Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission had launched 'Homer', the Home Delivery Service. This new activity is conceived and is being implemented by Kudumbashree's Kasaragod District team themselves. In the background of the lockdown notified to contain the spread of covid-19, many people had found it difficult to go to the shops to buy essential goods. 'Homer' is the home delivery service launched by Kasaragod District Mission, understanding this situation. Through this service delivery programme, essential goods, medicines etc are delivered directly to the beneficiaries. A new enterprise opportunity is opened for the NHG members through this.

Initially, this service was made available at four areas of Kasaragod district viz., Mangalpady, Cheruvathoor, Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Two NHG members each who have two-wheelers or auto rickshaw are selected from these four panchayats/municipalities. Following that, their mobile numbers are shared among all the households through the community network of Kudumbashree. This is how the 'Homer' programme is being implemented. The list of the needed goods may be sent to their numbers through WhatsApp. The goods and medicines are delivered to the beneficiaries from the shops as per this list. The minimum order should be of at least Rs 500/-. Delivery charge will also be collected for the service. The goods will be delivered within the area of 5 kilometers. Rs 40 is charged within 2 kilometers as delivery charge. Rs 50 is charged within 2 to 4 kilometers and Rs 60 is charged within 4 to 5 kilometers.

The service charge received from these orders is the income of the service provider. A social service is being extended by Kasaragod team through 'Homer' programme, in addition to creating an opportunity for employment. A positive feedback is received in the initial days. On the first day, 9 orders were received (value of order is Rs 5850). On the second day 11 orders (value Rs 7300) were received. The increase in the number of the orders imply that the people are accepting devices through the 'Homer' programme. Kasaragod team aims to extend these services to more areas after studying the prospect of this pilot project.  It is expected that the NHG members would be able to extend the best services and be able to earn better income.

Kudumbashree has launched 'Kunju Pareeksha' (A Small, Simple Exam), to take the awareness lessons about the covid-19 pandemic to families through children. Shri. M. V. Govindan Master, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala inaugurated the programme. It is planned to conduct 'Kunju Pareeksha' as a series of 4 exams. The first among those exams is being held on 10 June 2021. The exam could be written till 10.30 PM, 13 June 2021. Children may visit this link launched by Balasabha and may write this online examination. The exam is being conducted as part of Balasabha. The members of Balasabha as well as the non members can become part of this online test. The dates of the remaining three exams would be notified later.
 
Kudumbashree team is taking many efforts to communicate the details of the protocol to be maintained to prevent covid-19 to maximum number of people. 'Kunju Pareeksha' is conceptualized and is implemented as a result of this.  It is planned to conduct four online tests. They are model exam, quarterly exam, half yearly exam and annual exam. It is aimed to take the idea of preventing covid-19 to the children through the questions and answers of these exams. The questions of the exams would include the precautions one should take while sitting inside our houses. Also, questions will be about the precautions to be taken when going out. Also, basic informations that each one should be aware of about covid-19 pandemic will be part of questions. It is sure that this exam would be knowledgeable for the children. Also, Kudumbashree team had prepared such questions that make answering the test really enjoyable.

It is expected that Kudumbashree would be able to share various information about the prevention of covid-19 to the children through these four exams. Rewards would be given to the best CDSs and Districts, who ensure good participation. Through this Kudumbashree envisage to spread awareness among the children. Balasabha is better known as 'the NHGs of children' and there are 32,267 Balasabha activity groups in Kerala.

The exam could be completed within 10 minutes. To write the exam, log on to : www.balasabha.in

The 'Mission Covid-2021' Campaign of Kudumbashree is progressing all across the state. This campaign is being implemented, making use of the strength of the Kudumbashree organizational network. Kudumbashree Response team (KRT) which consists of 5 NHG members each are the core of this campaign. 1064 CDS Chairpersons in Kerala, Resource Persons from each CDS (minimum of 2 persons each), ADS members and the office bearers (five members each) of about 3 lakh NHGs would take this campaign to the families, communicate the concepts and take the campaign to the next level.

