| In Focus |
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 Building Community Leadership
Baburao
Kollati Babu Rao is a natural leader. Traditionally a fisherman from Tadinada Village in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Babu Rao discovered his métier a few years ago when he was elected President of the Fida Community Health and Education programme in his village. He attended several Fida training programs on community leadership and emerged ready to take on his leadership. Helping his community access their rights and solve problems gives him immense satisfaction. As he says: "Previously, we were ignorant and did not know where to go for our problems. We were not aware of any government welfare programmes. Now I have learnt how to lead the people and have achieved many changes in the community."
His community, whose traditional occupation is fishing, consists of 300 families with a population of 1,600 people. All are fishermen and dependent on fishing in a nearby creek. The village is also surrounded by many fish tanks and the fishermen are often called to harvest the fish in these tanks. A lot of illegal digging on community land to convert it into fish ponds takes place in the area. This is something Babu Rao helped the community fight. The people came together to protest the illegal digging and went to the police station. Two of the villagers were arrested but Babu Rao was able to make the police see that they had been arrested wrongly.
In another significant move, he was able to ensure his community’s participation in village Panchayat (local government body) meetings. Under a state government programme, Panchayat meetings are arranged in all villages. During these meetings, government programmes are assessed, village problems discussed and important decisions taken. Babu Rao’s community (hamlet) was previously excluded from these meetings. Information about the meetings seldom reached them and as a result, they missed out on a valuable opportunity to voice their problems and opinions. When the CHE committee realised this, they mobilized the community and a truck full of people went to the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) who was chairing the meeting and questioned him. They also put forward their own needs such as better internal roads, old age pensions etc. After this incident, there has been a change in the Panchayat´s attitude and they are informed of all meetings and invited to participate. "We questioned the MLA for not informing us of the Panchayat meetings and we have been able to get infrastructure work done in the village through these meetings," Babu Rao says. "There have been other changes in the community too. Previously it was difficult to gather people for meetings. Now, they are coming regularly. Women´s groups that had stagnated have been restored. People are changing their health habits."
Babu Rao´s own life has not been easy either. Three years ago, he developed a septic wound in his foot when he stepped on a thorn. He was unable to go fishing and his wife, who worked as an agricultural labourer, became the sole breadwinner for the family. He did not have the money to pay for his own treatment so the project gave him a loan to purchase a buffalo that would become an additional source of income. Babu Rao got his foot treated soon after and repaid the loan within a year. He also started a micro finance business. With the help of a government grant, he built a house and bought a motorbike. He sold the buffalo at double the price that he had bought it and started a small restaurant, through which they earn Rs 300 a day. Now, their economic situation is much healthier.
Babu Rao is full of plans for the community. He wants to see the community transform holistically. There are some urgent needs to that have to be met - a bridge over the canal between the village and main, a bus facility to the village, proper roads, alternate means of livelihood and better educational facilities for the children.
The Coastal Community Development Project has been working in this village since 2004 and will continue to help people like Babu Rao achieve greater things for themselves and their community.
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