Joint Action Networking (Jan)

Joint Action Network (JAN) has dedicated 8 years to grassroots efforts in 50 villages of Hilsa block, Nalanda district, Bihar, combatting gender-based discrimination and promoting girl education. In a historically male-dominated society, JAN addressed challenges such as neglecting girls' education, early marriages, and wage disparities. Through initiatives like Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao campaigns, 60% of girls were liberated from child marriage, dropout rates decreased, and awareness of health, hygiene, and rights increased. Training over 220 dropout girls in tailoring skills further empowered them, contributing to a reduction in child marriage and child labour ratios.

Supported by India Literacy Project (ILP) since 2013, Joint Action Networking (JAN) collaborates with ILP USA to promote "Community Institutions" in 41 villages across 5 GPs in Hilsa block, Nalanda district, Bihar. The initiative focuses on establishing dropout-free panchayats and ensuring schooling in areas with a Musahar community literacy rate as low as 6.88%. Achievements include enrolling over 3000 non-school-going and dropout children, activating School Management Committees (SMCs) in 35 schools, employing para teachers, and reducing child marriage and labour rates through improved education.

Jan NGO conducted awareness programmes in 10 project villages, engaging women, youth, children, and Kishori groups. Discussions encompassed women's health, children's health, nutrition, employment, seasonal diseases, COVID-19, sanitation, drinking water, and kitchen gardening. Emphasis was placed on breastfeeding for infants and supplementing older children's diets with pulse water, green leafy vegetables, and vegetable soup. Weight check-ups, hospital referrals, and discouraging child labour were addressed. Empowering women's groups resulted in increased awareness of malnutrition prevention, clean water consumption, balanced diets, and Government schemes. This led to a decline in maternal and infant mortality rates and reduced anaemia among women in the project area.

Child labour was widespread in the region, with the majority involved in domestic work and agriculture. By 2017-18, 50% of children were freed from domestic labour, and enrollment in anganwadis and schools improved by 40% to 60%. JAN's support contributed to decreased malaria during pregnancy. People now prioritize sanitation and hygiene, utilizing clean hand pump water. Education awareness improved, encouraging Dalit and Musahar children to attend schools. Awareness of Government schemes increased, reducing gender discrimination and fostering equal celebration of sons and daughters' births. Notably, 187 school dropout children from Dalit and Musahar communities rejoined mainstream education, 220 girls received tailoring training, and child labour significantly decreased in the project area.

Implemented from 2003-2005 in 22 villages of Nardiganj block, Nawada district, Bihar, the Reproductive Health Awareness Program, supported by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aimed to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR). Initiatives included immunization for mothers and children, training traditional birth attendants, promoting safe delivery practices, and contraception for population control. Simultaneously, the Institutional Deliveries and Homeopathic programme, coordinated by Gram Nirman Mandal, saw increased adoption of family planning, female sterilization, vasectomy, judicious family planning resource use, decreased child and maternal mortality rates, and a decline in child marriages.