If anyone becomes covid positive among the Kudumbashree families, the CDS team which functions under the respective LSGIs would arrange the medicine, food, oxygen, vehicle, counselling etc whenever needed. Now awareness regarding the preventive measures against covid-19 is being given to those with chronic diseases, those who are specially abled, their parents, persons with disabilities and the beneficiaries of Destitute Free Kerala Programme. They would also be extended the needed covid support and instructions on mental health as well. Also, the instructions and information given by the Government as well as Kudumbashree regarding covid and other information including the financial assistance would be taken to all NHG families on time. All NHG members would be given information about vaccination and support will be given to those who need assistance in making the registrations for getting the vaccine. Thereby they would ensure that all the NHG members have taken the vaccine. Needed support will also be given to the war room that functions in the LSGI level and to the Help Desk as well.  

A local governing committee composed of Resource Persons and CDS Chairperson would function in all the LSGIs across the state. A block level committee of resource persons would function for supervising the same and there would be yet another committee in the district level as well.  The activities of this programme are fully taken up and is being implemented only under the leadership of the members of Kudumbashree organizational system and resource persons. This is the speciality of this campaign. As part of the campaign, the LSGI level committee would form a five membered 'Kudumbashree Response Team (KRT) which includes the office bearers in every NHGs, at first. ADS would regularly update them about the information regarding covid and educate them to extend various services. The CDSs would give necessary guidance to the ADSs. The NHG members would take this information to their families. A handbook has also been prepared for the same. In addition to this, audios and videos would also be shared regularly with the NHG members for the next one month.

The key feature of this campaign is that the data regarding the progress of the campaign is not being collected or compiled at the state level. The experiences regarding the classes given in each LSGIs under the leadership of Kudumbashree resource team and the information shared among the NHGs, would be shared once in a week in online mode at the local level. Following that, the Resource Persons of the CDSs under the respective blocks and the CDS Chairpersons would share their experiences in the block level online meetings. Cross learning would be made possible through these experience sharing and thereby improve the activities. In addition to the various awareness materials given from the state level team, the district teams may do more activities at the local level. 

Various activities are being implemented by Kudumbashree to make the public aware about the necessary actions which we all should adopt to prevent covid-19. A series of awareness classes was given to the NHG members and general public  in association with the Indian Medical Association. The 'Chain Call' programme was also conducted. 
Click here to read the handbook This book is available in the link https://www.kudumbashree.org/publications

As in the previous years, many important announcements had been made for Kudumbashree in the updated Annual Budget for 2021-22 financial year, presented by the Finance Minister,Government of Kerala on 4 June 2021.  During the financial year of 2016-17, Kudumbashree receipts were Rs 75 crores. In the Budget for 2021-22 financial year, Rs 100 crores was allotted for Kudumbashree as part of the special livelihood package. The state share of Kudumbashree in this budget is Rs 200 crores. The Kudumbashree plan fund has therefore increased to Rs 300 crores. Considering the funds of other centrally sponsored schemes and some other projects, the total budget of Kudumbashree for the year 2021-22 will be more than Rs.1500 crore.

The important mentions about Kudumbashree in this budget are listed below.

1. During the financial year 2021-22, bank loans of a minimum of Rs 1000 crores will be given to the NHGs. The loans upto Rs 5 lakhs will be given at 4% interest rate.

2. In the background of the crisis caused by covid pandemic, the allocation of the existing livelihood package is increased to Rs 100 crores for providing subsidy to enterprises and for imparting training to those who have lost their livelihoods to find out new ones.

3. Kudumbashree is making significant contributions through about 70,000 women farming groups (Joint Liability Groups) in the agricultural sector. Rs 10 crores was earmarked for starting Agriculture Value Added Production units through Kudumbashree.

 4.  In order to utilize employment opportunities in the care economy, manpower will be provided in each Grama panchayat after giving training for the care of senior citizens, differently abled etc.

