The Ultimate Truth Preaching Mission (TUTPM) has emerged in the year 1999 to serve the poor, rural and tribal people of Mizoram and especially to the chakma people. The initiatives was taken by a few educated chakma youths, who have completed their education but decided to organize the poor rural and needy chakma people initially within the Lunglei District and later move out from the district boundaries and covered entire state of Mizoram.
These youths have also contacted the village elders and educated persons for guidance and later decided to form an association of people to transfer their thoughts into practical implementation. Therefore, the youth group has involved few more motivated and experienced persons in the team and thereby decided the name of the Association as “THE ULTIMATE TRUTH PREACHING MISSION(TUTPM) “ and thereby applied for registration under section XXI of societies Registration Act 1960 and got desired legal status for introducing planned development initiatives for extending organised development actions under the stated banner of the Mission.
The Registrar, Societies Registration Act 1860 was kind enough to register the Mission on 29th March 2000 and since then the Organization is actively engaged in extending its various developmental services for the promotion of the needy, poor, rural and tribal people of Mizoram by putting special focus on the development of the youths & women of the chakma tribes in its operations. Therefore, the Organization is basically represents the voice of the poor, needy rural and tribal people, especially the chakma tribes of Tuichawng area of Lungsen Rural Development Block. The Mission is now fully engaged in the process of establishing some common development plat form on which community based welfare and development activities may be performed like social, economic and other welfare oriented interventions.
In this direction, the Organization interested in organizing the poor, needy, deprived, rural and tribal people with special focus on the chakma tribes in its operational areas and also wants to provide necessary supports and services for their social, economic and cultural up-liftment. It also interested to assist for their total empowerment to have a peaceful & harmonious life-style.
The Organization has started introducing its development activities on low-scale and based on the resource mobilized from and within the communities. The promotional efforts of the Mission was came into light when it has successfully supported few students and provided support for some welfare activities for the needy, poor, rural and tribal people and made them visible before the community.
Later, the community has started more and more such activities by mobilizing the resources from the community. Now, majority of its developmental activities are always be suggested by the community with due consideration of their actual needs and the Organization utilizes its human resources for their proper executions. The TUTPM has become established as a community based development institution after facing lots of troubles and difficulties to get accepted and extends its services after mobilizing required resources from the community. Therefore, the Organization is now representing a complete democratic platform for the development of the people, which in other words quoted like By the people, For the people. The community stands for the Organization and the Organization stands for community based development actions and has reached the stage to achieve this status by standing for each others on development. However, to balance its development interventions, the Organization has started some specialized skills-upgradation trainings for the rural and tribal people interested to undertake some feasible income generation activities as a part of their self-employment towards ensuring a regular income for adoption of a life-style and move towards their sustainable livelihoods. The Organization therefore, started organizing some vocational training with major emphasis on skill-upgradation, management and marketing of their finished products to have reasonable income for their labours, time and investment. The Organization has also utilizes its available resources in the form of educated youths to provide coaching to the dropouts and general students for their better education and make them a good citizen of the state and country. To assist the needy poor, rural and tribal people the Organization has also given its emphasis on health and health related issues and organised its action to generate awareness for having better health and health life. It has also assessed their health problems and started introducing health-camps to assist the patients in the treatments, medicines and other related expenditures. The Organization is also taking initiatives to educate people on taking up preventive measures to avoide large medical expenses, spending time and face problems occurs due to non-availability of finance on income during the particular time. However, the growing experiences of extending various welfare and developmental activities the Organization have been now enabled to organize its interventions by utilizing professional approaches whenever and wherever it is possible. In accordance to the above, the Organization has decided to set targets oriented development interventions on six strategic and sectoral progrrames as mentioned below. 1. Educational Programmes 2. Health Programme. 3. Environmental Programmes. 4. Livelihood Development Programmes. 5. Women Empowerment Programmes.
The Organization has also kept the cultutal programmes separate from its strategic interventions considering this as having no direct relation with the livelihoods development programmes.
