CARPED is an action research group, formed by a group of
young professionals, engaged in participatory community development for the
past few years to facilitate promotion of child rights, community control over
natural resources and participatory community development. The group registered
as a Society in 1989 has been active in the areas of preventing displacement of
the tribal communities, environment education and legal aid as part of larger
networks, during the first five years. CARPED has initiated activities in
Kowdipally mandal of Medak since 1994 with focus on child issues and
participatory community development based on natural resource management (NRM).
Besides, it continued active involvement in networks, campaigns and movements to
facilitate people's development in varied spheres.
CARPED has facilitated state level networks of NGOs
comprising more than 200 organizations engaged in the promotion and
strengthening of participatory forestry management through Joint Forest
Management/ Community Forest Management. Similarly state level network of NGOs
engaged on promotion of child rights in the state. CARPED has also facilitated
youth sensitization programmes in the tribal areas of Warangal, Khammam and
Adilabad.
CARPED's emphasis is on child literacy, protection and
promotion of child rights with a strategic approach for elimination of child
labour. CARPED is also involved in developing community control over natural
resources, social education, networking and action research.
CARPED prepared a good number of educational material for
child labour turned students at different levels (according to their age and
learning levels) and texts for marginalised communities in the society. CARPED
strengthened its educational programmes by capacity building of (VEC) Village
Education Committees, self-help groups and CBOs to protect child rights,
literacy for adolescent girls and motivating rural youth to take part in all
literacy programmes.
CARPED's understanding of community development is based on
the belief that communities and marginalised sections of community would be
able to collectively ensure better living conditions if they are organised and
educated of the opportunities available to them. CARPED's basic thrust
therefore is on facilitating the communities to be part of the efforts in
analysing their situations or informing them of the same so as to enable their
involvement in evolving strategies to address the issues. Thus, CARPED's
activities are focussed on action research, information dissemination,
mobilisation, advocacy and assistance. Strategic approach to developmental
efforts consists of capacity building of self-help groups (Vana Samrakshana
Samithis, thrift and credit groups, water users' associations etc.) and
resource mobilisation and management of government sponsored welfare measures.
Besides, it continues participation in networks, campaigns
and movements to facilitate peoples' development especially in the areas of
child rights, education, participatory governance and community management of
natural resources.
