cotton, cluster bean, castor and

ground nut.

During the survey, farmers were also probed for crop wise types of seeds used and the sources of seed

procurement. It was seen that for cultivation of cotton, castor and ground nut, mostly the participants used

‘hybrid’ seeds while local seeds were being preferred for cultivating cluster bean. BT-Total was the most

common used hybrid seed for cultivating cotton (16.5%) while Gujarat-II was the most common hybrid

seed used for cultivating castor (40.7%) and ground nut (49.0%). The main source for purchasing hybrid

seeds were Agro Service Centres created under K-LEAP. Around seventy percent of the participants who

were involved in cultivation of cotton mentioned Agro Service Centres as a main source for purchasing

hybrid seeds. The corresponding percentages remained at 76.8% and 52.5% among the participants who

cultivated castor and ground nut respectively.

57.7323.54

14.74.0

Agricultural farm land

ownership

Marginal farmers (<=3.5 hectares)

Small farmers (3.6 - 7.0 hectares)

Big farmers (<7.0 hectares)

No land holding

Base (All agriculture

beneficiaries): 272

*Figures in %age

Figure 14 Agricultural farm land

ownership



Table 13 Crop characteristics

During qualitative discussion, it came out that earlier the farmers usually travelled to urban areas to

purchase seeds. Considering this, initially a seed fair was organised for the benefit of the farmers. It

attracted a lot of sellers and buyers as the seeds were available at better prices due to the absence of

middlemen. But unfortunately it did not rain that year which resulted in a loss for all the farmers who had

purchased seeds. The initiative of seed fair was then modified and seeds were purchased in advance by

VRTI officials (implementing partner) to be sold to farmers as and when required. This step led to a

decrease of prices of seeds by INR 25 (US$ 0.4) per bag for the farmers and reduced the overall expenditure

of farmers.

Market linkages and sale of the produces:

Primarily the produces from agriculture were being used by traders (76.8%) and by end users on account

of direct sales (22.1%). Particularly in Lakhapat and Nakhtarana blocks, the proportion of traders as key

consumers remained high as compared to other study implementation blocks.

At an overall level, around eight out of ten agriculture participants

(80.9%) were satisfied with the income being generated from

their occupation. Among the ones dissatisfied, the key reasons for

dissatisfaction were ‘lack of rain’ (46.2%) and ‘not getting proper

market rates’ (30.8%). Little less than half participants (46.0%)

mentioned that various services provided under K-LEAP, helped

them in increasing their income levels.

Collective selling of the agricultural produces was reported to be

low and close to one-fifth (17.3%) participants reported selling of

the products through collective. Mostly the agricultural products

were sold individually by the farmers, as reported by close to

three-fourth participants (73.5%). Close to one-fourth participants (24.6%) mentioned that ‘Community

Based Organizations (CBOs)’ played a role of facilitators behind the sale of their agricultural products.

Noteworthy around 46% respondents also quoted that no body acts as a facilitator to them.

Agriculture related services:

‘SMS based agricultural update’ (50.7%) was the agriculture related service provided under K-LEAP

about which participants were most aware. Among other services, more than one-third respondents knew

about ‘advices on standard packaging practices’ (36.0%) and ‘agriculture service centres’ (34.6%). In line

with awareness, the percentage of the participants who at least once availed services of SMS updates

during the past 12 months was also high, as could be seen in the below table. Corresponding to all the

agriculture related services provided under K-LEAP, a high amount of satisfaction was also observed.

Name of the

Crop

% distribution

of different

types of crop

produced

Mean sowing

area

(in Hectares)

Mean

yield of

the crop

(in Kg)

Mean

market rate

of the crop

per Kg

(in INR)

Type of seed mostly

used for cultivation of

crop and its

percentage usage

The most

common

hybrid seed

used

Cotton 50.0 2.5 100.4 41.6 Hybrid 94.1 BT-Total Cluster bean

(Guvar) 37.9 1.8 53.9 37.5 Local 51.0 --

Castor 37.2 2.3 114.1 37.7 Hybrid 95.8 Gujarat-II

Ground nut 21.0 1.7 68.5 42.0 Hybrid 83.1 Gujarat-II

46.054.0

Increase in HH income post

joining K-LEAP

Yes

No


beneficiaries): 272

*Figures in %age


joining K-LEAP



Table 14 Awareness about K-LEAP services and their availing

During the baseline survey, most of the above listed agricultural services were either not available or

if available, were not accessible. Due to efforts made by K-LEAP project team, awareness is prevalent

among the participants about these services. Further, the aware participants also frequently availed the

services. A high satisfaction from the services is an indication of the successful implementation.

Agricultural techniques adopted by participants:

The percentage of participants who adopted either water

and soil conservation methods or improved farming

practices has been illustrated in the adjacent figure. As

could be seen, nearly one-fifth of the total agricultural

participants mentioned adopting these techniques.

‘Land levelling’ and ‘drip irrigation’ (42.3% each) were

the most common water and soil conservation methods

adopted while ‘organic farming’ (51.8%) and ‘multi

cropping’ (31.5%) were the two improved farming

practices commonly adopted by participants.

CARE along with its implementing partner promoted drip irrigation and

construction of farm bund for the purpose of rain water harvesting. Many

farmers during focused group discussions acknowledged use of these

techniques for agriculture and agreed that these have been useful in improving

their prevalent agricultural practices.

Agriculture land which was not levelled was unsuitable for cultivation so support was provided to the

farmers to solve this issue. Technical and financial support was provided to the farmers to level the land.

Even, farmer’s contributed to the fund used for land levelling which increased the coverage area of the

land levelled.

