Building Capacity Of Our Rural Leaders

GUIDESTAR

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Building Capacity Of Our Rural Leaders

In 2019, in partnership with the Government of Jharkhand, we trained 3,245 panchayat leaders from 134 Village Council covering 23 districts across the state.

The village panchayat is a key stakeholder in our efforts for integrated development. They are often, our first point of contact and they work with us to engage the community in collective action. Consequently, building resilience, enthusiasm and vision of the panchayat members through our programs has been intrinsic to our strategy. In over 50,000 villages across India, where we have a footprint, local leaders have initiated or participated in our programs, enabling greater dialogue and harmony during interventions.

From 2018-20, we trained 13,600 village representatives and volunteers on village development programs.

Since 2016, we have been partnering with the state governments of Odisha, Maharashtra and Jharkhand for the development of Gram Panchayats in their states. Our role has been to raise
administrative capabilities and build good governance through rigorous curriculums defined by the governments. However, combined with our holistic approach through behavioral change, the long-term outcomes of the programs have been tangible.

According to Bholanath Jena, our trainer in Odisha, ‘Panchayat leaders are usually driven by the political agenda of their parties. In one village, a well had to be built and each member was fighting to build the well in his section. After they finished the program, they sat together and did what was best for the entire village. This is just one of many outcomes. Entire communities transformed after their leaders attended our Good Governance workshops.”