My voice has cleared the air

For many years Sangeetha has suffered from coughing and shortness of breath, like many of her friends in Kahandol village in central Maharashtra. During a medical camp last year, Doctor Chavan told her she had a smoke-related illness called “Dama” (asthma).  He condition had been caused by years of breathing in the thick smoke from the indoor fires on which she cooked. But what could she do about it?

Convinced that there was no alternative to cooking with firewood and cow dung, Sangeetha put up with her condition, as did her neighbours. That was until one evening, when on her speakerbox, she heard about a government programme called “Ujjwala Yojana” (Bright Scheme). This is a government programme designed to help disadvantaged communities get a grant for a gas cooker and cylinder, to help put an end to the devastating impact of smoke fires on their health. She learned through the speakerbox that it was important that tribal people understood that they had legal rights to protect communities like theirs, and it explained just how they could exercise those rights.

Just three weeks after petitioning the local government office, a man was sent to set up Sangeetha’s gas cooker. Proudly demonstrating it she said: “The speakerbox programme from Seva, taught me how to use my voice and exercise my rights, and this will clear the air.” Sangeetha’s story has now been shared in many other villages on new speakerbox programmes in which she urges other tribal people to take advantage of the scheme, so their health can improve as well. “Brothers and sisters,” she says, “So often our people are afraid and don’t know we can speak or are unaware that we have rights, but learn from my example about how you can change your own circumstances.”

Village chief Ramdas said Sangeetha’s story is just one of many stories that can be told since Seva began the speakerbox project in 2018. “If you came to our village two years ago, you would be amazed by the many changes that have taken place. We have toilets that work, water that’s clean and our children are attending school. We feel different and we feel like we have found our voice.”

The Adivasi Voices Project is a partnership initiative between the SEVA organisation and Amplifying Voices, using community-centred media approaches to bring positive change to resource-poor Adivasi communities that often feel neglected and marginalised.