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Although The People’s Learning
Center for Water and Sanitation (PLC) has been officially
set up in March 2006, it initiated work on the core issues
of water and sanitation much earlier. Utthan, which forms
the backbone the People’s Learning Center for Water and
Sanitation (PLC), had
begun its journey in Bhal, one of the most resource poor
regions of the state and infamously known as napaania
or waterless. Here, Utthan facilitated the emergence of a
community-based group known as Mahiti that
initiated a women‘s movement for regular availability of
safe drinking water. In 1994, Utthan had organized a state
level conference on “Dynamics of Drinking Water in Rural
Gujarat” where policy issues related to drinking water in
rural Gujarat were highlighted and brought before the
public eye for the first time. This became an opportunity
to facilitate the implementation of a people centred,
gender sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene programme
from a rights perspective. Utthan decided to establish its
base in Bhavnagar by setting up a resource centre,
focusing on training, which would be the
People’s Learning Center for Water
and Sanitation (PLC).
While Utthan has addressed the issues of water, health and
hygiene based on gender, equity, water rights as well as
environmental, economic and institutional sustainability,
the People’s Learning Center for Water and Sanitation
(PLC) on its part envisages sensitizing, helping build
knowledge and integrate social and technical learning.
This would in turn enhance the capacities and skills of
communities and decision makers for a genuine paradigm
shift.
The
People’s Learning Center for Water and Sanitation (PLC)
has a multilateral approach for learning. It serves as a
platform for various stakeholders to share their
experiences and learning’s. While developing and
conducting need based and locale specific capacity
building programs on drinking water and sanitation, the
PLC will inculcate and disseminate lessons learnt. The PLC
will as well focus upon intensive research and
documentation to influence policies. |
