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Annual Report 2005-6

Annual report 2005-2006

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following donors, trusts and foundations:

Beatrice Hankey Foundation
Big Lottery Fund
Department for International Development
Elton John Aids Foundation
Mercury Phoenix Foundation

And, lastly, all those who wished to remain anonymous.

Welcome to VST

Charity Registration number: 277111

In Tamil Nadu, south India:

• We work with poor, dalit (Dalits are outside and below India’s hierarchical caste system) women who are striving to improve their social, economic, and political position
• We work to reduce the spread of HIV and tuberculosis
• We work to improve the health of the poor

Village Service Trust was registered as a charity in 1979 to support a small organisation doing innovative health work in a remote, rural district in Tamil Nadu. It now funds 7 additional organisations in the same district. They all work together to implement an ambitious integrated health and development programme called Network Theni‚ which has a target population of 387,000.

VST funds over 200 staff and hundreds more village level workers and volunteers to work on the programme and employs
one staff member in the UK and one in India to provide management support.

VST believes in empowerment of the NGOs it supports and empowerment of the people they support.

Letter from the Chair

In 2005 – 2006…

….. partner organisations worked together to implement the fifth and final year of the Network Theni programme. They worked on women’s development, Aids education, tuberculosis control and community health, and the promotion of local democratic institutions (Panchayat Raj)
to further economic development and bring about positive change for poor and marginalised people.

Working through VST’s two main partners, Arogya Agam and Vasandham, and four ‘associate’ NGOs, Network Theni reached out to 535,500 people. The programme was coordinated by the Development Action Consortium Trust (DAC Trust).

THIS YEAR’S ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:

Women’s Development

The women’s development programme has a number of components primarily delivered through women’s self-help groups and the federations.

We further improved the capacity of federations and self-help groups equipping them with tools towards self-reliance. 109 federation leaders were trained in management of staff and self-help groups, administration
and fund management and in taking up advocacy and activism. 262 new leaders were identified and 179 of them trained in the federation leadership role. 2,149 group leaders received ‘needs-based’ training.

Federations also took the lead role in advocacy and campaigning on violence against women and brought a number of cases into the public arena. They addressed: 32 cases of female infanticide; 61 of domestic violence; 8 of sexual harassment; 6 of dowry harassment; 14 asset
problems and 14 cases of untouchability.

36 police cases were registered in relation to domestic and sexual violence, untouchability, cheating and
encroachment.

Female infanticide was substantially reduced.

Micro-enterprise continues to play an important role as the focus for self-help groups and federations and their financial health is vital for the sustainability of the programme. With this in mind, the central team developed a micro-enterprise manual and staged a five-day course
based on the manual for 28 trainers. Throughout the year, 3,200 self-help group members and beneficiaries of loans were trained in marketing, bookkeeping and inventory control. Federation leaders and staff can now make proposals for credit, identify beneficiaries and give support to enterprises at risk of collapsing.

The project revolving fund disbursed Rs2.2m, 88% of which went to Dalit run enterprises. Rs500,000 was invested in community enterprise and Rs290,000 was disbursed as group credit to revive failing Dalit groups. The federations’ revolving fund grew from Rs 9.4m to Rs11.2m
and Rs2.6m was disbursed in loans.

Of the bank loans secured 70% went to Dalits and 16% to Arunthidiyars.

In a study of 97 entrepreneurs it was estimated that 90 continue to have productive assets and 60 were estimated to be profitable. Dalit entrepreneurs constitute 72% of the most successful and profitable.

Issues around gender were prioritised by NGO partners. Gender core teams were strengthened. The year saw improved coordination of campaigning and advocacy on violence against women and female infanticide. Action plans for NGO gender (equality) were reviewed. There was universal acknowledgement that more women are needed in senior positions and women staff members were given preference in managerial training. Four NGO partners either promoted women, paid them more or involved them in core decision-making.

The ‘gender sensitised men’ programme took off with male family and community members receiving training in ways to improve harmony in and out of the home through working in partnership and co-operation with women.

Panchayat raj institutions

The programme works with candidates, elected representatives and village people to promote pro-poor policies at village level.

450 candidates were prepared for the 2006 panchayat elections. 352 of these candidates were women. 50% of the 76 panchayats targeted were Dalit. Candidates and supporting groups were encouraged to attend Grama Sabhas. Campaign plans were put in place with the federations. Over 650 support/standing committee members and nearly 1,000 federation leaders and members received relevant training. Training in HIV/Aids was conducted for over 300 ward and Panchayat standing committee members.