Similar to the trend observed in context of adopting agricultural techniques, the frequency of the

participants getting their soil tested was low and close to one-fifth participants mentioned that they ever

got the soil tested of their agricultural farm/land. Agro service centres (63.2%) and Vivekanand Research

and Training Institute (VRTI) (17.5%) were the two locations where soil testing was mainly conducted.

Meetings at VRTI were also a key source of technology related inputs being learned by participants.

Service Category

Awareness about

K-LEAP services

Availing of the K-LEAP

services

Satisfaction from

K-LEAP services

Base: All

agriculture

participants

%

Awareness

BASE: All

aware

participant

s

% who

availed

services

during

past 12

months

BASE: All

who

availed

services

during

past 12

months

%

satisfied

to some

extent

Advices on Standard Packaging

Practices 272 36.0 98 34.7 34 97.1

SMS based agricultural updates 272 50.7 138 62.3 86 76.7

Agriculture Service Centres 272 34.6 94 44.7 42 76.2

19.1 19.9

80.9 80.2

Water and soilconservation methods

Improved farmingpractices

0.0

25.0

50.0

75.0

100.0

Yes

No

*Figures in

%age Base (All agricultural beneficiaries):272

Figure 16 Adopting various agricultural techniques

We now grow crops

which need less water,

use drip irrigation for

agriculture – Farmer,

Nakhatrana



Agricultural loans:

A high awareness about agriculture related loans existed among the participants and more than two-third

(66.9%) were aware about it. More than half (52.2%) of the aware participants mentioned taking the

agricultural loans as well. Banks were the key source of these loans, as reported by 95.8% participants.

Table 15 Agricultural loans

Agricultural participants and household decision making:

Mostly the household level purchase decisions as well as agriculture related purchase decisions were taken

by respondents (Household: 84.2%; Agriculture: 86.8%). The trend of the joint decision making in

agriculture related purchase (10.6%) and household purchase (12.5%) was similar. Most of the participants

(61.0%) did not require any permission for spending money at their own disposal. Upon undertaking

gender wise analysis, it was seen mostly the key decision makers were males.


Satisfaction with the income and impact of K-LEAP services on household income

When asked whether the participants were satisfied with the income generated from their occupation, a

majority (80.9%) expressed satisfaction. The respondents who reported a dissatisfaction, were further

asked key reasons behind their dissatisfaction and ‘a lack of rain’ (46.2%) and ‘not getting proper rates’

(30.8%) were the two main reasons quoted for being dissatisfied.

At an overall level, less than half proportion of participants mentioned that their involvement in various

services provided as a part of K-LEAP helped them in increasing their income levels.

Service Category

Awareness Availing of agricultural loan

Base: All agricultural

participants

%

Awareness

BASE: All aware

participants

% who took

agricultural loan

Agricultural loans 272 66.9 182 52.2


Household related purchases Agriculture related purchases

Base: All agriculture participants 272 272



Jointly 12.5 10.7




Understanding the challenges

• Changing the mind-set was a difficult task – The staff members discussed the initiatives personally

with the villagers to explain the benefits and gave examples of other functioning groups to motivate

prospective members.

• Lack of coordination – The groups lacked unity which was an impediment to create the desired

results. Program and block coordinators frequently interacted with the group members to sort out

personal differences.

• Introducing new methods – Initially it was difficult to convince the participants to adopt new and

scientific methods for agriculture as well as animal healthcare. The staff members re-assured the

community members that the entire program was initiated for the benefit of the community.

• Vagaries of nature - Some of the initial initiatives did not work very well due to unforeseen

circumstances. For instance, seed fair was organised for the farmers where they could directly buy the

seeds from the sellers. But it did not rain during that season so the initiative was redesigned to meet

specific needs. Seeds were then bought in advance by CARE’s partner NGO and farmers were able to

get the seeds from the centres.

46.054.0

Whether K-LEAP services

helped in increasing income

Yes

No


beneficiaries): 272

*Figures in %age


joining K-LEAP

80.9

19.1

Satisfaction from generated

income

Yes

No


beneficiaries): 272

*Figures in %age

Figure 18 Satisfaction from the income

generated from occupation



Chapter 6 : Key Findings – Micro Finance



Key findings – Microfinance

Microcredit has been proclaimed as a tool to lift poor people,

particularly women, out of poverty, by providing access to credit to

fund business endeavours. Microcredit has subsequently expanded into

microfinance, which consists of offering a variety of financial products

to poor customers, including savings products, pension products,

insurance products, and credit for non-business expenditures. This can

provide them greater opportunity to improve their financial situation,

prepare for the future, and offset financial risk, much like the

traditional finance sector (Micro finance vision report, 2012). Micro finance institutions are seen to act as

a vehicle of inclusive growth for the low income households to help them build a sustainable livelihood.

Today the microfinance sector plays an important role in providing access to financial services to the

marginal sections of the society in India.

6.1. Need for micro finance

There was lack of access to financial services in the Kutch district. Banking services were

not available in every village and banks required collateral security for giving loans.

Relatives of the villagers could lend only a limited amount of money and villagers were

highly dependent on money lenders for credit who charged an exorbitant rate of up to 5

per cent per month. Micro finance was introduced in the Kutch district as an alternate

reliable source to obtain loans and empower women by providing them an opportunity to

become self-reliant and self-dependent.

6.2. Microfinance Federation

Microfinance federation had its humble beginning in the year 2012. It was registered under Section 80G

in December 2014. It was incorporated with a long term goal of providing financial services in the entire

region of the Kutch district. The federation offers multiple kinds of credit and credit plus services to its

members. Technical and financial support for its operations was provided by CARE. It is a sustainable

organisation as it is independently operated and has a dedicated team along with appointed directors to

manage the day to day operations of the federation.

