1. Community Based Organizations

(I) SHGs and Federations - Self help through mutual help

COD started the formation and strengthening of self help groups in the year 1996. It is a group of people of similarity and nearness coming together for the actions and activities focused on savings and thrift.

Objectives
" Developing leadership among the members
" Promotion of income generation activities
" Meeting the financial needs of partner families/ members with a collective action and in collaboration with banks/ financial institutions
" Involvement in social actions and reaction against social evils
" Carrying out development interventions with the support of COD and Panchayath raj institutions
" Collaborations and linkages with various government departments and other non government institutions

COD promotes both women groups and men groups. The formation of men groups were started in the year 2000. Majority of groups formed belong to Women and they act as a platform for women to come together, share their joy and sorrows, and ideas. This opportunity capacitated many women to take lead in actions against oppression and harassment.

Affiliated Groups

We also promote affiliation of SHGs in to the programme fold of COD. This activity was started in the year 2006 and the main objective is to cooperate with like minded groups and associations in community development. For getting affiliation a group has to follow the guide lines of COD relating to SHGs. The affiliation will be granted initially for a period of one year and again it will be renewed for another one year. On examining the functioning of the group and if it is found working in line with the Philosophy, Vision, Mission and Objectives of COD, then they will be permanently added as a COD promoted group.

The representatives of the various SHGs formed in the Ward level of a Grama Panchayath are known as Micro Credit Cooperatives (MCC) and the representatives of the MCCs formed at a Grama Panchayath level are called the Grama Vikasana Samithi (GVS). The GVS is called as the apex body / federation of self help groups and which is a replica of the organization -COD - at the village level.

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(II) Mahila samajams (MS)

Mahila samajams was one of the oldest activities of COD. Before the inception of neighbor hood groups in the shape of SHGs, the women were organized under mahila samajams and the activities of COD among women were focused on MS. We do all our women development and gender development activities specially the action oriented programs through these samajms, We have also formed a federation of all these Mahila Samajams called Women Action Society (WAS) which is a registered body.

Objectives

" Positively respond to the atrocities and violence against women
" Work towards the overall development of women community
" Work for the value system in the community through family based interventions
" Create a positive attitude towards gender equality in the community

(III) Senior Citizens groups

The formation of this association is intended to provide a plat form for aged men and women to share their problems, experiences and to use these human resources productively for models of alternative lives to the new generation.

Objective
" A platform to foster the particular needs of aged
" To advocate for the care and support of the elderly community
" To provide basic services to the old aged people in the areas of health care, recreation, nutrition and income generation.
" Act as a platform to transfer the rich tradition and knowledge of the older generation to the younger generation.

(IV) Activity groups

These are groups formed for the people in a particular area who do similar type of job / activity in the unorganized sector. They are also called occupation oriented groups. The minimum number of persons in an activity groups are 25 and their activities are based on a parish.

Objectives
" Providing skill training and capacity building programs for the laborers
" Promote savings and thrift activities among the community
" Availing assistance from the government and other financial institutions

(V) Nature Fraternity Clubs

Activities of COD among the school children are routed through the Nature Fraternity Clubs (NF Clubs). Through the NF clubs we are promoting ideas on natural resource management especially in the areas of environment protection, water conservation, solid and liquid waste management. We are trying to inculcate a good attitude towards this earth among younger generation and thereby ensuring the active participation of youth and children in environment conservation campaigns. Series of awareness programmes on various topics were also conducted in the schools as part of the activity.

Objectives
" Promotion of eco friendly attitude among the students and teachers in the schools
" Motivation to student community to participate in soil , water and biomass conservation campaigns
" Exposure programs for the students and the teachers
" Capacity building programs for the teachers and students
" Promotion and propagation of replicable models in the field of environment
" Collaborative preparation of action of the projects and its implementation supported by different agencies

(VI) Special groups for disabled and widows

Groups for disabled people are promoted as part of the Community Based Rehabilitation project supported by CBR Forum. Special groups are mow formed in Koorachundu Grama Panchayath.

