PROJECT PROPOSAL To Strengthen Mobilize and Advocacy Activities in Kerala and Tamilnadu in Support to Jansatyagraha 2012

PROJECT PROPOSAL
To Strengthen Mobilize and Advocacy Activities in Kerala and Tamilnadu in Support to Jansatyagraha 2012
INTRODUCTION
The term ‘movement’ stands for dynamism, the momentum of people motivated from within and the popular support that is essential for successful and sustainable development and change at a State and national level. A movement by definition must have a leadership but it becomes a mass movement only when people join it. A mass movement has to be based on the urges of masses and on popular consciousness. It has to rely on their self-activity. Ekta Parishad has become one of the peoples movement in India with its commitment, leadership and its large peoples membership. Ekta Parishad the one of the largest nonviolent social movement in India is going to organize a major peoples foot march in the year 2012 from Gwalior to Delhi to pressurize the central Govt. on land reform policies and its implementation. This program is called as Jansatyagraha 2012. One lakh peoples from all sections of deprived community will take part in this massive rally. Therefore it is vital to mobilize peoples from all over the country to take part in this important satyagraha padayatra for a political change on land and livelihood issues. Along with mobilization Advocacy support is much significant to reach the expected result. Therefore it is important to strengthen the advocacy component in Ekta Parisahd and its activities in Kerala and Tamilnadu.

Status of EktaParishad in Kerala and Tamilnadu

Ekta Parishad did substantial work in Kerala and Tamilandu to create a platform and sowed its seeds in various sectors. EP has become popular among Gandhian Sarvodaya groups, Adivasi/Dalit right groups, Youth empowerment, women rights and land and livelihood based right organization sections. In Tamilnadu and Kerala there are number of organizations are working in the peoples right over land and livelihood issues on different areas and various levels. We think it is necessary to net work with them and make sure with those organizations in both states to take part in this political action process to change the land right policy of the country to benefit large number of deprived community. Therefore it is important to initiate various programs in both states in support to the process of Jansatyagraha 2012 advocacy and mobilization.

JS 2012 and its importance
For many years Ekta Parishad was in the forefront of land struggle in India to get equitable land distribution and also to protect access to the natural livelihood resources to the downtrodden community. There is a long history of struggle for access to land and it has always been the most vulnerable communities that find themselves left out of the political dialogue for change. Control over natural resources and land lies in he hands of state and the vague and the inefficient campaigns of the past have done nothing for the developments of a true village based democracy that can bring the needs of the landless to the forefront of the political agenda.
After Janadesh 2007, the Govt. of India announced to set up a National Land Reform Committee and National Land Reform Council with the participation of civil right activists. Looking after 3 years of time we can see that the councils and committees didn’t do anything what they have promised. To make the accountable and to implement what they have promised EP has decided to continue its struggle for the landless. Jansatygraha 2012 is major action EP is planning to challenge the Govt. It will begin on the 2nd October 2012 from Gwalior to Delhi will carry for one month with one lakh people covering 350 km. The demand will be same as for Janadesh with high expectation of change.

Need of Mobilization and advocacy in a focus to FRA 2006, Adivasi/Dalit Rights, Youth against violence, Women empowerment

There are various issues prevailing in the states that affect the poor and marginalized. We are thinking to focus FRA 2006, Adivasi/Dalit Rights, Youth Groups, Peace Circles, and Women Groups in support to Jansatyagraha mobilization and advocacy activities. Numbers of organizations are working in these areas to empower them and to get their rights. We should invite and engage those organizations to make participate in JS 2012.





Need of Human Resource

Human resources are an important area to achieve what we are dreaming. Without enough man power it will be very difficult to continue all our work what we are planning. There will be an Advocacy Organizer in Kerala and one will Tamilnadu to lead all the activities. The State Organizer is responsible for all the activities in support to JS in each state. The Organizer has to work with the mobilization team in their respective states, and will report to the National advocacy office on time.

Need of training support to Staff team and peoples leaders (various trainings)
The Organizer should get proper training to become a fulltime advocacy person. National Advocacy office has to take responsibility to provide trainings and monitor the activities of the State advocacy Organizer. Along with the Organizer it is also vital to provide advocacy training support to the mobilization staff team and the village leaders. The national office has to decide a set of trainings that can enhance the capacity of the main organizer and other kind of trainings that will provide knowledge and capacity to the mobilization team.

Need of initiating various media and advocacy programs (various trainings)
 Training on Media and Advocacy
 Training on Human rights, Dalit rights, land rights, FRA, Women rights, etc
 Understanding Advocacy for social change
 Organizing Public hearings
 Training to organize different media meetings (Press meet, visual media, free lancers etc.)
 Organizing seminars, Conferences, and Conventions etc.
 Traning on Visual media, Virtual media, etc.

Need of an Office in both states
A coordination office is important in both states to coordinate the Jansatyagraha activities. Right now in Kerala KGNS office and in Tamilnadu CESCI office is being used for the coordination purpose. Both offices are providing its space free of coast to the advocacy activities. We should consider providing some administrative support to both state offices to make it as a coordination point. But looking in to the advocacy perspective it will be good to have an office in the capital of both sates i.e. in Chennai and in Trivandrum. This will enable the team to do advocacy with political parties and media much effective.

Materials needed for office and programs
Some minimum materials are required to the Organizer to continue the advocacy activities. The organizer should have an office with enough office stationeries, a mobile phone, a digital camera, a laptop with Internet data card, a printer.

Documentation and research (engaging part time persons)
Documentation is a vital area in the advocacy work. The Organizer has to do the work based documentation, press clip collections, case studies collection, petitions collections etc. when ever there is a need we should engage part time researchers to do the documentation work. The research materials and documents have to be filed and kept in the office properly. There should be a proper collection and system for photo and video documents. Unwanted photo and video documentation will not be encouraged, because it is an expensive medium. We need such documentation, but the organizer should have to use his/her wise in doing so.

Administration support
Office rent, Current bill, communication expenses, stationary, travel, visitors meeting; etc will all lead in to a administration support area. There will be separate expenses towards travel cost in the administration work. There are some travel cost will come under program travels. There will be many internal administrative meetings to strengthen the work. It all requires money.