The federation has managed to win the trust of the participants as a reliable source to obtain loans. There

are currently 506 self-help groups in the Kutch region with over 5,000 SHG members. Household income

has increased with the help of loans as money is available for investments. This has led to an increase in

the self-worth and respect of women. Awareness regarding healthcare, education, current affairs has risen

due to frequent interaction in group meetings.



Key Operations of MF federation

a. Self Help Groups – Groups known as SHGs comprising of only women members are formed with a

maximum of 20 members in a group. Each women deposits INR 50 (US$ 0.8) initially as member fee.

Leaders are elected for each group who are responsible for managing the functioning of the groups.

Address and identification proof of each member is required to be submitted to become a part of the

Self-help group.

b. Credit services – Education loan, loan for income generation activities and loan for health related

needs are made available to the members of the SHGs. The loan amount is capped at three times the

amount of savings of the group. The amount saved by the members is deposited in the bank account

opened for each SHG.

c. Credit plus services – Insurance coverage is available for each member by paying a premium of INR

170 (US$ 3) per year. Accidental insurance coverage is provided which pays up to INR 1 lakh (US$

1507) to the member depending on the severity of the injury. Health insurance is also available. The

federation has tied-up with Royal Sundaram for insurance. Pension service is also available for the

members.

d. Monitoring - Every transaction is noted down in the manual registers given to the groups and the

federation officials. Monthly meetings of the groups are conducted to discuss the progress as well as

functioning of the groups. Tally software is used for recording all the transactions. The block co-

ordinators and SHG officials frequently visit the villages where the SHGs have been formed.

e. Repayment- Monthly payment is made as per the pre-decided schedule for each group. The maximum

period for repayment is three years for all loans except agriculture loan which has to repay within six

months.

f. Utilisation of financial services - Group members have obtained loans for different purposes like

agriculture, buying sewing machine, education of children and other income generation & consumption

activities as shared by the members during focused group discussions. As per the data collected, 44

percent of the respondents reported taking a loan during the last three years. Out of these members, 33

percent had used loan for production purposes, 47 percent used it for consumption while around one

fifth (20 percent) used it for health, education or fixed assets related purchases.

“We did not go out often and never too far but now we travel to different places to attend meetings

all by ourselves…….this has helped us break our inhibitions of talking to unknown places and

vising new places” – SHG members, Abdasa

“It has helped change the mind set of women and their family members as women now as they get

an opportunity to get involved in income generating activities and interact with people with

different attitudes which creates an impact” – Block Co-ordinator, Lakhapat



6.3. Demographic profile of the respondents

All the interviews under the microfinance category were conducted with female participants whose mean

age was skewed towards higher age group. As illustrated from the figure below, one-third participants

(33.6%) were ‘more than 45 years of age’ followed by the ones who were in the age group of 35-44 years

(30.9%). The mean age of participants upon analysis came out to be 39 years. More than nine out of ten

micro finance participants were currently married (94.1%).

In terms of the highest standard of completed education, it was found that mostly the years of completed

education were ‘less than one’ (37.1%) or were ‘one to five’ (26.1%). When asked about primary

occupation, close to two-third participants reported being housewife (65.5%) apart from their involvement

in micro-finance activities.

6.4. Self Help Group characteristics

Agency who started SHG and participant’s association with SHG:

Almost all the participants (99.0%) mentioned that their SHGs were initiated/started by NGO/VRTI. In

Mandvi and Adbasa blocks, all the SHGs were reportedly started by NGO/VRTI. Most of the participants

had a long associated with their respective SHGs and chiefly the time period was more than four years

(56.4%). While the trend remained almost similar across all the blocks, only in Mundra a variation was

observed and close to four out of ten participants reported their association to be less than 12 months

(39.1%).

Table 17 Initiation of SHG

Characteristic

Base: All microfinance participants 312

NGO/VRTI 99.0

Government 0.3

Banks 0.6

37.1

26.1

23.5

10.8

2.6

Highest education attainment:

Microfinance

Less than one year

Between 1-5 years

Between 6-8 years

Between 9-12 years

12 years and above

Base (All microfinance beneficiaries): 312*Figures in

%age


8.127.4

30.9

33.6

Age distribution: Microfinance

15 to 24 years

25 to 34 years

35 to 44 years

More than 45 years


%age

Figure 19 Distribution of age: Microfinance

participants

13.112.5

7.110.9

56.4

Time since member of SHG

Less than 12 months

Between 12 to 23 months



More than 48 months

Base (All microfinance beneficiaries): 312*Figures

in %age

Figure 21 Time since member of SHG



Activities carried out by SHG:

‘Savings and credits’ was the key activity carried out by more than half of the SHGs (54.0%) of whom the

participants were member of. This was followed by the SHGs doing ‘only savings’ (44.7%) as an activity.

Few percentages were also recorded corresponding to ‘group enterprise’ (4.8%) and social activities

(3.5%).

Table 18 Key activities carried out by SHG

Key activities of SHG


Savings and credits 54.0

Only savings 44.7

Group enterprise 4.8

Social activities 3.5

Motivator behind participant’s joining of SHG:

It was observed that the K-LEAP project team was a key motivator behind the participants’ decision for

joining the SHGs. ‘Self-decision’ also directed participants to join SHGs (45.5%). Among the other key

motivators were spouse (31.4%) and friends/neighbours (30.8%).

