Supported by Delhi State AIDS Control Society (DSACS), the project is currently going on in Vikas Puri area of west Delhi. It covers 400 injecting drug users in 11 hotspots of the area namely Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Kali Basti, Mundka, Mohan Garden, Shiv Vihar /Vikas Nagar, Janakpuri A Block, Tikri Border, Hastsal, Nilothi and Sant Garh/Guru Nanak Nagar. Besides community mobilization, harm reduction activities, condom programming and counseling services, a drop-in-centre under the supervision of a project manager and a physician is providing clinical and recreational services to the beneficiaries

This DSACS-supported project falls under the National AIDS Control Programme III (NACP III: 2007-2012) which is being implemented by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), India.

The significance of quality agricultural produce for health and environment cannot be disputed. One witnesses increasing worldwide demand for organically grown food items such as vegetables, cereals, spices etc. despite their high market value and inadequate availability. Organic food nourishes our health, its production ensures retention of soil fertility, helps soil retain adequate moisture and protects useful soil microorganisms and organic agricultural practices are in harmony with nature and traditional knowledge. While some of the geographical areas of India like north-eastern States, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh are organic by default as people traditionally do not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, there are States like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where chemical-based farming is hugely practiced leading to manifestation of its adverse impact like loss of soil fertility, depletion of groundwater and spread of diseases like cancer.

It is natural that organic farming needs to be promoted in much larger scale considering its health, environmental and economic benefits. HDS has been actively promoting organic farming since 2005 in the States of Haryana and Orissa. In Haryana, our activities have resulted in formation of a federation of 100 farmers belonging to five villages in Faridabad block in district Faridabad. The federation is called Kissan Jaiwik Federation (KJF). The project activities include, inter alia, promotion of methods of vermi-compost, NADEP compost and organic pest control, organic farming-based micro-enterprises, organic certification and marketing of organic produce. HDS has introduced community-based monitoring system in the project area with active cooperation of KJF. In Orissa, our activities are promotional in nature, as the focus is on training, demonstration and counseling of farmers.

Education is one of the prime indicators of development. Unfortunately this is one area in which developing countries remain backward. India is no exception. Notwithstanding the increase in literacy rate and interventions of the Central and State Governments through several policies and programmes, educational backwardness remains a cause of concern. While governmental initiatives like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal Scheme have contributed to high enrolment at primary school level, development of school infrastructure etc., the quality of education at primary level continues to remain a neglected area with prevalence of poor learning conditions, inadequate teacher-student ratio, teachers’ absenteeism etc.

HDS has identified some of the critical issues in the domain of quality of education namely absence of programmatic intervention for slow learners, inadequate awareness about human rights and poor communication skill which need to be addressed in order to improve the present state of education at primary level.

Our project on slow learners is going on in Balasore district in the State of Odisha. Slow learners are the children who possess low intellectual abilities and as such remain in between average and mentally handicap in terms of intelligence. Unless groomed at an early age, these children either become drop out or fall under the category of poor performers, which adversely affect their settlement in life. We plan to launch similar project in Delhi and other places in future. HDS is looking for partnership in order to carry forward its activities on quality of education.

Focusing on weaker sections of the society, HDS has been organizing free health check up and counseling programmes for women, children and elderly and free immunization programmes for children in the age group 0-14 years on regular basis since 2005. These programmes address the health and emotional needs of the target group. Free medicines, vaccines and counseling services are provided to the participants with the help of professionals and volunteers. These programmes are organized in the States of Orissa and Haryana.

HDS aims to provide institutional care to the elderly people with a view to mitigating their problems on a sustained basis. Accordingly, the organization plans to open Old Age Homes and Day Care Centers in the States where it is working at present. Both the institutions will be district level set up in which elderly people will be provided shelter, care, recreation and all other facilities which will lead to their total physical and mental nourishment.

Solid wastes have emerged as a serious threat to environment. Improper disposal of solid wastes adversely affects our environment and health. Anaerobic decomposition of solid wastes in landfills used for waste disposal produces methane- a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Incineration of solid wastes produces greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide, which cause global warming leading to climate change.

