Making farmers responsible

Victas Foundation has encouraged the farmers to lay water outlets (PVC pipes) in their fields at their own cost. Farmers are advised to cultivate the food crops using drip irrigation system in order to promote food security to the rural poor. The farmers are also taught to maintain the farm records.

Implementation and results

Drip kits were installed in 94 acres belonging to small farmers belonging to 12 villages.
The farmers are able to save 90% of irrigating lab or.
Farmers are able to save 75% fustigation time.
Farmers are able to save 75% lab or time in weed picking.
Farmers were able to reduce the fertilizer application by 50%.
30% water was saved.

Screen Filter – used to remove the dust particles in the water coming from the source

Venture – used to supply the soluble fertilizers to the plant.

Playing a catalyst role

Victas Foundation has taken the initiative to identify the villages as well as the needy farmers and has motivated them to shift to drip irrigation system. Several trainings and exposure visits to the farmers were organised. Drip kits were procured and farmers were motivated to purchase PVC pipes and sub lines. After installation of the drip kits in the fields, Victas Foundation continues to provide the technical support and help them with monitoring the progress.

Conclusion

Victas Foundation has been largely successful in implementing ‘Drip Irrigation’ project for the benefit of the small and marginal farmers. The impact of the project was good wherever there was power and limited water source. The farmers who were able to harvest the crop using the drip system are very much convinced about this novel system. Victas Foundation is satisfied with the impact of the program and wishes to extend the help to larger number of deserving farmers with generous contributions of donors from India and abroad.

Victas Foundation People Development Training Centre (VFVFPDTC) –

A centre of excellence in Sustainable Community Development

Victas Foundation People Development Training Centre (VFVFPDTC) has completed rendering 13 years of noble service of training and empowering millions of development professionals and community leaders. It has carved niche for itself as a centre of excellence in Sustainable Community Development and has evolved as a light house to development organizations across the globe.

VFPDTC was started in the year 2001 with the initiative of Mr. Prithwiraj Das, Founder of Victas Foundation organizations. The idea behind this initiative was to give expression to 25 years of experience in the field of community driven development, by these twin organisations. Mr. Prithwiraj felt the need for strengthening the human resource of the organization by acquiring wider knowledge, sharper skills and greater commitment. Since its inception, VFPDTC is working on achieving three key objectives.

• Centre that can cater to the capacity building needs of Victas Foundation staff and beneficiary communities,

• Centre that can provide consultancy and transfer the knowledge in Sustainable Community Development to the NGOs, GOs, CBOs, Institutions and to development professionals,

• Centre that can do research and documentation on Victas Foundation programs.

A Unique Knowledge Sharing Centre

Started with the motto, ‘Investing in People’ VFPDTC has grown leaps and bounds in the last 13 years as a centre that promotes practical lessons in development. The success of VFPDTC has been in the content of its training programs, which not only provide knowledge, but also impart skills and change the attitude of development practitioners, making them more efficient and effective.

In its progression, VFPDTC has developed a distinctive training framework and designed comprehensive syllabus for various short term and long term courses. Its training modules have been based on Victas Foundation’s years of grassroots experience, tested methodologies and approaches which have been evolved over a period of time. VFPDTC’s training programs have proven to be successful in educating, improving skills and motivating individuals.

In the year 2013-14, VFPDTC has conducted capacity building training programs not only for its own staff, extending but also for the leaders of development committees at the grassroots. The elaborate and relevant content drawn from the field experience has helped the national and international development practitioners to become true Agents of Change. In its quest for grassroots and relevant training, VFPDTC has emerged as a Knowledge Centre for Community Development Practitioners. During the year 2013-14, VFPDTC has imparted training to 1500 development professionals from 22 states of India.

A Global Resource Centre

Various NGOs across the world have found Victas Foundation’s development approaches and methodologies effective and relevant to the situations prevailing in their own countries and regions. This uniqueness is attracting more and more development professionals to VFPDTC. Thus far, 273 NGOs from all over the world, and 1101 NGOs from 24 states within India, have participated in VFPDTC’s training programs. The continuing demand and the increasing number of participants from 27 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and America bear testimony to the impact of VFPDTC capacity building programs.

