SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

iREBEL believes that successfully preserving the environment and biodiversity for the long-term requires the full support and participation of the local community.  To the extent that people are living without basic resources, in poverty, ill heath and without access to education, they are led into actions that may provide for  day-to-day subsistence but that have costly and long-term consequences for the future of the environment.  A classic example of this problem is the poaching of rare and endangered animals by local people in order to sell their body parts or for the animal protein.

In order to help ensure the success of our environmental efforts, and because we also believe in the right of humans to the basic resources for a healthy, sustainable life, iREBEL undertakes a range of social welfare activities.

Self-Help Groups

A self-help group (SHG) is 10 or more people working together to increase their self-sustenance and self-reliance by starting and operating a business enterprise.  The types of income-generating activities the groups undertake depend on available resources and on a particular group’s mix of skills and knowledge. 

iREBEL helps people form and run SHGs by: 

1. Ground level activity to organize people who are interested in working for their own benefit.
2. Dissipation of information about SHG formation and future activity.
3. Linking groups to institutions that provide credit for capital and operating expenses
4. Coordinating marketing for products produced by the groups
5. Collaborating with other organizations on product marketing and providing training programmes on skill development to newly formed groups.

Health Awareness and Sanitation

iREBEL works to promote mass awareness of proper health and sanitation practices, including teaching people about the importance of personal hygiene and keeping one’s surroundings clean. 

In rural villages, many people do not have ready access to toilet facilities and defecate in the open.  In 2009, with the help of a local self-help group and local government funding, we constructed the first community toilet in our area, in the village of Belun.  Based on the success of this first community toilet, we will be building more in the near future and will continue to ensure the management and proper functioning of the one in Belun. 

Free Health Checkups

From time to time iREBEL sponsors health checkup camps, where volunteer doctors provide free services to local villagers.   Free medicines are also distributed to the poor.  We plan to organize these camps regularly in the future

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Blood Donation Camps

In collaboration with the local governing body, iREBEL has organized a number of voluntary blood donation camps in our locality.  iREBEL members also donate blood regularly at donation events sponsored by other organizations and also arrange for donors in case of  medical emergencies.

Blanket and Clothing Distribution

We try to give support to the poor, disabled, unemployed and elderly people in our area. This year, in collaboration with the Lions Club of Kolkata, we distributed blankets to the needy in the village of Belun. We plan to expand our blanket distribution program to surrounding villages. Every year we distribute clothing, donated by our supporters and volunteers to those in need in our locality and else where.

 

 

Educational Support

We always encourage youngsters to get basic education which will certainly improve their living standard. But there are some students who comes from less endowed families who find it difficult to continue education for financial constrains. We help such students by providing books and other learning materials.  We have also arranged for free guidance classes for students who need special care or not able to keep up with other students.  We also bring visitors to the areas we work in that teach underprivileged students in local primary and secondary schools and also donate many educational materials for students.

 

Promoting Cultural Activities

Belun and surrounding areas are the home several traditional culture like — Poro bolan , Bolan gan , Baoul , Bhadu  etc . But all of these art forms are dying due to infiltration of modern media culture . We always encourage and promote these traditional folk cultures through various activities.