The project worked closely with 42 panchayats and did some work with a further 20. 40 of these panchayats now function well and all but one have support committees.

Joint meetings for planning the Grama Sabha were held in 26 panchayats. These meetings also planned for resolving long unfulfilled needs such as removing land encroachments, tax collection, addressing other fundraising and monitoring ongoing work. Some joint meetings selected future candidates, standing committee members and beneficiaries for government welfare schemes.

Panchayat involvement in health increased by supporting the village health nurse and Primary Health Centre activities, arranging home care for people living with HIV/Aids and by taking up issues of water and
sanitation.

HIV/Aids

Partners worked to strengthen organisations of people living with HIV/Aids, trans-sexuals and women in prostitution They did this by:

• Increasing their membership
• Developing services
• Improving administration, finance, number of volunteers, involvement in advocacy (against abuse, atrocity, discrimination), and linkages to women’s selfhelp groups, federations, and district bodies.

Theni District Network of Positive People (TDNP+) has now become a self-administering organisation with its own office, staff, donors and programmes. Block level branches are now emerging. Membership increased from 632 to 875. There are now 125 active volunteers and a new board has been elected.

TDNP+ has developed good links with medical and other service providers, notably the HIV testing centres and antiretroviral unit.

Advocacy was undertaken for 54 members at village or district levels and some instances of discrimination were published in newspapers. The wedding of a positive couple was televised. Positive people now speak about their status in their own villages and HIV/AIDS is becoming more visible.

The Positive People’s Association (PPA) in Theni is a model for mobilisation of services and district level advocacy. It has demonstrated the ability of PPAs to put HIV/AIDS firmly on the public agenda and to reduce discrimination in government services.

The association and project have established a network of 76 home carers 10 of whom are themselves HIV positive. The programme of male peer educators (young men who counsel their peers about HIV/Aids) has been stepped up. Some 15 male staff attended a crash course for working with male peer educators (MPE) which developed a simplified monitoring and data collecting system. Sustained efforts were made to assess the impact of the programme and key staff were trained and coached in data collection.Out of 316 MPEs studied, 214 are real role models for safer sex and 187 can be described as ‘model’ peer educators. They were in contact with 1,999 peers of whom 48% had almost certainly modified their risk behaviour and changed to safer sexual practices (a further 29% recorded changed practice but it was less marked). Village health guides counselled 1,540 people and a follow-up study was made. Large numbers were counselled by staff. 105,506 condoms were sold and 54,000 distributed.

Aravanis

The Aravani (transgender) association has doubled its membership to 80 (34 are active) and are in contact with 435 other transgendered people. It has started its own office, formed three self-help groups and linked up with a district programme for sex workers.

Women in prostitution

Women in prostitution (WIP) forum membership rose from 140 to 160 and 60 regularly attend the monthly meetings. There is a newly elected 15-member core committee who have links with two state level advocacy groups. Numbers of issues including police harassment doubled to 18.

Community health

Network Theni policy is to work through local health committees for better services from government primary health centres (PHCs). Nearly all PHCs have improved services for People Living With HIV/Aids (PLWHAs), counselling, stocks of rabies vaccine, STI treatment and
partner treatment, clinic hours and TB sputum collection. Some have improved maternity, ambulance, dental and indigenous medicine services. Gains made in former years of full staffing, staff attendance, nurses staying in the village, immunisation and births attended by trained
personnel have been maintained.

Nearly all PHCs had enough confidence to invite women’s self-help group leaders and other volunteers for day-long sessions to explain PHC services and to solicit their suggestions for improvement. The project is represented on PHC committees and eight out of 15 committees were able to address problems such as: difficulties faced by village nurses; lack of PHC infrastructure; water purity and epidemics.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

SUPPORT FOR POSITIVE PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATIONS

The Network Theni experience showed that the PPA (positive people’s association) TDNP+ (Theni District Network of Positive People) was more able than NGOs to put HIV firmly on the district agenda. A study of PPAs in other districts found that success similar to that of TDNP+ had only partially been achieved and that second line leadership was lacking. In
some districts the PPAs did not have a high profile with the district authorities. We chose five district PPAs for detailed support in the funded programme which included capacity building (leadership, counselling, positive speaking, linkages, approach to other stakeholders etc). The project supported monthly meetings of positive people and travel costs for volunteers and attempted to forge links with local NGOs.
Later another four PPAs were supported. On review the main findings were that board members had taken efforts to increase membership and to strengthen the monthly meetings. Maintenance of registers and records had improved (apart from counselling records) as had rapport with NGOs, service providers and government officials. There had been
genuine efforts at fund-raising but most of the PPAs continue to be under resourced. Significant weak areas were development of second line leadership (essential in any situation but particularly so in a PPA) and development of public positive speaking skills.