Rather, the Organization has decided to focus more on the Women Empowerment Programmes considering it as the lowest and effective ways to uplift the most deprived community and bring them in the lights of sustainable development. In this direction, the Organization has started organizing women folk inclusive of the chakma and other communitites and decides for undertaking planned development activities. Therefore, the Organization has started organizing the women groups inclusive of the chakma tribal women in the style of Self-Help-Hroups (SHGS) and imparting vocational and skills trainings for improving their skills. The Organization is also extending its support and services for the women to produce quality products in bulk to have reasonable prices for their efforts. However, due to lack of financial experiences, the Organization was unable to link these SHGS with credit sources and now the Organization is looking forward to avail some external resources to extend necessary supports to these SHGS for their total empowerment. The external support, the Organization is looking forward is the sponsorship of the Programmes/Schemes either from any Govt department or from any Funding Agencies who are working for the development of the people of Mizoram and encourage Self-Help movement. The Organization is also interested to organize and re-structure the behaviour and character of the people by giving moral education through religion they believe in order to help them eradicate irrational beliefs & thoughts and keep themselves a lot from antisocial activities encouraging rational beliefs & thoughts to bring peace in them and as well as in the community.
OPERATIONS : The development operation of TUTPM are basically focusing towards education of the needy rural poor, deprived tribal children with special attention to the chakma tribal children and also towards empowerment of the needy rural poor, deprived and tribal people with special attention to chakma tribes and who are interested to stand on their own feet for their sustainable livelihoods. The Organization is putting all its developmental efforts initially to improve their individual and group skills for adoption of suitable income generation activities to provide alternative means for their sustainable livelihoods development.
STRATEGIES : The Organization normally adopts its operational strategies for its developmental interventions are based on promotion of social. Economic and educational development with special emphasis on giving early child care and education to the underprivileged poor chakma children and also on skill upgradation using of local materials and resources. And seeking market to sale finished product and extends required support services to have better health, environment for peaceful and harmonious livings. It also promotes sectoral interventions with the activities related to the health, education, environment and livelihoods.
INTERVENTIONS : The Organization organizes its developmental interventions to achieve its sets target by utilizing its adopted strategies in following six sectoral activities.
a) Educational Programmes. b) Health Programmes. c) Environmental Programmes. d) Livelihood Development Programmes. e) Women Empowerment Programmes.
More details of these planned development initiatives are placed here.
PROGRAMME & ACTIVITIES :
1. Education Programmes: The TUTPM feels that, spreading education is one of the most important activities under its developmental interventions. The education programmes play a greater role in human life and helps in creation of various development opportunities among the tribals and children. Since the Organization is focusing towards working for the tribals and children in the rural areas for their upliftment. This education programmes of the Organization gets high priority for implementation then any other development programmes as it considers the involvements of the nation building process. Therefore, the education programmes of the Organization is comprise of three types of activities :- Running of the AHIMSA SCHOOL . Coaching for drop-outs in secondary level. Coaching for poor & needy students in elementary level and providing of books & prizes to the meritorious students.
Ahimsa School. : The Ahimsa School is run smoothly. The enrolment of the school has gone upto 70 in this academic year from classes K.G.-1 to class-iv. Four teachers and one peon-cum chowkidar have been providing voluntary services with a very small honourarium. The school building has been constructed with pucca structure with the donation received from Mr. Mahendra Sagar of India Charitable Foundation and Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar of Probini Foundation. Toilets for both boys & girls also constructed separately. A retaining wall spending more than Rs. 80,000/- has been constructed as foundation of the school.
(ii) Coaching for the drops-out : The objectives of the coaching for drop-out students by the Organization is mainly to spread the education among the poor, rural and tribal students have tried their best for acquiring education but due to some reasons unable to continue their studies in school and drop-out. The Organization considers this is a responsibility of their educated youths to help these drop-out students to continue their studies by overcoming their respective problems and get educated for their better future. Since the Mission is engaged in various development programmes in the village areas, it also collects information about those students are not going their regular school for education. Later, the Organization discussed with both parents & students together and then brings them at coaching centre to help in reducing gap in their studies to enable them to go to schools. This year, the Organization has enrolled 34 drop-out students in its three coaching centres from eight different villages and 40 students are successfully sent back in their schools for continue of their studies.
