Jyotirmayee Mahila Samiti
At-Gualsingh ,Po-Thakurpatana , Kendrapara,Orissa ,India ,Pin-754250
Profile-
Jyotirmayee Mahila Samiti, a Orissa based development organization, was initiated in 1978 with the primary focus on Women empowerment. working with communities across low-income areas of Undivided Cuttack district. This Non-Government organization registered under 1860 society registration act and FCR act. With the ideology to bring about the rural women’s and children active participation in the process of development, social change and involvement in the participatory planning, monitoring, implementation and participatory evaluation process with the prime objective of rendering result oriented service for the benefit of the poor women and disadvantages children, by raising their levels of awareness on mother and child care and education, environment, income generating, vocational training and micro credit. It has been dedicated specially for the cause of rural poor women, children and youth.

Since 1981, JMS has been working on the various thematic areas like Education, Health, Environment, Adolescent Health and capacity Building of WSHGs and also Livelihood restoration Programs.

JMS proposes to empower the community as a whole and vulnerable sections of society as such women, Adolescent and children so that they can undertake development activities within and outside their own community. With experience and accomplishment, JMS is now laying additional emphasis on spreading its comprehensive integrated network to bring about all round development in the most remote and underdeveloped pockets of the District.

Our supporters and programme partners, both in land and overseas have set ambitious development agenda(s) that warrants better preparedness, deeper involvement and inputs on our part. Above all, JMS plans to accelerate its role in advocacy and raise public issues relating to the rural poor in public forum in ameliorating poverty, quality health services, natural resources, value based and life skill education as well as denial of human rights.

Operational Area

The organization is active in Kendrapara District of Orissa- 9 blocks of kendrapara district. The operational areas of kendrapara district being close to Bay of Bengal are exposed to tidal surge, cyclones and recurrent floods. Alternate occurrence of floods and droughts are major threats to the live and livelihood of the people.Lack of coping mechanism & inappropriate preparedness for disaster sees many lives lost during natural extremes every year. Reproductive indicator is very low and thus breaking away from the traditional vicious circle of poverty along with its allied features like malnutrition, infant death, maternal death and disaster mitigation has been an eternal struggle for the people of this part of world.
Vision
The vision of JMS is to be as efficient and leading women based organization in empowering women and children by indoctrinating necessary changes in the society and establishing social justice.
Mission
The mission of JMS is to initiate action for the integrated development of the rural poor women and children by strengthening women organizations and adolescent groups at village and regional levels, maintaining proper coordination with government and non-government allies associated in the development field, innovating and applying appropriate technology in a planned manner, bringing about environmental equilibrium and upgrading the skills among workers.

Objectives
The major objectives of JMS are:

? To reduce poverty by serving more poor families.
? All round development of the children.
? To introduce Socio economic programmes for the rural woman and girls.
? Informal lending and borrowing to raise income level of rural poor woman
? Through sustain livelihood.
? To provide quality health care for rural poor women and children in underserved area through FNGOs.
? Jyotirmayee Mahila Samiti is working since 27 years for the empowerment of rural women .Now special focus is to support sustainable economic development for families living in extreme poverty, access to financial services for creating and growing cottage enterprises ,Home business, to provide micro credit business loans to poor entrepreneurs.

Programs and Services
JMS follows a sustainable / integrated model of service delivery based on the principle that the achievement of desirable outcomes in poor rural communities in the areas of income generation / asset formation, health, nutrition,Micro finance and education rests with the coordination of its various programs and services:

• Health for Rural Poor Children (Mother and Child Health Care)—provision of health services (maternal and neonatal care, mobile health clinic, immunizations) and health awareness to rural poor women and children. In 10 villages from its own fund.
• Jawaharal Bal Bhavan Program – provides opportunities for guidance and learning facilities to develop creativity among children .
• Micro-Credit (Gruhalaxmi) – provides loans US $50 – $250 (Rs. 2,000 – Rs.10,000) to low-income rural women to startup micro-business/ enterprises to enhance household income.
• Rural Sanitary Production Centre- -provides low-cost latrines to poor families living below the poverty line.
• Open Basic Educationl (Distance Study)—promotion of universal access of elementary education/open basic education for drop out children ages 6-14 years
• Education Guaranty Scheme– brings educational centers and other resources to villages without a primary school within a one-kilometer radius.
• Cyclone / Flood Relief Rehabilitation Program – in response to a devastating cyclone in 1999 and floods in 2001,2003,2006,2007 the program disbursed targeted micro-credit to 364 families victimized by these natural disasters to restore their farming, animal husbandry and small business enterprises.Recently 5000 of bags distributed for food for work programme to create community assets with assistance from CASA,India.
• Children’s Environmental Sanitation Program – provision of rudimentary waste disposal and sanitation facilities benefiting villages (10), households (1,085), children (20,035) and women (1,436).
• Reproductive Child health in Un-served and Underserved areas of Kendrapara district with the assistance of Government of India * to reduce Infant mortality rate and Marternal Mortality Rate through increasing of Instituational delivery,coverage of immunisation,screning of RTI /STI,awareness creation and social mobilisation.

This post was submitted by Mr.D.K.Mohanty.