The EMCOR Project – (Empowering Marginalized Communities for their Rights and Poverty Reduction) aims to achieve right to information, right to work, basic entitlements and participatory governance by marginalized communities for poverty reduction through community radio in poverty stricken KBK region of Orissa State in India. It empowers the voiceless marginalized communities to articulate their problems, demand their rights & entitlements and to engage the community & local governing structures through community radio to deal with their issues in 60 Villages in KBK region of Orissa, India.
The actions initiated through this project are improving the awareness level among the marginalized people on their rights, civil society & governance problems, poverty reduction programs.
Pro-poor people’s community radio studio has been set up and made functional and linked with marginalized communities established for production of community radio program. 36 community radio episodes on their concerned issues have been produced and 26 episodes have already been broadcasted through Bhawanipatna and Sambalpur All India Radio Stations covering more than 500000 active listeners of marginalized communities.
Participatory learning is taking place among the marginalized communities through regular narrowcasting and broadcasting.
Pro-poor advocacy, networking and self-help actions are being done by the marginalized community forums for rights enhancement and poverty reduction through delegations, workshops, interface, networking meetings and media consultations etc.
The project initiatives are contributing to achieve the followings:
- Increased ability by marginalized communities to easily access information on government programs and policies and to actively participate in decision-making process and poverty reduction programs;
- Weakening of the influence of middlemen and contractors in poverty reduction and development programs
- Increased confidence and ability to express grievances to local and district authorities;
- By use of success stories, inspiration of marginalized communities to actively participate in governance and the development process and to fight for their rights and entitlements for poverty reduction;
- People’s voices and problems related to implementation of various government programs & life supporting services will be heard by the authorities and remedial actions to be taken.
The Stake Holders:
The direct beneficiaries are 6000 marginalized families with focus on women, disabled, destitute, tribals, dalits and victims of/prone to HIV/AIDS, children, the elderly, and unemployed youths.
The wider beneficiaries are 500000-plus radio listeners among the poor and marginalized communities in KBK region, with increased levels of awareness of rights and entitlements issues.
In addition the Panchayats, Government Departments & other agencies are getting benefits through continuous feedback, dissemination of information on their programs, leading to increased participation, cooperation, collaboration, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and credibility by the way of quality implementation.