History

MYKAPS spinned out of the larger organization namely; MYRADA, in January, 2008. MYRADA and MYKAPS continue to share a common vision and goals, but MYKAPS is now an independent organization. This is in line with MYRADA's stated objective of decentralization: local entities working in local communities and doing real, lasting, sustainable good through an understanding of local issues.

Prior to 2008, the 'MYRADA/Plan H.D.Kote Project (as the people and projects of MYKAPS were formerly known) existed in partnership with PLAN,UK and intervened in the following critical areas in Mysore and Chamarajanagar Districts of Karnataka.

MYKAPS history

Identifying and fostering Self Help Affinity Groups

MYRADA supported Self Help Affinity Groups (sAgs) since 1985. These small self help groups (numbering no more than 20 members) are groups of the rural poor, formed to increase their power base and understanding. These sAgs have far easier access to banking and loans, as well as increased buying/selling power, training and group knowledge.

In December 2007 there were 2314 sAgs in the Mysore and Chamarajanagar Districts with 36,645 members. Between them these sAgs were managing a total common fund of Rs. 213,914,882 (approx USD4.6m) and had achieved savings of Rs. 101,522,025 (approx USD2.2m). These groups are now being guided and monitored by the Community Managed Resource Centres with umbrella support from MYKAPS.

Focus on Women and Children

MYRADA adopted the sAg strategy for the empowerment of women

and female children, and invested in formal and non-formal education for school children and dropouts. Poor women have taken thousands of loans from sAgs for their children’s education, and this is a good indicator that they place a high value on educating their child. These sAgs have also taken the lead in changing traditional social attitudes and practices that are biased against woman and female children. The MYRADA/Plan H.D.Kote Project has assisted about half a million children of poor families in 585 villages, providing health facilities, upgrading educational services and forming school education committees. Women/parents as well as the sAgs are actively involved in these initiatives.

Children clubs were formed and Children Parliaments were trained by the MYRADA/Plan H.D.Kote Project to enhance the participation rights of children. The parents of children were educated about child pr

otection issues such as child abuse and child trafficking.

Management of Micro Watersheds

A watershed is an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it ends up in the same place - a bounded hydrologic system.
In order to ensure that ground and surface water is managed sustainably, it is important to consider and monitor all of the water that flows within a watershed. This intervention is known as watershed development.

MYRADA’s focus in the field of Watershed development, is to foster appropriate people’s institutions which take on the responsibility of planning, budgeting and implementing appropriate treatment measures to increase productivity (and reduce risk) in a watershed and then managing the investment for sustained impact.

The MYRADA H.D.Kote project covered about 4000 hectares under watershed development with support from NABARD under Watershed Development Fund (WDF) and NWDPRA Government of India, and with support from Plan International. The treatment works supported by NABARD and the NWDPRA projects are being continued by MYKAPS.

Habitat Development

Habitat Development was a major program taken up by MYRADA in H.D.Kote with assistance from PLAN International. About 13,500 houses were constructed in the area. MYRADA established potable water systems and assisted families to construct toilets by accessing funds from Government under the Nirmala Grama Yojane and Total Sanitation campaign. About 8

500 toilets have provided to poor rural families by Myrada in this area.

MYRADA has also established rainwater harvesting systems covering an entire tribal village (Gandathur) consisting of 156 families. This was achieved with major assistance from Zilla Panchayat, Mysore under the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission Project and with MYRADA/Plan funds and community contributions. This was the first village in Karnataka where all families in the village own individual rainwater harvesting systems.

In another village (Mosarahalla) 55 families have Eco sanitation, which also covers all families in the village. Mosarahalla was the first village fully covered under eco-sanitation in Karnataka.

In the HD Kote area, potable water systems were established in about   x  villages, by Myrada by mobilizing funds under MP(Member of Parliament) grants and Myrada Plan funds. Myrada was also involved in a large Project with assistance from World Bank through The Government of Karnataka namely IRWS-ES Integrated  Rural water supply and Environmental Sanitation, in the undivided My

sore District. Eliciting people’s participation chiefly through cash contributions towards capital investment to establish rural sanitation systems was the responsibility of Myrada, in this Project. Myrada raised 21million rupees from 105 villages, in which the potable water and sanitation systems were established.

Education

MYRADA/Plan in the Mysore District invested in upgrading the existing educational system at village level, as well as preparing children to cope with educational requirements. Additionally it set up alternate systems to cope with those who cannot do so.

MYRADA provided infrastructure facilities to School

850 classrooms have been constructed
About 150 Schools have been provided with drinking water and toilet facilities with assistance from Government and donor funds.
Teacher’s skills have been upgraded and over 300 teachers are employed for providing education to dropouts and to those who need special help at flexible times.
Special coaching camps for 3 to 4 months have resulted in significant increase in the percentage of passes.
Systematic awareness programs are conducted to motivate parents to send children to school.
Over 10,000 loans have been taken from sAgs for education. The willingness to borrow and invest in children is a good indicator of the level of awareness of the value of education. The sAgs monitor the attendan ce of children and the school education committee monitors the performance of the teachers and attend to general school matters. In an effort to encourage excellence, several brilliant children from poor families have been supported to enter professional courses (Medical, Engineering etc,.)

Health

MYRADA”s health program focused on organizing health camps such as eye, gynecology, and diabetic detection camps, and early detection and referral of chronic diseases and disabilities. It also built up local level health volunteers and school health education and check-ups for children.

Members of sAgs were trained in health aspects by MYRADA.

Awareness of STD/AIDS was imparted to communities through wall paintings and awareness to children and young people was provided by conducting sessions in schools and Junior Colleges.

Off Farm Income Generating Activities for Young People

MYRADA was involved in training young people with a wide range of skills such as driving, masonry skills, plumbing, electrical appliances, mobile servicing, basket making, hotel catering, computer science, Terracotta, Agarbathi perfuming. This was achieved by using the services of training institutions such as RUDSET and JSS Jana Shikshana Samsthan.

MYRADA has trained 208 tribal youth in Scientific Honey Harvesting methods with assistance from TRIFED. MYRADA has secured employment to more than 500 young people in garment factories near Bangalore by training them how to deal with job interviews and giving them confidence to work outside their own village.

Photo Honey Harvesting

Early Child Care Development

MYRADA was involved in the training of pre-school workers in health, nutrition, children's growth, immunization, and creative learning. MYRADA also assisted pre-schools by constructing buildings in 25 pre-schools and provided play materials to 300 pre-schools. Myrada has assisted pre schools in rural areas through wall paintings inside the class rooms for creative learning by children.

In about 40 pre-schools, MYRADA took up pre-school sanitation by constructing child friendly toilets with support from Zilla Panchayat, Grama Panchayat and MYRADA/Plan funds.

Photo