Capacity Building Training Programs

Based on the experience of Victas Foundation VFPDTC’s concept is that sustainable development can only be achieved if it triggers the commitment of the individuals, and the development process starts within the inner self of the individual.

The initial short term and long term courses have been reviewed and changes have been made from the lessons learned. Training programs are organized on the subjects related to ‘Sustainable Community Development’, where Victas Foundation has substantial field experience and expertise.

Three day workshops

9 three day workshops were organized during the year 2011-12. 240 development practitioners from 134 NGOs from 11 states of India participated. Three day workshops provide in-depth knowledge on various topics related to community and organizational development. Teaching methodology varies from interactive lectures, visuals, group discussions, field visits, assignments and presentations. Apart from the VFPDTC core staff, experienced development professionals with field experience are invited to teach subjects that require expertise in the specified subjects.

VFPDTC also lays great emphasis on the integration of the economic, social, political, environmental and cultural elements for development projects to sustain.

Four weeks ‘Community Driven Development’ (CDD) course

The objectives of the Community Driven Development training program are three fold:
1) To initiate new knowledge;
2) To equip participants with better performance tools;
3) To change negative mindsets and attitudes which may undermine their work?

This course has attracted many participants from abroad, including university interns from Canada, US, Italy and Sri Lanka. 73 development professionals from 14 countries have received CDD training in the year 2011-12.

This course equips participants with an in-depth understanding of community development concepts and approaches. Training is rooted in the concrete and ‘hands on’ experience of Victas Foundation acquired `in the field’, over a period of two decades. The Community Driven Development basically believes in the potential of the communities to achieve sustainable development. The course focuses on the concept of sustainable development with special emphasis on the inclusion of culture and development approaches of ABCD, AI and PRA. The one month course also imparts skills in Development Communications, Conflict Resolution, and Nauru Linguistic Programming.

VFPDTC training strongly advocates Asset Based Community Development approach which believes in the qualities, strengths inherent in each individual/ community. VFPDTC’s training helps development practitioners and agents of change to bring to the fore the intrinsic positive characteristics of individuals/ communities, so that they utilize their potential to the fullest. VFPDTC pays special attention to a methodology based on the assumption that a community which tries to appreciate what is best in itself will find more and more what is good for its own development. This powerful tool called “Appreciative Inquiry”(AI) is another concept that VFPDTC had integrated into its CDD training program.

Victas Foundation uses Nauru-linguistic Programming (NLP), a motivational and development tool to bring out the best in the people and help build self-esteem. Trainees at VFPDTC have found this innovative technique very effective tool to work on belief and behaviour pattern of people. CDD also helps the trainees with organizational and management skills by training the participants in Strategic Planning. CDD has included in its syllabus Results Based Management (RBM) approach as it has been successfully tested and followed by Victas Foundation’s. RBM sensitizes the trainees on management based ‘outputs’, ‘outcomes’ and ‘impact’, in short, management based on success and well-being improvement not merely at the quantitative level, but also at the qualitative level.

One Week ‘Community Driven Development (CDD)’ training program for Asian NGOs

Since 2009, a week-long CDD training program has been organized specifically for Asian NGOs with the objective of helping the participants to internalize the development concepts and become effective change agents so that they contribute towards Sustainable Community Development.

Tailor made training programs

VFPDTC also conducts special training programs on request from NGOs from within India and from other countries, and from implementing partners of various funding organizations. In the year 2011-12, VFPDTC organizes more than hundred capacity building programs every year to approximately 300 program staff of Victas Foundation’s, thousands of project committee leaders, staff of partner NGOs, and others in the field of development, for effective implementation and monitoring of all its development programs such as women, water, youth, farmers, education, environment, food security, etc.

Training programs across the borders

VFPDTC reached a new milestone, when on request; it expanded its capacity building training programs to Dhaka, Bangladesh, where two specific training programs, for 65 participants from 32 NGOs, were conducted. These training programs were conducted in collaboration with the Village Education Resource Centre (VERC), a local NGO. 26 participants from 15 NGOs attended the second training program organized at Dhaka in December 2011. The trainees included staff of major NGOs of Bangladesh like BRAC and CARE.

Conclusion

VFPDTC has successfully achieved its objectives of reaching out to development practitioners, building their capacities and changing their attitudes. It has now evolved as the ‘Light House’ to scores of development organizations and to thousands of professionals, both from India and around the world.

