MANTRA (Movement and Action Network for Transformation of Rural Areas), the flagship program of Gram Vikas, provides long lasting solutions to health problems arising from use of unclean water and unhygienic waste disposal habits of rural people. The program aims at transforming behavior and attitudes of rural communities in the context of hygiene and sanitation. By implementing this program and m
obilizing communities to come together to address these issues, Gram Vikas USA will facilitate the entire village to invest in setting up household toilets and washrooms, and establish 24-hour piped water supply, thereby putting a stop to open defecation. The program is based on the following core values:
Inclusion: where 100% of households in a village are included irrespective of caste and class divides
Social equity: Everyone participates in the program and contributes towards the program. Households that cannot afford and are very poor are cross subsidized by the better off to achieve the goals of the program. Gender equity: Women and men have equal say in the decision making process. Women are represented in the decision making bodies of the village and their opinion is considered equally. Cost sharing: Developmental efforts need not be based on charity alone. Poor people can pay for their own development in the form of labor, materials and many a times through cash contribution. However, there is a social cost that government, the private sector, and/or civil society in general needs to bear. Sustainability: Financial, institutional, and environmental sustainability are the hallmarks of the program. This is achieved by creating an endowment fund called “Village corpus” with an average contribution of USD 20 per family. This fund is deposited in a bank and the interest generated is used to support new families in the future. In addition to this, each family contributes towards a maintenance fund on a monthly basis to meet the operation and maintenance expenses of water supply systems. Institutional sustainability is achieved through the process of involving all families in the decision making process and establishing norms of governance. Environmental sustainability entails using technology (e.g. Induced gravity, twin soak pits surrounded by soft rooted plants to suck up waste water) that does not depend on external energy and is based on principles of recycling.
