PALMS CARE ORISSA

Come let’s build together a Transformed Community: Empowered lives, Vibrant Odisha

Greetings of the day. We, Rajendra and Archana both are working with a Vision & Mission to architect and transform Odisha through empowering communities. We pursue this by organizing, equipping, training, and counseling families and communities a sustainable, economic vibrancy and spiritual transformation through innovative partnerships to bring the fullness of life. Our work is based on the concept of charity. As per our knowledge is concern charity means helping others. So we just work as helpers.

One of the repeated names of Jehovah God in the Old Testament is “Helper.” The Psalmist sings this in Psalm 54:4 as, “Behold, God is my Helper!” As we move into the New Testament, Jesus assures the insecure Philip in John 14:16, “I will pray to the Father and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever.” The Son of God is called the First Comforter, and the Spirit of God is called the Second Comforter. The word “Comforter” carries the meaning, “Helper.” As each of the three Persons of Godhead is Helpers, His children cannot be otherwise. Paul, in Ephesians 5:1, admonishes us, “Be imitators of God as dear children.”

When God created the universe, He saw that everything He created was good except the man without a helper. There can be no man or woman in the world who would never need the help of others. We all need the help of each other. But because of the sad prevalence of selfishness man desires to be a “recipient” rather than a “giver” of help!

There cannot be an atom of Christianity without charity. Each of the core Christian disciplines and exercises is integrated into charity.

Our Objectives:

•  We want to popularize all aspects of social enterprise for human advancement with thrust on a holistic approach.
• Cater to the strategic needs of vulnerable sections of the society namely, children, women, old, and physically challenged persons.
• Provide an appropriate response to fallen humanity through intense study of human life complexities, cultural biases, and assumptions
• Help the poor recovering marred identity and vocation and helping the non-poor discovering their place in God’s redemption plan – setting people free.
• Work towards mainstreaming backward communities through innovative intervenes.
• To fulfill their basic social needs we have taken few Activities.

Activities

1. in the field of Education:
2. Free Coaching Classes: First we started with 10 tribal (Juang) children age group of 6 yrs to 15 yrs; we provided free coaching classes for them. We look for deserted children and orphan and try to stop child labor, and drop out students.  We expect increased enrolment of children from nearby areas to the schools. Reduced stigma, especially to the orphans who will be able to afford to learn under friendly and improved conditions alongside other children and in a place where their special needs can be taken care of.

B.Adult Literacy program: conducted adult literacy program in Kutuniyasahi of Dhenkanal.

2. In the field of Women Empowerment: we conducted awareness programs in different parts of the Dhenkanal district about health & hygiene, sanitation. To improve the status of the woman and girls in the community by addressing their needs by  helping them start  a business by establishing SHG (self-help Groups )
3. In the field of Vocational Training: given tailoring training to the Juang women to be self-supportive.  Computer and spoken English classes conducted for the young Juang and kondh youth. (kui)
4. In the field of Family Counseling: many women are under pressure during this corona period. And we could get them on phone to counsel and assure them to have faith and look forward to getting a better family situation in the days to come.
5. Drug edicts and alcohol:Many daily wagers are drug edicts and drunkards, so we help and counsel the women of the family.  We teach them to be far from the alcohol, save money, and use it wisely. Not spending unnecessarily.
6. COVID 19 food distribution:We could distribute grocery and dry food items for the 15 poor families.
7. Medical help:helped Mr. Thakur and Biplab for their health issues and family situation.

Historically, it has been proved that the world over, where-ever the Gospel of Jesus had reached the communities, and there had been tremendous changes in personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness. They care for nature.

Health-care in one of the main foundation of any form of development. The concept of modern healthcare was almost non-existent in vast remote areas of Odisha till the arrival of the missionaries.

The Bible very clearly says that we need to share the Good news with every people and help with physical needs also. It is Sin to say, “God bless you” to hungry people and not to give them food, your blessing is foolishness to them. We need to care for the whole person’s spirit, soul (mind), and physical (Body) needs.

So giving to God is not giving to the poor, but giving to the poor means giving to God.

Our primary focus is to make the community understand their value and also the value of the help they received through charity. They must be self-dependent in the days to come as well as help others selflessly.

We are working to uplift the poor, needy, and vulnerable sections of the society.  We don’t have even any supporters to support us in this kind act. But if anyone is willing to help us to extend this kind act to the extent a bit more then please feel free to contact us in the below-given emails and phone numbers.

For further communication kindly contact us.