Table 19 Key motivators behind joining the SHG

Key activities of SHG


K-LEAP project team 50.3

It was a self - decision 45.5

Spouse 31.4

Friends/ Neighbours 30.8

Size of SHGs and their functioning:

Mostly the size of SHG, as reported by participants, was between ‘11 to 15 members’ (43.9%) and the

mean size of SHGs came out to be 13. One-third participants also reported the size of their SHGs as

between ‘5 to 10 members’.

Almost all the participants (99.4%) reported that they

know all the members of their group. Monthly meetings of

SHGs were common and when participants were asked

about the frequency of meetings of the group, close to nine

out of ten participants mentioned it as ‘at least monthly’

(87.5%). An active participation of members in these

meetings was evident from a high ‘yes’ percentage

(96.8%) recorded corresponding to the question ‘Do you

attend these meetings?’. Further, the participation of

members was also regular as nearly 83% participants who

attended these meetings reported that their frequency of

participating was ‘regular’.

4.5 6.1

87.5

0.6

Frequency of SHG meetings

At least Weekly

At least Fortnightly

At least Monthly

Less frequent

They never happen


%age

Figure 22 Frequency of SHG meetings



The frequently held SHG meetings have provided the women folk a freedom to step out of their houses in

Kutch district. Women frequently come out of their homes to attend meetings at different places,

something which was not in practice earlier. This is a welcome change as they are no longer confined to

the four walls of their homes. This has definitely provided them freedom in terms of moving out of their

homes for their own work and independence of completing their tasks themselves.

As earlier stated, savings as an activity was being carried out by SHGs and the frequency was ‘monthly’.

On an average, INR 141.1 (US$ 2) was reported as being saved by the members per month. More than

two-third participants (68.9%) said that they received any training on SHG. Skill/vocational training

(85.6%) and training on conducting meetings (27.9%) were the key trainings received.

Table 20 Type of training received

Type of trainings

Base: All microfinance participants who received training 215

Skill / vocational training 85.6

Conducting meetings 27.9

Group enterprise 16.7

Leadership training 9.8

Linkage of SHGs with banks and other agencies:

When probed for the bank account information of their SHGs, more than eight out of ten participants

(83.9%) mentioned that their SHG had its own separate bank account and period of opening these bank

accounts was observed to be mostly post launching of the K-LEAP i.e. post 2008 (94.0%). High

percentages of SHGs were also observed to be lending money to the members (90.7%) while close to one-

third SHGs (31.1%) had received loans from any external sources. SHG federation, ideated as a part of K-

LEAP was the main source of loan to the SHGs (54.6%) followed by the banks (44.3%).

When asked about types of loan taken during past three years, participants mostly mentioned it as

consumption loans (47.1%) and production loans (33.1%). SHG groups and SHG federation were the key

sources of loans for the participants, as could be seen from the table below. Mostly the participants get the

credit as per the amount needed (85.3%).

Table 21 Type of loan taken by respondents during past three years

Type of loan

Type of loan Base: All

who took the

loan by type

of loan

Key sources of loan

Base: All

microfinance

participants who

took a loan

% who took

loan by type of

loan

Source

1 % Source 2 %

Consumption loans 136 47.1 64 SHG 79.7 SHG federation 7.9

Production loans 136 33.1 45 SHG 48.9 SHG federation 24.4

“Women are respected more by the family members……..they were not allowed to leave their homes

earlier but now go out frequently to attend meeting” – SHG members , Abdasa



Participants and household decision making:

Mostly the household level purchase decisions as well as livelihood related purchase decisions were taken

by spouse of participants (Household: 61.9%; Livelihood: 57.7%). In terms of decision making, the power

also rested with participants, although in lesser proportions (Household: 18.9%; Livelihood: 17.6%).


Women also stated during the discussions that their involvement in household decisions has slightly

improved as they had also started to contribute to the household income.

More than three-fourth participants (77.6%) reported that various services provided by K-LEAP helped in

increasing their income levels. The presence of Microfinance federation is certainly important to create an

enabling environment for the members. It has made a positive change in the areas of its intervention.

Access to finance has led to an improvement in the overall household income of the members as stated by

them during group discussions. The members said that they had used the additional income in improving

their overall standard of living.

Initial Challenges faced by MF federation

a. Members were not ready to pay service charges initially

b. Villagers did not trust and support any kind of financial scheme or initiative as they had been duped

by fraud companies earlier

c. It was difficult to convince women to form groups as they had not stepped out of their homes to

participate in such initiatives before

d. Most of the villagers were illiterate so it was difficult to explain the benefits of SHG formation

Future goals

a. Hostel to be constructed for adolescent girls in the future

b. Building sanitation facilities at the premises of the members with the help of the loan

c. To increase the numbers of SHG members beyond 10,000

d. To cover the entire region of Kutch in the future

e. They intend to build a mall for handicrafts in the future

f. Introduction of initiatives in the healthcare and education sectors

Insurances and National Pension Scheme (NPS):


Household related purchases Livelihood related purchases

Base: All microfinance participants 312 312



Jointly 15.4 19.9


“I feel proud of myself as I can contribute to decisions which impact my family” – SHG member,

Mandvi

“Every member contributes in the decision making of the loan disbursement of the group which

makes them feel an important part of the group” – Block Co-ordinator, Abdasa



Awareness about insurance was seen among more than two-third participants (66.4%). Maximum

awareness was observed among the respondents from ‘Mandvi’ where more than three-fourth were aware

about insurances. ‘Life insurance’ (87.0%), ‘accident insurance’ (52.7%) and ‘health insurance’ (40.1%)

were the types of insurance respondents were most familiar with. Knowledge regarding ‘livestock

insurance’ and ‘crop insurance’ was low and close to one-tenth respondents were aware about them

(livestock insurance: 11.6%; crop insurance: 7.7%). Practice of adopting insurance was on a lower side as

compared to awareness and while 46% participants mentioned that any member in their household is

covered by life insurance, corresponding percentage for health insurance was around 15%.