One often comes across in urban areas solid waste materials that are improperly treated and left in open places near to human habitations. Uncollected wastes often end up in drains, causing blockages that result in flooding and problems of sanitation. Flies and mosquitoes breed in some constituents of solid waste leading to spreading of diseases. Waste collection workers and rag pickers face occupational hazards like strains from lifting, injuries from sharp objects and accidents.

HDS participated in the National Environment Awareness Campaign: 2006-2007. The theme of NEAC: 2006-07 was solid waste management. The campaign activities included public meetings, installation of bins and collection & disposal of accumulated solid wastes in a rural area in East Delhi.

We have successfully aligned solid waste management with organic farming activities by ensuring use of solid wastes for vermi-composting in project villages in Faridabad district in the State of Haryana. In future, HDS plans to take up more projects on solid waste management and other key areas concerning conservation of environment.

The objectives of our capacity building activities are to:

• Impart training on income-generating activities in order to upgrade existing skills, streamline entrepreneurship and reduce unemployment
• Set up common requirement facilities and such other units for benefits of skill-based communities.

Our capacity building activities target

• Unemployed youth
• Women
• People in need of skill upgradation training.

The key areas identified for capacity building activities are coir products, jute products, food processing and repair & maintenance of electrical appliances. HDS has organized entrepreneurship development programmes on food processing in Delhi, Orissa and Haryana. Like solid waste management, capacity building activities have also been aligned with organic farming. We are training unemployed youth to start organic farming-based micro-enterprises in Haryana.

HDS in collaboration with Central Potato Research Institute, Modipuram and Department of Botany, R. B. S. College, Agra has taken up the project on Understanding Vermi-compost Technology under sponsorship of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. Started in the year 2008, the project will continue for a period of three years. Its key objective is to analyse, experiment and standardize practices for production of vermi-compost, which will ultimately help the practitioners of organic farming.

HDS is monitoring the Mahila Panchayat (MP) programme in National Capital Territory of Delhi, which is an important programme of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Government of NCT of Delhi. Presently the national capital has 43 MPs that are managed by 22 partner NGOs. Mahila Panchayat or Women’s Council is a justice delivery system that focuses, inter alia, on resolution of local level legal disputes involving women with the help of women of the community. Every month, about 150 new cases like domestic violence, maintenance, divorce etc. are reported to different MPs and nearly half of them are solved in the reporting month itself. For women who are poor and not so literate or illiterate, MPs ensure justice at their doorsteps, which is hassle free, cost effective and less time-consuming.

• End term Evaluation of EU-funded project titled Equal Access to Justice for poor people and deprived communities in India
• Analysis of data of project titled Impact of Development Interventions with Special Reference to Socio-Economic Deprivation: A Study of Eight Districts in the Kashmir Valley
• Case Studies of Settled Youth
• Survey of Non-Profit Institutions in National Capital Territory of Delhi
• Feasibility Study for Education Programme in Latur
• Documentation of Processes of Manavadhikar Forum of Sahariya Primitive Tribal Group in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
• Study of Healthcare Scenario in Latur
• Role of Women in Conflict Management: A Study of Insurgency in Valley Areas of Manipur
• Profile of Settled Youth
• Status of Tendu Leaf Pluckers in Orissa: A Study of their Socio-economic Conditions with Special Reference to Children and the System of Bonded Labour
• Evaluation of the Functioning of SOS Social and Medical Centres in order to Suggest Measures to Improve their Capacity and to Involve them Programmatically in Sustainable Livelihood Programmes for Women and Children of Communities Living around SOS Children’s Villages
• Micro Credit for Women’s Empowerment- A Study of Availability, Utilisation and Impact in Rural Uttar Pradesh
• Tracking Footprints
• Evaluation of Family Strengthening Programmes in Bhubaneswar and Cochin

In-house Research Projects

• A study of centre’s contribution to primary education in some select Indian States
• A study of year-wise release of grants by central government to Indian States and Union Territories under SSA: A National Perspective
• A status report on primary school dropout in Orissa: 2002-2003
• Status of primary education in India: A study of some select indicators