175
175
, t
ribal belt of Odisha, a
solar-operated bus, digitally equipped with
20 laptops, a digital board and a linked-in-
server, goes from hamlet to hamlet. e
World on Wheels (WOW) as it is called,
has, in fact, changed the world of the
communities (particularly women) in these
villages by making the digital ecosystem
accessible to them.
is is just one of the programmes of the
Centre for Youth and Social Development
(CYSD) to empower marginalized
communities and break the ‘culture of
silence’ and the inequity that envelops
them. It works through ‘evolving effective
forms of participatory action for sustainable
development, participatory learning and
training for capacity building among
community-based people’s organizations,
and participatory enquiry into and action
on the policy deficits vis-a-vis the poor,’
explains Haris Ch. Singh, Chief Operating
Officer, CYSD.
CYSD was initially instrumental in
creating a supportive/enabling environment
for a thriving voluntary sector in Odisha.
is included encouraging women to
form SHGs, mobilizing community action
Centre f
or
Youth and Social
Development
•
•
•• •
I
nvolving the youth in health promotion action
ollowing pages (176–177):
Supplementary learning for
tribal children
F
ounded by Jagadananda and
Prafulla Kumar Sahoo in 1981
Centre for Youth and Social
Development (CYSD) envisions
an equitable society where every
individual can realize their full
potential, fulfil their rights and
responsibilities, and lead their life
with dignity and self-respect. CYSD
promotes an inclusive development
approach for those who face
discrimination and limited access to
resources, services and entitlements,
social participation and protection. It
works to ensure transparent, gender
sensitive, accountable and democratic
governance through capacity building.
Its programmes have been highly
impactful: SAMVAD has helped
23,000+ tribal women and adolescent
girls, Internet Gram Saathini has
facilitated 1.7 million women and
World on Wheels has benefitted
4000+ tribal school children.