Niwasi Initiative

Goals for the Niwasi Initiative are (a) to increase the participation level of residents for their common services and facilities in their communities, and using this participatory tool, the intervention intends to ensure that (b) the basic level of common services and facilities, and the basic level of achievements for all residents in all sectors are ensured in all the communities. Sector in focus at present are:

  • – Every resident gives agenda for their common resident meetings, and participates in these residents meetings.
  • – Every child must be able to read basic text and do simple division,
  • – All the adolescents and youths must be able to do basic arithmetic of daily business uses (percentage, basic area, average, statistics distribution, computer packages etc.), able to introduce themselves, and write a 150-word passage; have at least one job skill set. Everyone is employable.
  • – Swachh Aaspados.
  • – Senior citizens are empowered. Mothers are empowered. All residents are empowered.

Core program under the Niwasi Initiative is: Facilitation of Niwasi Sabha.

Programs under Niwasi Initiative are: Niwasi Sabha Facilitation, Ham-Niwasi, Community Ham-Niwasi Workshop, Door to door and community campaign, Varishth Seva, Needy & Help.

MOOL (Main Objective Oriented Learning – a capacity building program), Meri Panchayat Mera Vichar (Community projects for students), Sukun Bhara Saarvajanik Asthal, Niwasi Patrika, Community Ranking, Talash – Vaicharik Manch, Mediation, Niwasi Chintan Sivir, Mera Gaon (tour & travel to ancestral village community), Niwasi Tour, Niwasi Kendra & Library, Active Niwasi Manch.

Fund-Raising Workshop for Niwasi, Bridge Seva (Vyavsaay-Niwasi Bridge), related paid services, SC Jobs.

Niwasi App – the Information Technology solution.

Note: Over a period, we have developed processes for above mentioned programs, that are activated as per the given situations or requirements.

Key statements we make under the Ham-Niwasi program are:

  • – ‘हम-निवासी’ मिलें कुछ करें
  • – निवासियों के सम्मिलित प्रयास आसान और प्रभावी हो
  • – हम-निवासी सुनिश्चित करते हैं. श्रेष्ठ समुदाय
  • – हम-निवासी सुनिश्चित करते हैं. सार्वजनिक सेवाओं-सुविधाओं का अधिकतम लाभ...
  • – हम सभी समुदाय में योगदान करते हैं, लेकिन महसूस नहीं करते हैं
  • – व्यवसाय वही करेगा जो सार्वजनिक सेवा की बेहतरी के लिए कार्य करेगा
  • – मेरा समुदाय श्रेष्ठ समुदाय

Personnel roles implementing the programs: Facilitator (Sahajkarta) at the Community level; Ham-Niwasi coordinator at block or district or city level; Surveyor (for database creation); Talash Convenor; Champions; Ham-Niwasi resource person, Trustee.

We have developed training programs for these responsibilities. We have IEC tools and process documentations for all the programs and interventions.

Plan for the coming year (year 2024-25)

  • – Full city-wide and district-wide program
  • – Consolidation of the capacity building program for Ham-Niwasi
  • – Keep developing MOOL (Main Objective Oriented Learning) content (or adopting content from existing resources)
  • – Further consolidation of Ham-Niwasi community interventions
  • – Consolidation of Niwasi Application

Fund generation (A HYBRID Approach: philanthropic donation, non-profit revenue, and profitability): Under a hybrid approach to fundraising, we have three groups of services from the funding perspective – fund raising to fund fully free services, ‘fee based but profit not booked’ services (partially supported from donation amount), profit booked services  (almost not supported from donation amount). The idea is that all possible activities under the mission – ‘Residents Ensure Their Community be Glorious’– generate revenue to sustain itself as well as support non-revenue activities.

This societal initiative should focus on the core-value that is ‘residents contribute to collective initiatives’. At the same time, it can generate revenue from the community itself to sustain this initiative. We appeal for donations or contributions from the residents at every contact point.

We conduct fund raising workshops. These workshops are defacto Ham-Niwasi campaign workshop.

As mentioned above, we have started providing some paid services also. For example, if some families want certain services, we bridge the family with a service provider and charge the service provider. We provide services to Senior Citizens for free, but we charge other residents for the same services.

Challenges Impacts