In relation to National Pension Scheme (NPS), low awareness was observed and only around 15%

participants were aware about it. The enrolment in NPS was further low and only four percent out of the

total aware participants reported that they were currently enrolled in NPS.

66.4

33.0

Awareness about insurances

Aware

Unaware

Base (All microfinance

beneficiaries): 312*Figures

in %age

Figure 24 Awareness about insurances

14.7

85.3

Awareness about National Pension

Scheme

Aware

Unaware

Base (All microfinance

beneficiaries): 312

*Figures

in %age

Figure 23 Awareness about National Pension

Scheme



Chapter 7 : Key Findings – Education



Key findings – Education

Education is one of the best ways to empower women to lead a life of dignity and self-reliance. Access to

basic education for girls can create a huge impact in the lives of girls as it enables them to make genuine

choices to lead a worthy and happy life. It can create hope of a better future for girls by removing inequality

and gender discrimination. Thus, it is necessary to support basic education for girls which will also help

fulfil other development objectives.

Despite progress in recent years, girls continue to suffer severe disadvantage and exclusion in education

systems throughout their lives9. They still remain excluded from the education systems and face various

restrictions and barriers throughout their lives.

6.1. Need for education initiative

The girls in Kutch faced similar discrimination and were likely to drop out of schools due to the burden of

household work or financial difficulties. Many girls were not sent to school due to the load of household

chores and others faced prejudices like girls in a particular community do not study. These beliefs and

work responsibilities acted as a debilitating handicap for the girls who wanted to complete school. Many

of them dropped out of school and never completed their education due to other priorities.

The education initiative by CARE aimed at bridging the gap of education, developing skills in girls,

improving the teaching methods, providing study materials for improved learning and overall

improvement in the education levels of students especially girls in Kutch district. The programme program

worked with formal school children, established Adolescent Girls Learning Centres (AGLCs), supported

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and trained School Management Committee (SMC) members.

Profiling of children

Across all the surveyed households, education profile was created for children and adolescents who were

in the age group of six years to twenty years. Analysis indicated that in total, four out of ten such children

were male while remaining were females. Close to two-third of them (65.1%) were continuing their

schooling and ‘government/local body schools’ were the most common schools to which more than eight

out of ten children (86.0%) in this age group were going to.

Among the ones who were currently going to any school, the percentage of children who were studying in

between 5th -7th standard (33.0%) and the ones who were studying in standard 8th or more (32.4%) were

maximum and were nearly equal.

9 http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html

3.89

26.7 29.5

38.9

5.8

31.636.3

26.3

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pre-primary class Between class 1-4 Between class 5-7 Class 8 or above

Current education standards by gender

Male

Female

Base (All HH members in the age group of 6 to 20 years who were going to school): 312*Figures in %age

Figure 25 Current education standards



In order to access the dropout rates, questions were further administered in context to the children who

were not presently continuing their education. Analysis of the collected data showed that close to nine out

of ten such children (87.9%) who were not currently continuing their education had attended a school

earlier and dropping out of the school was a key reason behind discontinuing education. Reasons behind

dropouts/discontinuance in education were further explored and ‘required help in domestic chores’

(27.6%) and ‘poverty/economic reasons’ (16.7%) were the key reasons stated for dropouts/discontinuance

in education.

Among all the children in the age group of 6 to 20 years, the dropout percentage came out to be 29.8%.

Completion of education up to standard 8th was observable pre-dropping out and among the children who

were not currently pursuing studies, maximum percentage reported that they discontinued education post

completing class 8th (32.2%). This was followed by the percentages that discontinued education post

completing class 7th and class 6th (23.0% each).

Overall, among all the households covered under education category, 70% households had a child which

was currently studying in primary school. Mother/Primary care giver of all such children was administered

questions in order to access the prevalent education scenario at the schools being covered under K-LEAP.

In the remaining households, presence of an adolescent girl was observed and relevant sections of the

questionnaire were addressed to the mother/primary care giver of the adolescent girls in order to gauge the

scenario of AGLCs – another educational component of K-LEAP.

6.2. Education scenario in primary schools

Parents of close to seven out of ten primary school respondents (68.2%) told that they regularly visited

their child’s school either on a monthly basis (39.1%) or less frequently than quarterly (41.0%).

Child development activities were common at

schools and most common such activities were

‘games/drama/melas/picnic’ (81.6%), ‘cultural

activities’ (66.9%) and ‘physical development

activities’ (50.7%). Among other such activities were

‘organizing parents meeting/performance reviews’

(47.8%) and ‘cognitive and language development

activities’ (39.0%). Participation of parents in these

activities was found to be regular and in line with their

frequency of school visits.

Close to six out of ten parents of primary school going child (57.1%) mentioned that they were aware

about community seminars organized by CARE as a part of K-LEAP and more than half such parents

confirmed that their child had ever participated in these seminars (53.4%). Quarterly (34.1%) was the most

common frequency of organizing such seminars, as per the respondents.

It was observed that school teachers were most frequent visitors to the children’s house in related to their

education. SMC members also frequently visited children’s house and more than one-third respondents

asserted regarding their visits.

