General concepts of Kudumbashree

The core objective of Kudumbashree Mission is yet again the old 'development cliché of the planners-'eradication of poverty'. But this time the style is different, the approach is new, the strategies are positive and determination is staunch. Yes, the Missionaries of Kudumbashree mean 'it' this time and are determined to do 'it'. The mission statement of Kudumbashree reflects this strong desire and staunch determination.

In the 'mission statement', the objective of Kudumbashree is unequivocally declared as follows:

To eradicate absolute poverty in ten years through concerted community action under the leadership of local governments, by facilitating organization of the poor for combining self-help with demand-led convergence of available services and resources to tackle the multiple dimensions and manifestations of poverty, holistically .

Apart from stating the objective, the mission statement also proclaims the means, method and approach, which will be adopted for the crusade against poverty.

In spite of the tremendous development Kerala could achieve in several areas like literacy and health care, poverty refuses to leave the state. More than fifteen lakhs kerala families of the state, alias 'gods own country' are still in the clutches of poverty.

Manifestations of poverty like ill health, mal-nutrition, un-employment, non-existence and non-availability of basic needs and facilities are seen through out the state in varying intensity. The situation is worse in tribal belts, coastal belts and urban slums. Especially women and children are the prime victims of the curse.

Poverty cannot be reduced or removed simply by giving doles or by charity. Most of the anti-poverty programmes implemented in the state during the last decades, though seemingly well conceived, have failed due to various reasons. Almost all the programmes adopted income criteria for identifying the poor, which lacked people's involvement and was also susceptible to under reporting and manipulations.

The programmes of the past presumed that the poor are totally resourceless and therefore did not envisage any involvement and commitment from the poor themselves. The poor were never involved in their own identification and assessment of their problems and needs. The programmes, therefore, tend to supply the outsiders perception rather than meeting the felt needs of the poor. The poor remained mere 'beneficiaries' of others decision, as they were not involved in the implementation of the programmes. The programmes were also generally individual oriented and did not harness community's group dynamics.

Every programme of the past tried to meet only one of the disadvantages in the lives of the poor and the programmes were implemented by a host of agencies with no co-ordination with one another. The programmes therefore lost focus and the resources got scattered. Being implemented by different agencies also meant many parallel structures for delivering, resulting high delivery costs. The programmes were also centrally planned with little flexibility to suit local needs. The target-oriented programmes did not take into account the resource handling capacities of the poor.

All these experiences emphasized the necessity to adopt a holistic approach to fight poverty, with the active participation of the community. The phenomenal success of the CDS systems of Alappuzha Municipality and Malappuram district were also encouraged the planners to formulate a participatory, community-based programme for fighting poverty. The concept of Kudumbashree was thus took definite shape. Dismal experiences of the past shaped the objectives of the project.

Objectives of Kudumbashree Mission fall into two categories; specific and general.