5. To ensure the representation of young women in Kudumbashree, 10,000 Auxiliary Neighbourhood Group (NHG) units will be started during this year.

6. Organic vegetables would be procured from the local farmers and would be marketed through the 'Kudumbashree Stores' of the Kudumbashree NHGs. Kerala Bank would give loans for starting such stores, purchasing vehicles and for store renovation. 2 to 3 % subsidy will be given to those who repay the loan in time.

7. As part of the Knowledge Economy Mission, the Kerala Technological University has set up Kerala Digital Work Force Management System (DWMS). Steps have been taken to consider it as a Sub Mission of Kudumbashree. 1048 Community Resource Persons, 152 block coordinators for training and 14 District Programme Executives for training for Kudumbashree and Kudumbashree State Level Mission team will mobilize their work associating with the District Programme Executive of K-Disc and 274 skill development executives of ASAP.

8. Rs 10 crores is initially earmarked for the reduction of extreme poverty.  A committee has been formed to conduct a detailed survey in this regard to determine the indicators and  to submit the suggestions for the project.

9. Rs 5 crores is initially earmarked for the Smart Kitchen Programme which aims at lessening the burden of the household works.

Children from BUDS Institutions cheerfully celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June 2021. Students of most of the BUDS Institutions in Kerala have planted fruit bearing trees to mark the World Environment Day. The main activity done by the students was sharing the photos taken with the trees planted last year, enjoying its growth. Also, they shared the photos taken with the trees which were planted on this Environment Day. In addition, various BUDS Institutions took up other complementary activities such as placard making, cleaning houses and its surroundings, drawing competitions etc.

 BUDS Institutions are the convergence project of Kudumbashree and local bodies for educating and supporting children with intellectual disabilities. Various activities have been formulated and implemented under the leadership of the BUDS Institutions, ensuring the full participation of the children. The teachers and parents  took efforts with great enthusiasm to formulate activities as a continuation of the activities of last year's environment day celebrations, thereby helping the students to get more close and connected to nature. They had also given the students various challenges, organised online meetings and shared the photos of the activities. The students of BUDS Institutions have indeed celebrated the Environment Day of 2021 at its best.

The BUDS Institutions all across the state had celebrated the admission festival in joyous mode. While the online admission festival was conducted in all schools across the state on 1 June 2021, the BUDS Schools and BUDS Rehabilitation centres organized an online admission festival at the LSGI level, in the best way possible. The BUDS admission festival was conducted in online mode in the LSGIs, by including the families of the BUDS students. It was done after the 'pravesanolsavam' to the general schools was completed. The elected representatives, LSGI officials, teachers and personalities from political-social cultural sectors have participated in the online admission festival and paid their felicitations. 

From last year onwards, online classes were being given to the students of the BUDS Institutions. When online classes were started through Victers Channel in the first phase for the students of the general schools under the leadership of the Education Department, Kudumbashree thought about how we could give effective classes and training to the BUDS students. Kudumbashree understood that the students were restless about not being able to go to the school and in this regard, Kudumbashree had formulated and implemented various programmes, consulting with the BUDS teachers, caretakers and subject experts.  

Teachers prepare the videos of the classes, upload them to YouTube and the same are sent to the mobile phones of the parents of the students. Parents show this video to the children, make them do the related activities and assignments and send them back to the teachers once it is completed. In addition, work sheets of every video class are given to the children. Students, with the help of parents, complete those and send them back to the teachers. In this way, children were made part of these classes in an effective way. These online classes are conducted in an interactive way that the teachers come in contact with each and every child. Teachers give instructions to do activities (drawing, newspaper reading, learning letters, music class, stitching class, joining parents for kitchen chores, handicraft making, vegetable farming) as per the individual plans, created by knowing the special ability of each and every student of the institutions. As per this, the instructions are given through WhatsApp and the activities of the children are continuously supervised. 