88.3

11.7

Child development activities at schools

Organized

Not organized

Base (All HH having a primary school

going child): 154*Figures in

%age

Figure 26 Child development activities at schools



Table 23 Household visits of key personnel in relation to child’s education

A high awareness about SMCs was also observed among the participants and close to six out of ten

respondents (57.1%) mentioned that they were aware about

SMCs. When asked about number of members in SMCs,

while 30% respondents did not know the answer, more than

one-third (35.2%) reported it to be twelve. Mostly the

respondents said that ‘both parents of the child’ were eligible

to be a part of SMC (80.7%). This was followed by the

opinion that Pradhan of village in which school is located is

eligible (44.3%). A little over than one-third (34.1%) also

said that head teacher is eligible to be a part of SMC. Close

to one-fourth respondents (23.9%) were currently a part of

SMC and close to two-third (61.9%) amongst them were a

member of SMC since 2014.

Viewpoints of the primary care giver of primary school going children were also collected in relation to

various services provided as a part of K-LEAP. As could be seen from the responses presented via the

below table, mostly the respondents carried a positive attitude in relation to various K-LEAP services.

Table 24 Viewpoint regarding various services under K-LEAP

6.3. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) and Primary Schools

KGBV is a special residential schools started by the government under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

umbrella program, for older girls from socially disadvantaged communities who were never enrolled in or

had to drop out of primary school. The overall goal of the proposed project, operational through CARE

India, is to enhance teacher capacity and improve the teaching methods as well as focus on quality learning

in schools.

The education initiative of CARE also covered other primary schools where the learning materials were

provided and a regular onsite support was provided to enhance the learning of the students. The education

initiative aimed at improving the quality of learning in schools and improving the teaching methods in

schools.

Household visit by different personnel

Base: All HH having a primary school going child 154

School teacher 65.6

Members of School Management Committee 37.0

K-LEAP team members 31.8

Gram Pradhan/village heads 22.7

Frontline workers (AWW) 39.0

Viewpoint regarding various services under K-LEAP

Base: All HH having a primary school going child 154

K-LEAP is helping to increase the school enrolment rates 68.2

K-LEAP is helping to motivate people for sending their children back to school 54.6

K-LEAP is helping to encourage girl child enrolment 63.6

K-LEAP is spreading knowledge regarding Right to Education 39.6

K-LEAP is creating awareness regarding importance of education 40.2

K-LEAP is making parents more responsible for education of their children 46.8

K-LEAP is helping to create awareness for regular school functioning 41.6

57.142.9

Awareness about SMCs

Aware

Unaware

Base (All HH having a primary

school going child): 154

*Figures in

%age

Figure 27 Awareness about SMCs



6.4. Classroom observations

Classroom observation tools including educational process form and school environment community form

were used to get information regarding the functioning of the KGBVs in the Kutch region.

The educational process form provided information like the girls enrolled in schools, usage of learning

materials, infrastructural facilities and other things like the food and the management of the school. It was

observed that science and maths kit were being used for teaching the students, stationary & text books

were available for the girls, time tables were given to the girls, different teaching methods were being used

in classroom and there were multiple opportunities in the form of fairs, competitions, activities available

for the girls to participate. A separate library was not available at the KGBV though the primary schools

had libraries for their students. Separate computers were not available for the students at KGBV. Girls

agreed to helping each other with the lessons and participating in different activities in the school. They

enjoyed these activities and morning assembly now included various new initiatives like songs,

storytelling, news reading, physical activity and drama which made them interesting.

The school environment community form included information like the support provided, physical status,

daily utility, food expenses, menu in the school, meetings held in the school, participants in these meetings,

agenda of the meetings, linkage of the agenda of the meetings with the next meeting’s agenda and

community seminars organised in the school. It was observed that safe drinking water, bedding set,

uniform and electricity supply was available in the school. Daily utility things like the bathing soap,

detergent, oil, toothpaste and stationary was available in the school for the girls. Monthly staff meetings

were organised at the school which covered teaching-learning materials, financial issues, residential

facilities, children related issues, and infrastructure and community related topics as part of the discussions.

Also, the staff from the school had attended meeting at the district which covered capacity building,

training for the staff, financial issues, children and community related issue. School management

committee meetings were also regularly held which included parents and teachers as participants. These

meetings specifically focused on teaching learning methods and children related issues as part of the

meetings.

6.5. Impact – KGBVs and Primary Schools

Education initiative has created an impact in the lives of the participants by improving the quality of

learning and teaching methods. Better teaching methods help in developing the interests of students in

schools as they find it easy to grasp the contents of different subjects.

Improved teaching methods

As part of the program, newer techniques and ways of imparting knowledge were introduced in schools to

make it simpler for the students to learn. Tips and learning methods initiated by the program have held the

students in good stead as it has made learning easier for them. For instance, one of the tips given to teacher

was to use things to help students learn counting in school. Math and science kits given to schools made

learning interesting for students. Charts were given to these schools to help the students learn better along

with the learning materials provided for different classes.

Quality of learning



The quality of teaching improved as better learning methods were adopted in schools and students were

more receptive to imbibe the material given to them. For instance, the girls stated that methods like charts

and kits had helped them learn better and simplified the subjects for them. Students are able to read and

write better and the overall quality of studies in school improved.

Class room Management

The co-ordinators of CARE provided techniques for conducting the classes in an enabling manner thereby

managing the classes better. One such suggested technique required that teacher sits along with the

students. This was aimed at making students free to express themselves and ask questions without

inhibitions. It was observed that the technique resulted in gradually enabling the speaking ability of the

students in front of teachers and openly expresses their opinions.

Self-worth

Education empowers people and provides them an opportunity to lead a life of dignity. Girls acknowledged

an increase in confidence and ability to handle things all by themselves during the discussions. This helped

them value themselves more than before as they gained confidence to interact with people and express

themselves freely.

