Citizens Foundation India

About the Organization

Citizens Foundation is a registered voluntary organization established on 3 February 1997, by development-oriented youths. Citizens Foundation operates on a national level, working in multi-dimensional areas of the development sector, spread over 24 districts in Jharkhand, 2 districts in Meghalaya, 4 in Bihar, 4 in Uttarakhand and are heading into Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. It also has presence in 4 other states of the northeast, viz. Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim.

Citizens Foundation has been working in various sectors such as Health, Child Protection and Education, Livelihood Promotion, Techno-Managerial Support, Natural Resource Management and Advocacy & Policy in the various districts of Jharkhand. The organization has state offices in all the operational states and also coordination offices in Kolkata (for Eastern India) and Noida (for NCR).

Health

Citizens Foundation undertakes many initiatives under the Health Intervention, addressing health issues among the rural poor and working towards preventive, curative and promotional healthcare.

With the objective of improving access to healthcare in rural areas, it runs a number of Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), which provide primary healthcare services free of cost to people in under-served areas. Citizens Foundation partners with the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) and the National Rural Health Mission in this program.

The organization also runs Nutritional Rehabilitation Centers (NRCs), under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in collaboration with UNICEF and Government of India. It aims to provide institutional care for children with acute malnutrition and promote physical, mental and social growth of such children. With an objective of reducing malnutrition and resultant deaths, Citizens Foundation has launched campaigns and mobilized communities to identify such children, in collaboration with Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and ASHAs in the state.

In the state of Meghalaya, the foundation operates health centres (Community Health Centers and Primary Health Centers) in partnership with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Meghalaya under the PPP mode. The Government of Meghalaya provides infrastructure, medical equipment, medicines and training for technical staff. Citizens Foundation manages hospitals and recruits doctors and paramedical staff. From time to time, it also helps organize health awareness camps and talks on important issues like immunization, institutional delivery, family planning, mother and child care, and ante-natal and post-natal care.

Natural Resource Management

The goal of the Natural Resource Management intervention under Citizens Foundation is to develop the capacity of villagers to effectively participate in NRM initiatives that substantially increase the sustained productivity of their natural resources. A number of initiatives have been undertaken under the NRM programme:

Child Protection and Education

Under the Child Protection and Education intervention, Citizens Foundation has undertaken a few initiatives with the objective of promoting growth and development of children, especially those belonging to the marginalized sections of the community. A major initiative under this intervention has been the setting up of Jharkhand State Bal Bhavan (JSBB), on the lines of National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi. In February 2009, Citizens Foundation got affiliated to National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi. The Jharkhand State Bal Bhavan supplements the work of National Bal Bhavan at state level by conducting activities like integration camps, children utsav, environmental conferences, exhibitions and art competitions. It has over 1100 registered students who participate in various seminars and competitions, and undergo training classes in computers and paintings at its centers. JSBB under the aegis of Citizens Foundation also selects the best talent from Jharkhand to represent it at the Bal Shree Honour Awards, awarded by the National Bal Bhavan in New Delhi.

Livelihood Promotion

The Livelihood Promotion intervention focuses on empowering the tribal population and thus ensuring food security, increased incomes and an increase in the overall quality of life. It builds on the Natural Resource Management in developing resources which can sustainably provide livelihood opportunities for the community. It has identified activities like Homestead Poultry, Goatery Promotion, and Horticulture to enhance livelihood opportunities. A few projects being implemented under this intervention are:

Techno-Managerial Support

Under this intervention, Citizens Foundation is involved in consultancy on Technical, Social and CSR projects across different areas. It provides services in Resettlement and Rehabilitation projects, Natural Resource Management projects, Health, Livelihood, Base Line Studies, concurrent and end line evaluations, impact assessment and collaboration. The foundation has conducted over 100 Social Economic Surveys, Technical Surveys, Resource Surveys and Market Surveys of varying magnitudes for its own projects as well as for other organizations.

Got Prestigies Project from Bihar Government and ADB for R&R and LA of 6 Lane Ganga Bridge Kachi Dargha- Bidhur, PATNA.

Advocacy and Policy

Under the Advocacy and Policy intervention, Citizens Foundation organizes issue based workshops, seminars, conference and deliberations helping prepare vibrant platforms for discussions and influencing policy-making. Campaigns and public hearings on issues like AIDS awareness, Child Rights, Drug Abuse and Trafficking have been organized by the foundation in the past.