| Our beliefs: are the product of constant
reflection on our analysis of society, on feedback and
analysis of experiences of the poor and marginalised as
a result of our various poverty mitigation interventions
and on the understanding that our interventions need to
be governed by the “art of the possible”. The burden of
change must not be borne by the poor as a result of our
ideology, administrative needs, program design and the pressure for quick results.
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We believe that the poor and marginalised have a right to
form their own institutions which need to be respected and
not made to conform to official requirements. We believe
that stable, thriving, democratic, wealth creating institutions
of the poor at the base are appropriate instruments to change
oppressive power relations in a sustainable manner. Striving
to “mainstream” the poor can also be dis-empowering, if
they have to fit into the mainstream, on the latter’s own
terms and conditions. |
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We believe that these institutions of the poor, when
provided with adequate institution capacity building(ICB)
can overcome the hurdles created by caste, class, bureaucracy,
gender and tradition by neutralising oppressive power
relations and opening new doors and opportunities to access
resources. The basic needs approach without a direct focus
on promoting institutional empowerment of the poor is
inadequate for sustained growth of the individual, it does
not factor power and market forces into the equation which
they cannot counter individually. |
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We believethat we need to constantly dig deeper to reach
the poor. Asserting that we are working with the poor over
a period of time in one area - especially if the intervention
is effective - results in working with the enterprising poor.
Continuous efforts are required to reach out to those who
are left out of any system not matter how inclusive it may
claim to be. |
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We believe that our interventions should build on people's
strengths, not on their needs to which they will respond at
their time and pace. To start on the basis of needs is to
reinforce existing relations of dependency. Their strengths
are based on the relations of mutual trust and support or
affinity/social capital, which is still strong in rural areas.
This affinity exists before Myrada enters. It is like a diamond
in the sand, which we happened to kick. We can only take
credit for stopping to pick it up and polish it. Other strengths
lie in the willingness of the poor to save, (once they realise
that their savings are safe and can be quickly accessed), to
invest time and energy to build institutions through which
they manage finance and natural resources, open access the
markets, provide services and influence governance. |
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We believe in investing in children, not in isolation, but
together with the mother and in the context of the family
by promoting supportive gender relations and sustainable
livelihoods strategies through the dynamics of an affinity
group and a healthy surrounding environment. |
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We believe that the approach to female sex workers must be
holistic and not reduce them to one dimension - namely
sex work. As one sex worker who had been a member of a
Soukhya group for several years replied to the question: Are
you a sex worker: “We were sex workers five years ago -
Today we are women first.” |
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We believe that gender equity is about empowering women
and their institutions to foster a process of exposing
oppressive power in existing relations between men and
women, boys and girls, in order to challenge and change
them at their pace and build more supportive relations at
home and in society. |
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We believe that the livelihood strategy we promote should take
into account the close relationship between the removal of
poverty and concern for the environment which provides the
livelihood base of the poor, which has been a traditional feature
of India’s past. While Myrada will support the overall policy to
reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, it will lobby strongly for the rights of the poor to adequate carbon space to
enable them to come out of poverty in a sustainable manner. |
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We believe that the livelihoods of the poor cannot be
promoted by market forces and the private sector only; on
the contrary they could easily be undermined. Institutions
of the poor need to exercise a degree of control over market
linkages and intermediary institutions. To intervene
effectively in these areas, the poor need to be supported by
Government investment in infrastructure, including roads
(particularly rural roads), transport, storage and marketing
facilities and by NGOs to promote appropriate institutions. |
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We believe that the poor and the marginalised need a safety
net to ensure food security and the minimum health care
and education. Government needs to take the lead and
invest in these sectors, but management and implementation
has to involve people’s institutions and should not be left to
the existing delivery system only. The poor should be provided
with choices in the field of primary and secondary education
and health. |
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We believe that technical institutions providing basic
training should be privatised or at least placed under a
private-public partnership management model. |
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We believethat Micro Finance Institutions with a social/
development mission should be provided adequate space to
function independently. Others who maximise profit should
also be able to cope with the risks involved. |