Opportunity for students

Support was provided for Bal Sabha and fairs organised for students. Girls who perform well were

appreciated for their work. Various competitions which were organized as a part of initiative such as debate

and essay writing helped in personality development. Sports activities including different kind of games

are part of the school curriculum which helps the students unwind as well as enjoy at school. Teacher and

students interaction has increased which has helped the students express themselves freely. Skill

development is also a focus in schools which helps the girls learn skills which can help them earn a

livelihood.

Effective tools and methods

There were various activities which transformed and contributed to the school improvement as part of the

program. The charts and kits were one of the effective ways to simplify the learning process for the

students. Visual medium always makes it easier to grasp things faster and they are retained by the students

for a longer term. The introduction of various activities in school helped build the overall personality of

students. The cultural and sports activities made learning interesting for the students. Students were

appreciated for their good work which acted as a motivation for them to perform better.

“A twelve year old girl who belonged to the tribal community was admitted to KGBV who had

never gone to school before. She had to be taught the basics of hygiene like bathing every day,

brushing every day and other activities which she gradually learned. She now can read as well as

write” – KGBV teacher, Naliya

Bal Sabha, Meena manch are organised for the students……..essay writing, sports, singing, dance

competitions are also conducted and best performances are awarded – Primary school teacher,

Mandvi



6.6. Scenario among adolescent girls

Four out of ten surveyed households under education

segment (40.9%) had a presence of an adolescent girl who

is/was benefitted by Bal Sakhi Kendra/Adolescent Girl

Learning Centre (AGLC). When asked about year in which

these AGLCs were created, more than one-third

respondents reported ‘2013’ (34.4%). However a very low

percentage of respondents (10%), mentioned that these

AGLCs were currently functional.

K-LEAP team members were the key motivators (83.3%)

behind making the household members send adolescent

girls to Bal Sakhi Kendras. School teachers (30%) and

frontline workers (AWWs) (12.2%) were other key motivators behind adolescents attending these schools.

Mostly skill based trainings (95.6%) and sports related activities (78.9%) were reportedly conducted at the

AGLCs.

6.7. Adolescent Girls Learning Centres

AGLCs were introduced according to CARE’s objectives as a ray

of hope for adolescent girls who never had an opportunity to go to

schools or dropped out in early stage. These were started as

alternative learning centres for education of adolescent girls through

teaching literacy and numeracy skills up to primary level. These

centres provided an opportunity for girls to receive skill based

trainings to be able to earn a livelihood for their family. Health

trainings were also conducted for the members. Various activities

like assemblies, bicycle riding, other sports activities and exposure visits were also conducted for the

adolescent girls. These centres are still functional in Kutch district, Gujarat where all these activities are

still conducted. A total of 15 centres were introduced in the Kutch region as part of the programme.

AGLC mentors are responsible for teaching the girls and overseeing the proper functioning of these

centres. These centres have raised the hopes of these disadvantaged girls who did not have an opportunity

to complete their education due to various impediments. They are now capable of handling basic

calculations, have gained exposure to the outside world and their confidence has gradually increased after

becoming part of the learning centres.

Table 25 Key activities conducted at AGLCs

Key activities

Base: All HH having an adolescent girl benefitted by K-LEAP 90

Skill based training: Designing, Silai etc. 95.6

Sports related (Cycling, Badminton, Carom) 78.9

Educational visits to places outside district 52.2

Health trainings for adolescent girls 48.9

Prize distribution 33.3

Radio speaking activity 24.4

8.9

12.2

22.2

18.9

2.2

34.4

1.1

DK/CS

2007

2010

2011

2012

2013

2015

0.0 20.0 40.0

Year of formation of AGLCs

AGLC

Year

Base (All HH having an adolescent

girl benefittetd by K-LEAP): 90

*Figures in

%age

Figure 28 Year of formation of AGLCs



Literary skills (94.4%), livelihood skills (77.8%) and life skills (55.6%) were the three key skills gained

by adolescent girls at these AGLCs as per the viewpoint of the respondents. The key motives behind

making an adolescent girl join AGLC came out to be ‘making her learn skills necessary for day to day life’

(72.2%) and ‘making her learn livelihood skills’ (71.1%). Four out of ten respondents also mentioned that

they send adolescent girls to AGLCs in order to make them gain self dependency (42.2%).

AGLCs provide skill based training to the girls to help them learn basic skills

needed to earn a livelihood as depicted in the table above. For instance, a 15

day training programme was organised for the mentors of the AGLCs with an

aim of developing the tailoring skills of girls in the learning centres. Apart

from this, health training was provided where issues like health hygiene,

reproductive system, and physical changes at adolescent age, importance of

nutritious food and information regarding the menstrual cycle was covered.

These trainings were liked by the girls, as acknowledged during the focused

group discussions.

In almost all the households (98.8%) where an adolescent girl

was benefitted from AGLC and a younder sibling was present,

the younger sibling got motivated regarding education. High

percentage of respondents (71.1%) mentioned that motivation

regarding enrolment in KGBY was provided at these AGLCs.

However the percentage of adolescent girls who joined

KGBV remained low at 5% and data reveals that a girl’s

requirement in household chores was one of the key reasons

stated behind her not joining KGBV. Cultural reasons and girl

joining livelihood activities were other key stated reasons in

this context.

98.8

1.2

Motivation of younger siblings for

education

Motivated

Not motivated

Base (All HH having an adolescent

girl benefittetd by K-LEAP and also

have girl's younger sibling): 86

*Figures in

%age

Figure 29 Motivation of younger siblings for

education

Impact of AGLCs on aspiration

and perception

for education

Very high impact

(32.2%)

High impact

(34.4%)

Medium impact

(24.4%)

Low impact

(6.7%)

Very low impact

(2.2%)

At an overall level, more than two-third

participants perceived that AGLCs highly

impacted their aspiration and perception for

education.

