CADMB has traveled a long way since the severe draught in 1996 from emergency service to raising voice for justice and equity in 2010. The path has witnessed many ups and downs during this period. Looking back at the stages of development of CADMB or as it is named locally as Samuhik Marudi Pratikar Udyam Balangir (SMPUB), gives a very clear and just picture of CADMB and its experience.

à                In the year 1997, after severe draught in 1996, called draught of the century, Action Aid as a part of its emergency response, began working in Bolangir for a very short period of 3 months with 6 partner organizations in 56 worst affected villages of the district, the focus being cash for work program to generate wage employment. The review of this program revealed the fact that long-term intervention is essential for draught mitigation in Bolangir.

 

à                The year 1998 laid the first stone towards draught mitigation as Action Aid expanded its intervention from six to ten partners and from 56 to 110 villages. Major focus during this period was on developing and renovating uplands and traditional water harvesting structures to fight the natural phenomena of draught. A study was also conducted during this period to understand and analyze recurring draught in Balangir and its impact on people and systems and it was this study which clearly declared that draught in Bolangir is not a natural disaster but a human-made one caused due to system failure.

 

à                This changed the mode of operation and in 1999, focuses concentrated around planning of the people, by the people, for the people i.e. participatory micro level planning or locally called Lok Yojana and building people’s organization to raise their voice and assert their rights. To take up right-based approach with all partner organizations and community, capacity building of both started in this year.

 

à                The years 2000-2001witnessed revolution of community as well as partner organizations in terms of analysis, planning, action, evaluation and reflection of each and every issue after acting on of Lok Yojana and capacity building of People’s organizations. It was this period when the crucial decision of increasing partnership to 18 NGOs was taken for larger policy advocacy and building presence and pressure throughout the district and beyond it.

 

à                Gradually towards 2002-2003,people’s organizations right from village to the district level had started realizing the causes of draught in Bolangir and had sensed the hijacking drama of their rights and entitlements at different levels. Boosting this, the Reflect-ICT program was launched on a pilot basis in Bolangir. This year saw people’s movement for assertion of their rights and collective action against distress migration, land issue and food security.

à                After gradual capacity building, community organization, empowerment, information dissemination, community mobilization and action on assertion of rights and fighting injustice from village to district level, the demand of time, along with all this, in 2004-2005was that of state level action through people-centered advocacy and policy analysis and formulation of pro-poor policies to protect rights and entitlements of the most vulnerable in the society. The dream thus by 2010as visualized by CADMB is of a strong people’s organization ensuring justiceto the most vulnerable in the society in terms of all their rights, entitlements and a life with dignity. The HIV-AIDS work was initiated with the migrants since this was a felt need for immediate intervention keeping in view the spread of HIV-AIDS among the migrant workers. This was a cross cutting issue and in some way responsible for diverting attention of CADMB from its main objective to other factors.

à                In 2006-07 the focus of CADMB was changed towards disability issues. At that time all attempts were made to ensure entitlements for disables. The shift in focus left the main focus of CADMB towards governance and migration issues lag behind.

à                2007 was a land mark year for CADMB since some new initiatives were adopted by government like NREGS and RTI. These two laws were in line with the vision and mission of CADMB. So the network has been involved in ensuring 100 days of jobs guarantee to the community to check both distress migration and ensuring food security at home.

à                In 2008 the focus was Lok Sangathan and at that time strategy was made to handover the process of advocacy to them by 2011.

à                In 2009 the Peoples Organisation members were empowered and the process was speed up.

à                In 2010, the peoples organization was restructured from village level to district level. GP level development action committee was formed to address the GP level advocacy issues. Membership fees mechanism was developed and implemented. The village level committee is responsible for collecting the membership fees. And deposit at the CLC. The CLC distributes 25 % of the total fees collected each to the village level, GP level and CDAC and keeps 25% with itself. Fund flow mechanism is developed. The CDAC members are monitoring and actively involved in advocacy issues in the district.