RCHSS

Some of the early initiatives of RCHSS came about as the result of observation of regular practices occurring in the tribal villages. RCHSS recognized that although most of the tribal customs were very positive and essential to the well-being of the tribe, there were other deeply-ingrained systems that were detrimental to the progress of these groups. One such issue was the all too frequent practice of witch-hunting. RCHSS became aware of the killings of women by axe, which was a sign that they were being killed by their tribal neighbors in the name of which hunting. This practice became so prevalent that RCHSS felt compelled to intervene by expanding their focus to diversify their programs in order to serve different areas of the tribes. These early initiatives included the formation of women's groups and efforts to enhance healthcare, education, and the overall livelihood of the people. One of the first things that RCHSS noticed as a result was that in the villages where these developmental programs were in place, the practice of witch-hunting disappeared. The focus of the tribe had been redirected toward solving compelling problems that would lead to greater progress. Their constant need for activity and social interaction meant that if there was no appropriate outlet, these groups would be vulnerable to rely upon superstition, intoxication, and other negative pursuits in order to create group interactions.

 

In turn, RCHSS formed many groups among targeted villages to prevent such occurrences and lead the people toward progress. The next initiative focused on nutritional awareness. In 1992, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Social Welfare Institute (SWI), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United States Christian Coalition (USCC) came forward to support this program. Through this partnership, RCHSS became one of the leading counterparts of international aid to enhance the health of children and expectant mothers. This program focused on imparting valuable knowledge to the people on health and nutrition-related topics, such as the necessity of proper sanitation and the safe use of drinking water.

 

Through opening these discussions, RCHSS realized that the issue was not only poor healthcare but that there were in fact numerous environmental difficulties that were creating a myriad of problems in the lives of the local farmers. They faced challenges associated with erratic rainfall and long droughts in the summer months. In the lowlands surrounding the river, an even bigger problem occurred in the form of large-scale annual flooding. RCHSS responded to the needs of the people living in the lowlands by creating groups to focus on disaster preparedness activities. In the event of flood-related emergencies, RCHSS extended relief efforts with USAID-USCC support. This program became very popular among the people of the affected area, who were mainly Muslim minorities struggling to survive against the annual devastation of their region. Another international partner in these efforts was Oxfam, a UK-based civil society organization, who offered their support through vital disaster relief preparedness trainings. RCHSS carried out all of these initiatives with the continual collaboration of the local government.

 

In the meantime, RCHSS continued to support environmental progress by encouraging the people to participate in tree planting and other environmental programs. Through involvement in the diverse facets of local tribal life, many activities began to evolve with the expansion of RCHSS to meet the needs of the tribal farmers. Another issue faced by this community was the rapid extinction of many indigenous life-sustaining crop varieties, such as local types of millet and root vegetables. Farmers began to replace the cultivation of these indigenous plants with high yielding variety (HYV) crops, such as rice and wheat, which were far more difficult to grow in this semi-arid region. This growth difficulty, coupled with the tribal farmers’ preference for traditional, organic farming methods made it nearly impossible to produce a sufficient yield each growing season. Furthermore, the farmers were not accustomed to keeping profit records and this lack of financial consciousness kept them oblivious to these problems until they were in a state of an extreme financial crisis. This presented a new challenge in which although they had land and were working tirelessly at growing new crops, poverty and hunger continued to escalate.

 

Due to the simplicity of the tribal lifestyle, these people often felt excluded by the local government as a result of a lack of understanding of the broader systems in place, even though these systems may have provided a source of assistance. This frequently created indolence within the farmers toward approaching the government for help, which often resulted in a great deal of frustration. RCHSS stepped in to mediate the situation by making information more accessible regarding governmental flagship programs. This was meant to enhance their mobility by raising confidence in handling such matters. Holistic programs were employed to alleviate their inner antagonism toward the local government by providing knowledge of the governmental systems in place that could be of assistance and how to access them in order to have their needs met. As a result of lowering the farmers’ frustration levels by these means, a “safety net” was provided against the possibility of infiltration of the tribes by unwanted activist groups. These groups were reputed to mobilize vulnerable populations toward aggression by seeding their anger through persistently focusing on their perceived exploitation by the government. In the decades that the RCHSS programs have been there to help the people, there has never been any activism within the areas they serve, namely the four blocks comprising the Barind region.

 

Since its inception, RCHSS has fulfilled its role as a liaison between the local government and the tribal people by ensuring that all relevant information is made readily available to all members of the public. RCHSS realized that there was an abundance of governmental programs available to the tribal people who were, for the most part, completely unaware of this. In turn, RCHSS established a system whereby relevant materials produced by the government were collected and brought directly into the villages, where they were distributed and thoroughly explained to the people. RCHSS also brought a variety of service providers, such as doctors, community nurses, agricultural field workers, and developmental officers, to share their knowledge and experience with the villagers.