The activities are ongoing giving emphasis to the idea that it is the duty of the BUDS Teachers to ensure the welfare of all the students (studying in BUDS) in the limits of the LSGIs, where the respective BUDS institution is situated. It is suggested that every BUDS teacher should call the students on alternate days or talk to them on video call. It is also instructed to give online classes, by including the children and their parents, at least once in a week. The teachers are also directed to ensure the availability of the medicine, food  and other services needed for children during the period of covid, associating with the respective LSGIs. Various training for the mental health of the students and their parents will be given online under the leadership of the District Missions of Kudumbashree.

Online therapy service is being given to the BUDS students in 6 districts who need therapy, associating with Composite Regional Centre (CRC), headquartered at Kozhikode, as therapy is inevitable for many of these children. In addition, various  ideas are being formulated and implemented by the respective districts based on the amenities available in the respective areas. 

BUDS Institutions, a convergence project of Kudumbashree and Local Self Government Institutions functions for the children with intellectual disabilities. 9545 students are studying and getting trained in 342 BUDS Institutions which function across the state.

Kudumbashree has been entrusted with the task of distributing all the textbooks to the schools across the state, from this year onwards. Kerala Books and Publishing Society (KBPS) prints the books and transports them to the 15 hubs in the 14 districts of Kerala.  Kudumbashree had taken up the task of sorting these books as per the needs of the various societies in the respective districts and dispatching them in vehicles to the societies/ schools for timely distribution. A team under the leadership of Kudumbashree functions in these hubs for the same. 

Kudumbashree got the opportunity to take care of the distribution of textbooks during January 2021. A work force including supervisors were arranged for coordinating these activities in the hub, under the leadership of Kudumbashree District Coordinators by February. The first lot from KBPS was received during February itself and Kudumbashree members had started the activity of sorting the books as per the need obtained from the societies. But, strict regulations came into being due to the crisis of covid-19 pandemic. Following that, lockdown was notified in the state and these activities were temporarily stopped. Later, the text book distribution was included in the emergency service list and was given exemption. Hence we could restart this activity from last week onwards. We expect to arrange the books from KBPS and distribute them completely before last year's revision is finished, once the schools are reopened.

Until now, 70% of books are distributed from the hubs to the societies. A total of 320 Kudumbashree members including 15 supervisors are participating in these activities in the hubs. Kudumbashree members are happy to be able to extend such an important service, securing a temporary source of income, though it is a short term job opportunity that lasts only for a few months. Kudumbashree NHG members  are making great efforts to implement an activity that is helpful to the society on time, even during the crisis of covid-19 pandemic.

Kudumbashree has started 'Chain Call', a programme to create awareness about covid-19 to all the members, as the corona virus spread in this second wave is continuing. This activity also aims at identifying the people who need assistance. Kudumbashree will make necessary arrangements to help all those needy in convergence with the LSGIs. Further the program also intends to give confidence to the families that the Kudumbashree system is always there for them. As part of the programme, Presidents and Secretaries of about 3 lakh NHGs in the state would call each and every member in their NHGs over phone and enquire whether they need any help. They would also make them aware about the precautions (wear two layered masks, maintain social distance, go out only when it's really needed) everyone should take to prevent the spread of covid-19 pandemic.

Kudumbashree ADSs (Area Development Societies- the Kudumbashree organization system in ward level) will give directions to the Presidents and Secretaries of the Kudumbashree NHGs on what all should be asked while calling the members over phone. They will also brief about the convergences for extending assistance based on the responses/ needs received from them. The CDSs (Community Development Societies- the Kudumbashree organization system in the panchayath level) would give these directions to the ADSs. Through this ‘Chain Call’ Programme, the directions from the top level are brought to the NHG leaders and from NHG leaders to each and every family.

Selected Resource Persons in Kudumbashree are entrusted in each CDS to supervise this programme. They impart training on what all should be communicated while making the phone calls. Also, they give instructions for other coordination activities. These Resource Persons would coordinate this ‘Chain Call’  Programme at the local level.The Resource Persons had already been selected and the primary training had also been given to them. The district teams were given awareness regarding the same and had been given the instructions on what all should be conveyed while making the phone calls.  

