HELP’s approach to addressing marginalization, dispossession and impoverishment is characterized by the following guiding elements/understanding:
1. Marginalization, dispossession and social change: HELP recognizes the importance of addressing unjust and exploitative political-economic and social arrangements which create the conditions for the perpetuation of poverty and marginalization. For instance, the priorities of national development and economic globalization often exhibit an industrial-urban bias that diminishes peasant and indigenous communities and their existence, aspirations and priorities (e.g. agribusiness and agro-forestry, dam and mining-related development often displace/dispossess these communities who are construed as being “in the way of national development or transnational commerce” and render them home/placeless, landless and with little to no access to forest and water resources necessary for their material and cultural existence). These political-economic conditions and the various other bases of discrimination/exploitation including gender, caste and ethnicity need to be addressed as they, together, constitute the mechanisms of impoverishment.
e.g. All 120 villages (16000 plus Kondh, Saora and Panos communities) form a part of a village, regional and federated organization/representative body called the Adivasi-Dalit Ekta Abhijan (ADEA unity forum), which addresses the political-economic and social impediments to the development concerns of Adivasi (ST) and Dalit (SC) communities in South Orissa. This organization has actively addressed issues pertaining to the destruction and increasing marginalization of SC-ST communities from land, forest and water resources; discrimination/atrocities committed in the name of gender, caste and ethnicity (implementation of SC-ST Atrocities Act); and provided solidarity support to other peasant, Adivasi-Dalit and rural organizations engaged in various campaigns against the marginalization of rural constituencies in South Orissa [e.g. Campaign of Traditional Forest Dwellers for Forest Rights and Rights Over Forest Land; Campaign for Land to the Landless; Campaign Against Domestic Violence; and solidarity support for the the Kalinga Fisherman’s Union (KFU)]. Additionally, the ADEA seeks to advocate around the Constitutional Rights of peasant and indigenous groups in the Scheduled Areas and to draw the state’s attention to the concerns of rural citizens, while encouraging public-people partnerships in localized small-medium scale development initiatives (e.g.small scale irrigation supports and local infra-structure development).
2. Gender and social change: HELP recognizes the multiple-barriers of discrimination faced by women (gender, caste, ethnicity, class) and the importance of actively working with women and men (constant interrogation of gender relations) to address the gendered-nature of poverty and marginalization that disproportionately affects women.
e.g. Every village in the partnership has women’s organizations, while women have equal representation in village, regional and federated representative bodies. Concerns that involve men and women but that are felt particularly by women (e.g. alcoholism and domestic violence) are taken up by these organizations and representatives in an effort to ensure that “women’s issues” become “community/everybody’s issues” and that these concerns are addressed. Women’s organizations are primarily responsible for and have control over key economic and agricultural activities, including the operation of vital Public Distribution Outlets (for state-subsidized food essentials) that are crucial in terms of addressing food/nutritional requirements of women and children.
3. Long term support: Addressing the ecological, political-economic and social conditions that impoverish communities is a long-term process that requires long term support. HELP's support is provided with the understanding that we are there to stay and work with the partnered people for as long as they feel our support is useful and necessary.
e.g. Based on this understanding with our partners, HELP has been working with SC/ST communities in South Orissa for over a decade.
4. People-to-people partnerships: HELP is engaged in direct action with the people we partner, as opposed to working through intermediaries. This also means that people define their priorities and develop their initiatives in partnership with HELP, including defining what an appropriate role for HELP might look like. This means relying primarily on "people's knowledge" (such as Adivasi agro-forestry knowledge or cultural aspiration), while utilizing "outside knowledge” when partners decide this is necessary.
e.g. HELP meets with, discusses and develops initiatives with partnered communities. Adivasi conceptions of forests/nature, agriculture and development are at the core of what defines these initiatives. HELP meets with the partner communities each year to engage in such deliberations.
5. Member and supporter commitment: HELP's members and executive contribute up to a third or more of our modest budget, while also covering the administrative and fundraising costs of the organization. As stated, HELP is managed and operated by unpaid volunteers. This ensures that all donations collected are used strictly for the purpose of facilitating initiatives in partner communities. Most of HELP’s supporters and contributors have been long-term collaborators in this process and we are privileged by this trust and association.
“Most people think that supporting big organizations is the only way to make a big difference in the lives of the exploited. For me, it is small organizations like HELP that make the big difference because you are about building relationships and you listen and have confidence in the knowledge of people that are being squeezed out by our life styles. You can not de-personalize suffering and exploitation by making it a logistical problem that requires some large scale logistical response. What we need are more HELP-type people’s partnerships—ones we can trust to develop solid relational-processes with people in the rural areas. As far as I am concerned, I will be here for as long as you are here” (quoting long term supporter from Edmonton).