(iii) Coaching (General) : The objective of running the general coaching centre of the Organization is to help the needy poor, rural students in their studies. This programme is generally meant for extending required support services for spreading of education among the school going children/students. The Organization runs these coaching centres considering the needs of the students and period and frequencies of these coaching are depend upon the requirements of the students. To run these coaching centres, the Mission takes support from the community to spare the accommodation for the coaching centres and the educated youths of the Organization are volunteering for extending the coaching for the needy poor school going children.students. This year, the Organization has successfully run five such free coaching centres to cover 51 students from class ii to class viii from six neighbouring villages of its operational areas. The Organization also organises programmes and activities both to help the needy poor students with books and prizes for continuation of their studies.
(iv) Legal Awareness : The Organization emphasis on generation of legal awareness among the common people, educate people for realizing the needs of right information to stop unwanted quarrels in the family, community and have life with dignity. This will not only stop getting exploited but also to stop exploit others. The impact of the programme was visualize to people one step ahead to know things first and start taking action to reduce normal quarrels/exploitation.
2. HEALTH PROGRAMMES : The objective of the health programmes of TUTPM is to have better health and befit for working to earn livelihoods for him/her self and for their respective families. The major components of the health programmes are devided the two forms of services as stated below: (a) Awareness Generation Programmes: Awareness Generation on various health aspects with diseses, their symtoms and information of their preventive measure before they severely attack human life and cause huge medical expenses. The Mission therefore organises these AGPs on health aspects in the remote villages to educate the tribal people with major focus on the women folk.
The Organization organizes special awareness drives on health for the children to educate them, their mothers/parents/families to know about early action to stop spreading of such diseses and speedy recovery. Some of those common diseses affecting people are malaria, diarrhea, gastric, anaemia, asthma and skin diseases. The medical team also suggested some preventive measures to be adopted. The health AGPs helps the people to know the symptoms of these diseases to enable them to take immediate medical attention for their family members and reduce the possibilities of larger health disorder and enable the patients to get speedy recovery over the disease.
(b) Health Camps : Health Camps for free health checkup for the poor patients resides to remote areas and unaware of the modern medical facilities and services. The other motto to organize these health camps is to convey the message of medical facilities and services available for the poor patients from various governments and these patients must avail such services for their better health and healthy family life. 3. ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMMES: The Organization organizes its environment development programmes with the objectives to have green surroundings and protect environment from its destroy. Since inception, the Organization is taking its regular initiatives for promotion and protection of environment as part of its social responsibilities. The Organization therefore, has tried to organize its environment interventions in two basic programmes as below : (i) Awareness Generation Programme on Environment: The Organization has organized environment awareness camps in six separate villages and ten schools to educate the common people and school going children for having minimum knowledge on environment. The ignorance of the people on environment has led them towards misusing the valuable natures gifts without knowing their values. The Organization wants to educate people on environment and enable them to take necessary action to protect environment for having healthy lives. The Organization also has organized public meetings, cleanliness-drives and also discussed environment in some specialized meeting organized for these purposes.
(ii) Plantation of Evergreen Trees : The Organization has undertaken planting of evergreen trees in the villages of its operational areas for having a green Mizoram. It has planted more than 300 ( three hundred ) evergreen trees in the villages Tuichawng, Tuichawngchhuah, Bawrkawl, Siminasora and Matrisora during the last year. People cuts trees for their needs but never think to replace them by planting a new one. Therefore, to ensure availability of the evergreen trees to help the villages have better environment and better lives, the Organization has taken this initiatives. 4. LIVELIHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES : The TUTPM considers livelihood development interventions is one of the most important activities for economic upliftment. The Organization therefore, introduced The Chakma Tribal Handicrafts Project with its cluster headquarters at Tuichawng, in 2011 and placed the same before the Development Commissioner, Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India, New Delhi through proper channel. The Developemnt Commissioner was pleased to approve the Project.
5. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES : The women empowerment programmes of TUTPM are exclusive development initiatives to promote the poor and tribal women interested to stand on their feet. The Organization mainly focused on provide them basic guidance and direction to regain their due rights in the society and thereby get their social and economic status in the respective village, community and society. The Organization is therefore, initiated its actions to undertake some exclusive activities for organizing the poor women inclusive of young girls who have been left by their husbands and are in search of their livelihoods.
The Organization is trying to provide some economic activities based on their existing skills and capacity for starting income generation activities to earn their total empowerment. The women are basically manages their respective families within available and limited resources and tries to satisfy all the family members and the Mission has decided to use this management capacities for their development and provide them suitable means and platform for their right growth. Therefore, the Organization has started its development interventions in different ways as mentioned below. (a) Awareness Campaign on AAM ADMI BIMA YOJONA: The Organization in collaboration with the Life Insurance Corporation of India, Aizawl Branch, have conducted Awareness Programmes in the villages Tuichawng, Samuksury, Ugudasury, Tuikawi, Malsury and Bindya Sora on AAM ADMI BIMA YOJONA and enrolled 105 members to get benefits by their families at the event of their death.
(b) Promotion of Self-Help-Groups (SHGS) : The 44 (forty four) SHGs formed earlier are given good guidance and supervision inorder to keep the SHGs active. The SHGs are working hard to stand on their own feet. They are asked to participate in the Design & Technical Development Workshops and skill upgradation training conducted by the Mission from time to time for upgradation of their skills in the crafts they have been practicing. Now, they have started to make good quality of products which are sold in the local market at a reasonable price. The women are helping their husbands to bring sustainable livelihood of their family. Their small income really help to support their families.
FUTURE PLANS: The TUTPM always tries to undertake need based planned interventions together with community. Since major development resourses are coming mainly from the community. It considered the needy rural poor and tribal people as its target people for introduction of various development initiatives under six sectoral programmes and activites as below: Education Programme: The Organization will continue to run the Mahabodhi Residential School upgrade the same from elementary to higher secondary status since the local are giving supports to it. The Organization will try to find doner from within India and abroad to get sponsore for the extention of school building. The mission will also give its full efforts to build and run Hostel for the poor and deprived Children to provide them free and quality education. It will also help them in building of good character and positive thinking the mission will also continue its coaching felicitation programmes for the general and drop out students. Health Programmes : The Organization is continue with both awareness generation, preventive measures and organizing practical health camps to help the needy poor patients for their better health. The Organization is looking for more resources for organizing such health camps and opening of a health clinic in future and actively in search of them. Environment Programmes : The Organization is interested to introduce awareness generation and plantation activities more planned manner. It also trying to organize in such a manner that, it can able to provide a regular earnings to the poor people. (d) Livelihoods Programmes : The Organization is interested to introduce area-based or cluster based development programmes for planned interventions for better livelihoods of the poor and tribal people with special focus on the chakma tribes. The Organization wants to put more emphasis on the agriculture, service, handloom and hadicrafts based activities both for individual and group initiatives. The Organization has submitted proposals for 10 (ten) skill-upgradation trainings and 5 (five) Design & Technical Development Workshop to the Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India, New Delhi who has given assurance to sponsore the said interventions to cover 350 artisans. The Organization will start implementating the same as soon as grant-in-aid is allotted. (e) Women Empowerment Programmes : The Organization is interested to introduce both short and long term developmental programmes and activities for the promotion of the women specially the tribal women of its operational areas. The Organization is also interested to take help of the Self-Help-Group concept to organize the women and thereby lead them for their social and economic-upliftment. The Organization tries to introduce a series of development activities in the area that can help them to become self-sufficient and have better life-style.