A special intervention for the socially marginalized class, groups for widows have started in Maruthomkara Region of COD.

2. Micro Finance

Savings and thrift activities promoted among the grass root level organizations are an important Intervention of COD. The small scattered savings of common people are collected, put together and used for productive purposes. COD promotes micro finance activities at SHG level and at Apex body level.

The SHG members save Rs.10 per week as their savings and a corps is created at each SHG level. From this fund advances are given to the need members depending on the balance in their savings. At apex body level, the corpus is created from the savings of SHGs and each SHG has to deposit 10% of their savings to the GVS for creating the corpus. From this fund advances are extended to the needy SHGs

Objectives

" Promotion of savings habit among partner families
" Inculcate a culture of budgeting among the families
" Promotion of income generation activities
" Free the partner families from the clutches of money lenders

3. Women and Gender

Women development initiatives were prevalent in the programme fold of COD since inception. All the women development t activities were implemented through mahilasamajams. Later on the concept of gender was introduced through Mailasamajams. Now gender equality is given prime importance in the implementation of all the programmes.
Gender sensitization and gender mainstreaming are carried out at grass root level to ensure the equality of men and women at the family level and at the community level

Objectives
" To strengthen the mahila samajams and the federation
" To encourage the mahila samajams and self help groups to take lead roles in tackling the social issues around them.
" To integrate gender sensitivity among the partner families an in society
" To ensure equality of men and women and promote role sharing at the family level.

Activities undertaken

1. Capacity building programmes
2. Collective social actions against social evils
3. Establishing linkages with PRIs and other development agencies
4. Promotion of income generation programmes

4. Natural Resource Management

Protection of our environment and conservation of natural resources are indeed the two most important agenda in the NRM movement of COD and all our activities are tuned to this. Campaigns against plastic, promotion of practical methods in solid and liquid waste management, exploring the possibilities of alternative and renewable energy sources are come under the activities for protecting the environment.

Interventions in the mode of integrated watershed development are implemented in selected areas for adopting various soil and water conservation methods. The NRM department of COD involves in all the bottom level interventions in the watershed area to bring about a change in the attitude of people.

Objectives

" To create and strengthen peoples' participation in scientific conservation and effective utilization of natural resources.
" To establish linkages and collaborations with practicing farmers , peoples movements and other development agencies that promote sustainable development through NRM
" Conduct Participatory Action Research in NRM
" Technology dissemination for sustainable development

Activities undertaken

1. Training programmes in soil and water conservation
2. Initiate watershed programmes
3. Promotion of solar energy
4. Promotion of nature fraternity clubs in schools
5. Initiating environment awareness campaigns in schools
6. Linkages and collaboration with Government and non Government agencies.

5. Agriculture Development

As majority of partner families are poor and marginal farmers COD started agriculture related interventions since its very beginning to support them. Organizing them in farm clubs was the first activity for this. Agriculture development initiatives focus more on the promotion of Organic farming among the partner farmers. The agriculture department insists every partner farmer to practice farming in his land. This is for creating a positive psyche among the farmers. The initiatives in agriculture sector are limited not only to organic farming; but also, we promote the use of bio fertilizers and bio pesticides. The aim of the Agriculture department is to create model organic villages at different parts of the operational area of COD.

Objectives
" To help the farmer community in sustaining the agricultural activity at the farm fields
" To promote sustainable agricultural practices
" To establish linkages and promote collaborations with various Government and other agencies working in field of agriculture.

Activities undertaken

1. Capacity building programmes for farmers
2. Promotion of organic agriculture among partner families
3. Formation and strengthening of Organic farmers groups
4. Organic certification
5. Linkages and collaborations

6. Family Development

The oldest department of COD, family development started its functioning with the regular beneficiary programme supported by Save A Family Plan, India. The main objective of this department is the integrated development of partner families. This is achieved through improving their living conditions by providing ways and means to augment their income sources.

Objectives
" To lead the partner families to a sustainable development approach
" To motivate and equip the people to face risks and challenges in life