News

Karuna's support for cantonment residents living in poverty in Maharastra

Date: 7 June 2010

Dehu Road cantonment

Across India there are 62 cantonments, living areas associated with a military base, and governed by the India Ministry of Defence. Cantonment areas developed as civilians who migrated to areas surrounding military bases in order to find work - such as domestic help, sweepers and manual scavengers (those who clear human excrement) - providing services to the resident military population.

Karuna is working with the Sadhana Institute for Sustainable Development by funding them with a £60,000 grant over 3-years. This will enable them to work with and on behalf of 600,000 impoverished cantonment residents living in 7 cantonments in Maharashtra (western India).

The Sadhana Institute for Sustainable Development’s work includes:

• appealing for access to rights and entitlements as citizens of India, including health, education, livelihoods and civic participation;
• increasing participation and influencing local decision-making which affects all aspects of their way of life.

This will be achieved primarily through community organisation, advocacy and mobilisation. With Sadhana Institute’s support and encouragement, cantonment residents are encouraged to organise community meetings, as well as writing ‘demand’ letters to the military cantonment boards requesting their statutory rights to health and education.

For more information about this project follow this link, Karuna's support for cantonment residents living in poverty in Maharastra.