CMED (Community Managed Empowerment and Development) programme aims at the overall development of the communities in the slums of Rajam, Andhra Pradesh. CMED initiatives are specific to the communities for which they are designed and are based on the needs analysis of those communities.

The programme was initiated in May 2003 in the Medara (basket weavers) street at Rajam. Later it was extended to other communities of the town.

Later on, the programme was extended to Harijana street in 2004; Dhobi and SC Streets in 2005; Cleaners' Street in 2006; Yatha (Toddy tappers) Street in 2009 and a second SC (Madiga) Street and Barber Streets in 2010.

Highlights:

• Initially a study is taken up in the selected communities to understand their sources of income as well as the leakages. Based on the identified gaps and opportunities, appropriate programs are designed and implemented in those communities. Some of the activities initiated in the CMED target areas include tuition centers, SHGs, Night schools, Bala Badis, Public Toilets, Sanitation Drive, Drinking water supply in summer, De-addiction programmes, tuition centers etc.
• SHGs in Medara (Bamboo basket weavers) and Dhobi streets were provided interest-free loans for purchasing bamboo raw material, push carts for ironing and iron boxes. They are regularly saving Rs.30/ to Rs.50/ per week besides paying their loan installments. This would enable them to become self-sufficient in not so distant future bringing them out of the debt traps of money lenders.
• The Night Schools help the adult women not only to read and write but also improve their health standards by creating awareness on personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
• About 500 children are regularly attending tuition centers in all the slums. All these children who were hitherto glued to TV sets are today spending their time in the tuition centers.
• An exclusive tuition center is run for differently-abled.
• Awareness programs on nutrition, ante-natal and post-natal care for pregnant women are conducted and nutritious food items like leafy vegetables, dal, eggs, fruits etc., are provided.
• The Bala Badis prepare the children to schools and also help in instilling cleanliness and discipline among the slum children.
• "Suvidha" Public toilets plugged the open defecation in many of the places in Rajam. This indirectly had a great impact on the living conditions of the slum dwellers.
• The Foundation has provided 10 tri-cycles to Rajam Nagara Panchayat (RNP) for door to door garbage collection and supported for "Clean Rajam".
• There has been increased community participation also. For example, households in Medara Street have made innovative use of bamboo baskets as dust bins. This has ensured systematic garbage disposal in their area.
• Celebration of National Festivals in the slums has increased the motivation levels among different segments of the communities. The hidden talents of the children are encouraged and they could perform well in various cultural events.
• Meritorious and poor students studying in Govt. schools are selected through a talent test and provided free English Medium education in Varalakshmi St.Ann’s School.

Case Study:

A 'Push' to Income
Yandamuri Mangaraju and his wife Lakshmi live in Chakali (Dhobhi) street of Rajam and washing and ironing of clothes is their main livelihood. Till two years ago, both husband and wife used to earn an amount of about Rs 100 per day and with that meager income they used to struggle to meet the household needs. Government had sanctioned them a house but to complete the construction, they took a loan of Rs 40,000/-. After paying the monthly installments and meeting survival needs, they hardly had any amount to meet the expenses of their children’s education.

At that time, GMRVF initiated its CMED activities in this area. The staff from the Foundation assessed the needs of this family and explored the opportunities for augmenting their income. With facilitation support from GMRVF, Mangaraju and five other washermen formed a group called ‘Mangammatalli Varalakshmi Rajaka Sangham’. Later each one of the group members was given an interest-free loan of Rs 8000 for purchase of pushcarts. Because of these carts they are able to move around the town and soon their business improved. The group cleared the loan amount in 50 equal installments and also has a savings of Rs 1500 per member in the bank. Later, Mangaraju and other group members thought of purchasing modern iron boxes to speed up their work with less physical effort. The Foundation gave a second interest-free loan of Rs. 5,000/- each for purchasing these iron boxes. The group is paying weekly loan installments regularly. Now Mangaraju and his wife together earn around Rs.250/day. They could clear about Rs.25,000/- of the debt taken for house construction and have admitted their children in an English Medium school.