It has rigorously conducted research, documented its findings and shared the lessons learned through its experience at the grassroots, through various publications, video productions, Newsletters, etc. Since 2002, VFPDTC has travelled a long, arduous, yet successful road. Retrospection into VFPDTC’s evolution, its milestones has helped put into perspective in the year 2011-12. The Founders, all members of the Victas Foundation family, local people, and all those who have been associated with VFPDTC take justifiable pride as for the decade that has gone by and we look forward for another eventful year ahead.

Capacity building programs held at VFPDTC during the year 2013-14

Sl. No.	Trainings	Duration	Participants
	3 Day Training Programs to NGO’s
1	Development Documentation	27 – 29 June, 2011	29
2	Sustainable Community Development	27 – 29 July, 2011	20
3	NGO Finance Management	18 – 20 August, 2011	25
4	Asset Based Community Development	10 – 12 October, 2011	19
5	Result Based Management	23 – 24 November, 2011	28
6	Development Communications	19 – 21 December, 2011	29
7	Team Building and Inter personal Relationships	20 – 22 February, 2012	37
8	Sustainable Community Development	22 – 23 March, 2012	31
9	Leadership Skills and personality Development	30 – 31 March, 2012	22
	One week CDD For South Asian Participants
1	Community Driven Development	11 – 17 July, 2011	28
	Four Weeks CDD for International
1	Community Driven Development	5 – 29 September, 2011	27
2	Community Driven Development	1 – 25 November, 2011	18
3	Community Driven Development	9 January to 2 February, 2012	28
	Seminars/Workshops
1	Orphan Rights	16 April, 2011	67
2	Good Governance in NGO’s	3rd August, 2011	22
3	Building Model Villages	21 March,2012	247
4	Environment conservation: Ban of plastic	31st march, 2012	236
	2 Day Training to BV Staff
1	Staff Training on ABCD	5th April, 2011	28
2	Staff Training on Environment	23rd December	20
	2 Day Trainings to CBO’s Panchayats
1	Leadership Training G.Palli	27 June,2011	45
2	Leaders training – Cretan Max society	2-3rd August, 2011	32
3	Leadership Training Cleavers	30-31 August	54
4	Leaders ship training VDC’s	10-11 December, 2011	48
5	Leadership Training VDC’s	21-22nd January, 2012	37
6	Leadership Training MSW students	16-17th February	104
7	Leadership Training Maharashtra NGO’s	2-3rd March, 2012	25
8	Leadership Training Cleavers	15-16th March, 2012	105
9	Leadership Training TNP+ Leaders	29-30th March, 2012	122
	Tailor Made Training Program – LYON -Sri Lanka
1	Community Driven Development	3-7th October, 2011	55
	Overseas Training Program – Bangladesh
1	Community Driven Development	12-18th December, 2011	26

TRANING AND CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT

Trains and capacity building for in-house and external groups is very high priority activity of Victas Foundation. We have very well equipped training institute having capacity to accommodate 100 participants in non-residential training. The best aspect of our training programmes is imparted in participatory field training and demonstrative work in the fields nearby the training institute. Thus, field training and field exposure are strongest and very important aspects of our training and capacity building efforts.

SUMMARY OF TRAINING PROGRAMMES

The programmes of different durations are held for very large numbers of groups and people. The summary of training programmes and numbers of participants during the reporting year is given below;

During the year 2013-14, the training programmes at our training institute are broadly.

Sl. no.	Particulars	No. of training	Trainings days	No. of Male	No. of Female	Total
1	Training for external groups in NRM	57	178	1321	492	1813
2	Exposure-cum-learning by other agencies in NRM	36	67	960	353	1313
3	Training programme and seminar conducted by other agencies, hiring our premises	44	89	1721	312	2033
4	Victas Foundation’s in-house training for village functionaries and village partners (focussing on NRM and institutional building)	191	274	4066	2748	6814
5	Victas Foundation’s in-house staff training and workshops	33	35	1045	274	1319
	Total	361	643	9113	4179	13292

The above information pertains to training programme at our training institute and does not include large numbers of half day training and orientation programmes held in our field offices and villages, which are attended by thousands of beneficiaries touching to nearly 50,000 participants in a year, as regularly every day such programmes in the field are conducted by our different line departments.