  It is expected that, through this activity, Kudumbashree would be able to convey the message that everyone should make self defense against covid. The aim is to convey this message to more people and thereby we can counter this pandemic. Moreover, Kudumbashree believes to  be able to support people who are facing difficulties due to covid and extend them the needed services through Kudumbashree system with the convergence with the LSGIs. This activity is being fully implemented through the community based organizational system of Kudumbashree. Through this activity Kudumbashree would be able to take the covid alert message to maximum families in Kerala. Kudumbashree believes that we could extend the needed help and services through convergence using the full strength of the Kudumbashree organizational system under the supervision of the CDSs.

Kudumbashree Disinfection Teams are showcasing best performance in extending the sanitization services to the public. There are 125 Disinfection teams functioning all across the state, which has 686 people as members. They were able to make an income of Rs 57,77,863 through this. These units have received 2568 work orders altogether starting from August 2020 to 9 May 2021. Kudumbashree Disinfection teams have turned themselves into important service providers by extending the best services all across the state.

It was during August 2020, Kudumbashree formulated and implemented the concept of forming Disinfection teams for identifying a new source of livelihood for the NHG members. In addition to providing an income generating opportunity when many other opportunities were temporarily unavailable due to the pandemic, Kudumbashree was motivated that this would help in extending one of the important services to the society in fighting back covid-19 pandemic. These factors had influenced Kudumbashree in implementing this idea. 

The information including the  district wise details of the Disinfection teams, the work orders received and their income etc are published in Kudumbashree website. Those who wish to do the disinfection activities in their houses or offices may make use of Kudumbashree Disinfection teams which function in enterprise model.  Kudumbashree Disinfection teams would be able to set a model through their best performances in fighting back against covid-19 pandemic and be able to earn more income through these activities.

Kudumbashree had made active involvement in the Legislative Assembly Elections held in Kerala during April 2021. NHG members had received as many opportunities in connection with the election process. Kudumbashree had taken up and implemented various convergence activities as part of the last elections to Kerala Legislative Assembly. Kudumbashree members got various opportunities in every district in connection with the election. Kudumbashree members got the chance to start canteens/ cafes/ food courts in 128 distribution or collection centres out of the 162 election distribution/ collection centres in Kerala. On the polling day, Kudumbashree entrepreneurs were able to serve food to the polling officials at 14,964 polling stations. Rs 2,11,31,966 crores was received by 11,690 Kudumbashree members altogether by serving food (these two activities).

In most of the districts, opportunity was received to set up canteens at the distribution centres and to serve food at the polling stations. Opportunity was also received to clean the polling stations and distribution centres. The waste management at the polling stations and collection centres were also entrusted with Kudumbashree in some places. Opportunity was also received to function as polling volunteers and at some places, Kudumbashree NHG members got the chance to do the work of data entry as well. 16,425 members received the opportunity to clean the polling stations. 18,975 members got the opportunity of waste management at the polling stations and distribution centres. 10,663 Kudumbashree members had got the opportunity to check the body temperature of the voters using thermal scanners and to provide them sanitizers as part of following the covid protocol. 122 Kudumbashree members had got the chance to do the data entry works.An e-booklet was prepared by Kudumbashree on the various interventions made by Kudumbashree in connection with the Legislative Assembly Elections.

In addition to these income earning opportunities, Kudumbashree had got the opportunities to set up Women Friendly Polling Stations at Thrissur and Kottayam districts and Green Booths at Ernakulam district. On the counting day, opportunity was received to serve food at the counting centres at Kannur, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Malappuram districts. Through this intervention, Kudumbashree members were able to become part of the great democratic process, other than an opportunity to earn a one time income. Thereby this was a process of empowerment and this process boosted the self confidence of Kudumbashree members to take up and implement various such challenging activities.

To see the e-booklet,Click here