Email Id: rajendrapanda624@gmail.com / narchana2020@yahoo.com
Mobile. No. 7008023394, 9348032354

Odisha is home to sixty-two tribal groups, one of which is Juang. These people are known to inhabit only this state. This people group lives mainly in the district of ANGUL, KENONJHAR and DENKANAL in the state of Odisha. The Juang come under primitive tribe group who lives in the Gonasika Mountain, Odisha. God is transforming this uncivilized

Community in different villages.

Juang is the name of the language spoken by a people group also known by them the same name in the Indian state of Odisha. In the language Juangmeans man. Juang belong to the central Munda group. Until the early part of the 20th century the Juang lived predominantly in the forest area as the huntersand gatherers. But the creation of forest reservation by the government in the 1900s deprived them of their original occupation and they settled down and turned to agriculture. The majority of Juang people live in homogenous village, which serves as a social and economic unit.

Juangs speak JUANG as their mother tongue which is Munda language group and they speak Odiya which is the lingua franca of the state.

Juang live in small villages as small group around 20-40 families in a village in the mountain/ near the mountainside. Their huts measure about 6×8 feet with very low doorways.

The father and all the female of a family huddle together and boys have a separate hut in thevillage where all the young boys used to sleep at night.Every village there is a Dehury(priest) to perform pooja at the village. Every year they conduct community meeting to solve the community level dispute in the society as adultery, murder, if any one accept Christianity, etc. if person is found guilty he would be excommunicated from the society. It would be conducted at night in the forest. The chief of the society would declare the judgment. They are attracted by Alcohol (both men and women), music and drama programme.

Juang depends on primitive tithing cultivation and collection of minor forest produce. Nowadays Occupation of the Juang is Weaving Bamboo basket; Works as a servant in other community, Labors and many young are Migration for the work. The Juang exchange their basket for salt, oil, food and money from the village traders.

In the early part of the 20th century the Juang lived predominantly in the forest area the women dressed in leaves so that the tribes is also referred to as Patua. Since the last decades the women have been wearing saris and the men dhotis. Now the young men wear trousers and shirts and the women blouses.

One of the most striking sights in a Juang village is the male dormitory, called the Majang or the Mandapghar. Usually they are located at the center of the village. The Mandapghar primarily serve for three purposes. These are the training centers to train young boys in their cultural values and traditional disciplines. Secondly, it serves as the meeting place for all the villagers for both formal and informal discussions. And finally if any unknown/ outsider come to the village they will call them to this place. They will allow that person to stay there.

Family type among the Juang is predominantly nuclear and monogamy is the principle for married life. But Polygamy is not utterly prohibited. Marriage is very important institution of the Juang tribe. Eloping is very rarely found among them and cross culture marriage is strictly prohibited. To honor the guest soon after reaching they would provide water to refresh them. The pregnant women should not go to sacred places and refrained from tying up of any things, weaving mat and also plastering house with mud. On the 5th day of giving birth to a child, they conduct ceremony which is called as ‘chuthukiya’ (untouchablity) that day they clean cloths as well as house until this no one is allowed to enter the house and she also not allow to go to any house. At 21 day they conduct another ceremony called ‘ekusiya’ (21st day) on which they name the child. They burn the dead body and throw them into any running stream or leave on that spot of cremation.

Their religion is a vague belief forest spirit, fore fathers spirit, for them Dharma devtaand

Basumataare the supreme deities. The Dharma devta is the creator who loves, cares, sustains and never harms any things as well as human beings. ‘Gramshree’ is the village deity, who is the protector of the village and once in a year every family sacrifice hen/ cock. This should be done by every family. If not they will be rejected by the villagers. They offer every first fruit before using for them which is called as nuvakiya. But now they practice all Hindu gods and goddess.

Traditionally the Juang were hunters and gatherers. But at present they gather mushrooms, bidi leaves, fire wood and other forest products. Their economic sources are paddy cultivation, other crops and weaving bamboo basket. During the monsoon months those who have agriculture land do grow rice and other crops. This is the time from June extending up to December when the people are engaged in agricultural activities. But most of them do not produce enough to feed their families all around the year so they look for work opportunities. The Juang being a ST has job reservation quotas in the central and state governments but because of low literacy rates and less opportunity for higher education and developing technical skills they are not qualified.

1. Literacy percentage among the men 3%
2. Literacy percentage among the women 1%
3. There is no school in their villages. So they have to walk 3 to 4 km to school

When compare to the other tribes the Juang are a minority hence they do not have any active say in the decision making bodies in spite of having representation in the local bodies. There have been no MLA’s or MP’s from their tribes yet. Because of exploitation by officials, traders, etc. outsiders are usually viewed with suspicion. There are very few insiders in government jobs.