The eco-habitats by design are located away from the cities and in rural or per-urban areas. For any community to become an eco-habitat, there should be a symbiotic relationship between the community and its surroundings. The relationship can be with respect to any physical aspects like water, air, food etc., as well as people to people connect. The influence of this relationship is more pronounced to a certain extent of physical and emotional space. In order to define this space, we at Organo have taken the seven strands of sustainability or saptapatha (earth, water, air, people, food, shelter, and energy) as parameters around which the influence zone is defined.
This influence zone can be called as eco-habitat boundary which is a key aspect of eco-habitats built by Organo. It can be defined as “the physical and social space around the eco-habitat which acts as an influence zone whose environment has a direct impact on the well-being of the residents of the eco-habitat”.
Like any other residential community there are various requirements in terms of maintenance for the eco-habitats as well. These requirements may be material, manpower and natural resources. Of the above mentioned three aspects the “manpower/ people” aspect is key to ensuring that the Eco-habitats are maintained in a sustainable and cohesive manner. Specific villages around the eco-habitat are identified and interventions are under taken by Organo to ensure the cohesive relationship is established gradually between the residents of eco-habitats and people living in the villages nearby.
At Organo we have made a conscious choice to hire at least 75% of the staff/ manpower required for maintenance/ operation of the eco-habitat from the local villages. Since most of the people in the villages come from different educational and skill levels, it was sought to train them both on the job and through classroom method of education. This will ensure that the skill levels are standardized.
Mutually Beneficial:
Through this approach both the residents of the eco-habitats and their neighbors (villagers living nearby) benefit. The villagers get a predictable livelihood option, upgradation of skills which bring better earning capacity and the residents get the benefit of reliable and trained manpower.
Our approach:
Based on our experience gained in our earlier projects we have decided to have skill targeted development training sessions for interested youth. Towards these four trades or courses were identified namely Food & Beverage Steward, Kitchen Steward, Housekeeping Trainee, Multi Skill Trainee (Plumbing & Electrical).
One of the leading National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) empaneled vocational and skill training partners B-Able was onboarded for undertaking the mobilization of rural youth in villages near projects. Once the trades/ courses were shortlisted we identified key skills that that the course curriculum should cover. A customized curriculum for Organo was developed.
Post this, village mobilizers (persons skilled in motivating villagers) from B-Able and Organo have started doing door to door campaigns and village meets to motivate the candidates who are willing to take up the 2 months course for certification and employment. This exercise is currently underway and is expected to be completed by April 2022.