Nesa Aids Programme

This programme focuses on building the capacity in HIV/Aids among the members of Nesa, a network of NGOs in south India, by mainstreaming HIV/Aids into the work of the partners. Staff are supported in three networks – Adivassi Solidarity Council, Human Rights Forum for Dalit Liberation (Karnataka) and network of women-headed Dalit-led NGOs. Partners who are primarily working with women are encouraged to reach men for behavioural change messages and counselling. Funding was used for training, staff for networks and support to small HIV interventions among men.

Anti-retroviral treatment

VST began funding HIV infected people after the fall in the cost of ART drugs in 2004. The first to be treated were positive activists. Now there is an ART centre in Theni, Arogya Agam, VST’s chief partner for distribution of ART, is in dialogue with them as to the best way to assist and complement their work. Consideration is being given to the best way to use remaining funds. Funding was spent on antiretroviral drugs, support to people to obtain free drugs and counselling.

New partners

Financial assistance was continued to five of the seven new partners in Tamil Nadu selected in the previous year. The aim was to build their capacity in their field work and to enable them to become better established as NGOs. Capacity building was done on gender and Dalit concepts, and on HIV/Aids since most expressed an interest in this.
Strong inputs were given on finance, accounts, documentation, NGO running and formalisation. Each were given modest financial support to cover a salary or fellowship, running and communication costs. The review showed improvement in programmes with a better grasp
of gender and Dalit concepts, an increased Arundithiyar focus and some progress in HIV/Aids mainstreaming. VST’s funding was spent on training, small grants for salary and running costs.

UK office

Village Service Trust continued to employ a programmes manager based in London. Angela Russ left in September and Ruth Whitbread joined in October. It also supported a volunteer field officer in India, John Dalton.

Tuberculosis control

A team from Target TB from UK visited and were impressed by the TB component which had run down through lack of resources. They recommended that NGOs should ideally follow up TB patients treated by the PHCs as well as those treated directly. As a result a TB component
was added at the end of the year to study PHC TB treatment. This identified a number of gaps in PHC services – the DOTS method of supervising treatment is not done properly, volunteers are not used and cases are not always given the correct treatment regimen nor advised correctly as to how to take the tablets. This data is to be used as a
baseline for a project to work with PHCs on TB funded from April 2006 by Target TB.

Financial Report

Who gave?

Department for International Development 15%

Big Lottery Fund 26%

Trusts 15%

Individuals and groups of people 44%

How much was spent?

Projects and programmes – 91%

Fundraising and publicity – 8%

Management and administration – 1%

Income and Expenditure 2005/2006

	2005/2006	2004/2005
Income
Government grants	25,240	54,696
Public Bodies	43,387	54,584
Grants	24,506	60,494
Investment income	6,985	9,874
Donations	66,194	50,543
Total	166,312	230,191
Expenditure
Direct charitable expenditure	209,603	210,186
Publicity and fundraising	17,648	15,819
Management and administration	2,803	2,636
Total (100%)	230,054	228,641

Balance Sheet at 31 March 2006 2006 2005

	2006	2005
Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets	1,669	2,086
Investments	51,981	97,089
Total	53,650	99,195
Current Assets
Debtors	6,358	15,630
Cash at bank in hand	103,693	93,133
Total	110,051	108,763
Liabilities	-32,618	-18,005
Net current assets	77,433	90,758
Net assets	131,083	189,933
Funds
Unrestricted	124,027	124,222
Restricted	7,056	65,711
Total	131,083	189,933

Full accounts are available on request

Trustees

Carol Chalmers Chair
Tony Huckle Treasurer
Bryan Osbon
Richard Garforth
Kirat Randhawa
Nikhil Roy
Gerti Wilford