Gunjan India – to address drug abuse and crime prevention in India

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By Denise Nanni and Milena Rampoldi, ProMosaik. In the following our interview withSandeep of the organization Gunjan, an organization founded to address drug abuse and crime prevention in India.
 
 1
What are the issues that brought to the foundation of the Gunjan Organization for Community Development?
 
The Gunjan Organization for Community Development was established four years back as a step towards Drug abuse and Crime Prevention. The idea organized from its founder facilitator Late Shri R.S. Parmar, rehabilitation activist of district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh. He felt that Correction, Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation should always be accompanied with compassion and understanding. This thought has been guiding force of the Organization. Since 2003 with the mission“To mobilise and harness the power of children, youth, women and community at large to combat illiteracy, ignorance, gender discrimination, health issues  and the evil of drug & alcohol addiction with an ultimate aim of crime prevention and development”. it has been actively providing community services in the felids of Drug and Alcohol Prevention; Treatment of Addicts and their Rehabilitation; HIV/AIDS Prevention; Empowering Women; Education of Women and Children and Primarily prevention activities.
 
Which are your main activities and fields of activity at Gunjan?
 
Gunjan Organization for Community Development is a non-profit registered organization under Society registration Act 1860 in year 2003 with the objective to address Drug abuse and Crime Prevention. Following describes the Capabilities, which Gunjan has developed over the 14 years. For more please visit us at  www.gunjanindia.org
 
  • PROGRAMME AREAS
  • Drug de-addiction
  • Capacity building
  • HIV/AIDS prevention
  • Social networking
  • Disaster Response Systems
  • Community Radio Station
 
Programmes and Resources
  • Regional Resource & Training Center  (RRTC) North II (H.P, J&K, and Chandigarh) funded by Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment, GoI:
Organisation has been designated as RRTC for above mentioned states since 2010 and currently conducting trainings for more than 120 Drug De-addiction Centres working in private set up or funded by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI. We have resource pool on different issues and in all the four states. Organisation has its own infrastructure in H.P. and has contract with different organisations in rest of the states where organisation is conducting trainings on regular basis. Organisation has its head office in Dharmshala, District Kangra of H.P. and coordination office in Chandigarh.
  • Community Care Centers for PLHIVin Hamirpur, Tanda and Bathinda funded by Punjab State AIDS Control Society and HP State AIDS Control Society
The objective of Community Care Centre was to provide therapeutic support to People living with HIV and AIDS and empower them to lead their life in a positive manner.
  • Drug Treatment cum Rehabilitation Centre Kullu funded by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
Drug de-addiction centre was established with the objective to extend support to the people under the influence of alcohol and other substances and has become addicts. Organisation is extending therapeutic support to them so that they are strengthened themselves to come out that state and mainstream themselves in society. 
  • Target Intervention Project for 400 IDUs in Dharmshala supported by the H.P. AIDS Control Society.
Orgcanisation is implementing TI among drug users so that the process of high risk behaviour for HIV transmission could be reduced to low risk and later on no risk. Organisation has taken the initiatives for skill development and initiating the same with help of IL&FS.
  • 24 Hours Tele Counseling Programme for Substance Abusers & PLHIVs self funded and recognised by Department of Social Welfare, H.P.
Organisation initiated this facility with the objective to reduce the physical distance for those who are in need and does not have information on Drug abuse and want to know about the existing facilities and sort out their queries  related to the concerned issues. Organisation is also working as secretariat for District Level Network of Positive People.
  • Childline Initiatives with CHILDLINE India Foundation and Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India.
  • Reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS among Drug Abusers funded by UNODC
  • Support Forum of Concerned Citizens (SFCC) that currently has 60 local NGOs/CBOs and 135 social activists of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and chandigarh
  • Family Counseling Programme
Organisation is taking care of the family members of HIV infected and people under alcohol drug influence through psycho social  support so that the family should know their roles and responsibility and should extend the support to the person who is in need. This centre is also working as facilitation agency to sort out the confusion and disputes taking place due to these circumstances. 
 
  • Organisation has developed a reader-friendly web site: www.gunjanindia.org which is resource centre for different issues and is being accessed by NGOs.
  • Organisation being RRTC North II is asked by Department of Social Security, Government of Punjab to facilitate and conduct advanced pilot Survey for drug abuse in Punjab which is being conducted in three states i.e. Punjab Maharastra and Manipur under the supervision of National Sample Survey Organisation.
  • Organisation has conducted a research in collaboration with CUTS International on “EXPLORING THE INTERPHASE BETWEEN BUSINESS REGULATION AND CORPORATE CONDUCT IN INDIA” which was conducted in four states H.P. Gujrat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
  • RRTC is also extending support in conducting the trainings of State AIDS Control Society and recently facilitated Blood Safety Training.
 
How do you promote community empowerment? Do you carry on any specific project for women/girls empowerment?
 
 
The organisation working for all communities without any gender discrimination. All the projects implemented by the organisation are focused  on female communities because , We believe “Woman” is the nucleus of all social projects and they are the immediate victims / sufferers of problems in any community…. The organisation has done some efforts to establish community based organisations in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Gunjan has established a network of positive people (http://gunjanindia.org/programs/networks-and-fourms/) we  will be happy to share some of the success stories of people who are in the leadership roles with the facilitations from the Gunjan… please find attached the (As the files are in Hindi language you need to take facilitation to study the same) 
 
 
 
 
What are the health services that you offer to the local community?
 
·        Community Care Centers for PLHIV
·        Drug Treatment cum Rehabilitation Centre
·        Target Intervention Project for 400 IDUs
·        24 Hours Tele Counseling Programme for Substance Abusers & PLHIVs
Sanjeevani Ambulance Service
 
Do you cooperate with local authorities and institutions? If yes, how?
 
 
Without ensuring the participation of Government and local agencies all the works done by any of the None Government organisation has no meaning… Gunjan always ensure the participation / network with all line agencies to implement any of the intervention for the communities… Following are the network/ partnering and program support agencies :
  • Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India
  • National Institute of Social Defense, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India
  • United National Office of Drug and Crime(UNODC)
  • Department for International Development (DFID)
  • Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of Himachal Pradesh
  • CHILDLINE India Foundation
  • Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India
  • Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
  • National AIDS Control Organisation(NACO) Department of AIDS Control,  Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
  • Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Himachal Pradesh
  • Punjab State AIDS Control Society, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Punjab
  • Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society, Chandigarh(UT)
  • India HIV/AIDS Alliance
  • Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) 
  • MAMTA – Health Institute for Mother and Child, New Delhi

 

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