“One of the girls enrolled in AGLC did not

know how to read and write but now is

capable of handling the household budget all

by herself. Moreover, she has pledged that her

brother and sister will definitely complete

school though she did not get that

opportunity” – Block Co-ordinator, Abdasa



6.8. Impact of AGLCs

Desire to attend school

Girls drop out from school inadvertently due to other household

commitments and lose out an opportunity to create a worthwhile life for

themselves. AGLCs were started with an intention to provide basic education

to adolescent girls who drop out or do not get a chance to study in schools.

These girls learn basic reading and writing skills at these centres, build

friendships with other girls, receive vocational trainings, participate in

various activities and gain an exposure to the outside world. AGLCs adopt

interactive methods which makes learning fun for these girls. This created a

desire in them to join the formal education system and complete their

education as they realized the importance of learning in their lives. Further an impact in the mind set of

girls as well as their families was created who started supporting their education for the betterment of their

lives.

Increase in confidence

Girls learned new things and imbibed qualities from each other through regular interactions at the learning

centres. Site visits to places like the police stations, markets in urban areas gave them exposure and helped

in broadening their horizons. They gained different skills at the learning centres through the knowledge

and training imparted to them by the mentors. This gradually increased their ability to speak as they shed

their inhibitions and eventually their confidence increased.

Literary and Numeracy skills

The techniques adopted at the learning centres have made learning interesting for the members and have

provided them basic reading and writing skills to complete their day to day chores without depending on

others. For instance, they can now handle their household budgets without anyone’s help and can calculate

their income and expenditure of milk production to help their parents. This seems a small achievement but

it creates a huge difference in their lives as it eventually leads to an increase in the self-worth of these girls.

The girls shared their personal stories of managing the household budgets all by themselves and being able

to do the income as well as expenses calculations for their parents during the focused group discussions.

These centres have surely provided them an opportunity to explore newer things and learning skills which

they otherwise would never have been available to them.

Around eight-nine girls

have joined formal

schools after becoming

members of the

Adolescent girls

learning centres at

Naliya-VRTI,

functionary

“There were girls enrolled in AGLCs who had never gone out of the villages. We took them for

exposure to Naliya to show them the police station, important district places to increase their

knowledge” – VRTI functionary, Naliya

“Activites like sports, singing, dancing make learning fun and help us in shedding our inhibitions” –

Adolescent girls, Abdasa



Skill based training

AGLCs provide skill based training to the girls to help them learn basic skills

needed to earn a livelihood. A 15 day training programme was organised for

the mentors of the AGLCs with an aim of developing the tailoring skills of

girls in the learning centres. Apart from this, health training was provided

where issues like health hygiene, reproductive system, and physical changes

at adolescent age, importance of nutritious food and information regarding the

menstrual cycle was covered. These trainings were liked by the girls, as

acknowledged during the focused group discussions.

Family support

Education of women is possible only with an active support of their families else they generally tend to be

bound by the domestic responsibilities. It was very difficult to convince the parents of adolescent girls in

the initial stage when the learning centres had just started. VRTI (CARE’s implementing partner)

functionaries had to personally interact with the parents to convince them to send their girls to these centres

and inform them about the various advantages of becoming a member of these centres. After some initial

hesitation, they did agree to send their daughters and were glad that they had sent their girls to these centres

which had created a positive impact in their lives.

Overall improvement in life

It is imperative to lead a well-rounded life and education plays an important role in achieving an overall

happy life. Girls feel an improvement in their overall life after joining these centres as they not only gain

basic reading and writing skills but also gain exposure to various activities. These girls agreed to learning

newer skills and gaining knowledge by becoming members of these AGLCs as shared by them during the

discussions conducted in Abdasa and Lakhpat blocks of Kutch.

6.9. School Management Committees (SMCs)

SMCs exist for the benefit of the students at school and their parents. These committees comprise of 70

per cent women. Almost all the schools have a school management committee and meetings are held

regularly to solve the issues at school or discuss topics related to the schools. Parents who are members of

the SMCs have been imparted training on the provision of the Right to Education Act with reference to

the responsibility and role of SMCs.

Functioning of SMCs

Regular meetings are held for the SMC members with a different agenda for each of these meetings. These

SMCs function involve the development of the students and discussing activities as well as topics related

to their growth in school. Cultural, sports activities, singing, dance and disaster management presentation

were conducted for the students. The SMC members motivate children to participate in various

competitions and activities conducted at school. The formation of SMC has helped in involving the parents

in the activities of the school and motivating the children to perform better at school. Students are

appreciated and awarded for their good work. For instance, Aaj ka Gulab award is given to the children

who maintain cleanliness.



Understanding the challenges

• Convincing parents - Most common reason for low admission of girls in schools is lack of social

support. They are not allowed to leave homes and safety is another issue. Program co-ordinators had

to frequently interact with parents to encourage girl’s education.

• Interacting with females - Many of the program co-ordinators were male and it was difficult to work

with girls for them. It took some time for parents and girls to trust the program co-ordinators.

• Absence of members – SMC does not have full attendance during all the meetings. It was difficult to

influence the parents to actively participate in these meetings.

• Girl’s education – Families do not place importance on the education of girls and these girls often

spent the entire day completing household chores. AGLCs came as a relief for such girls who missed

an opportunity to learn at school.

• Lack of teachers and space- KGBV schools lack adequate teachers for the students and space is

insufficient to create separate labs or any other specific room in school.

• Frequent migration – Migration of parents led to drop out of the students and they were reluctant to

send them especially girls to school in the new place. But KGBV offered an alternative for parents to

leave behind their daughters to complete their education.

********

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