ANNUAL REPORT ON THE FUNCTIONING OF ORGANISATION FOR PROSPERITY, EDUCATION & NURTURE (O.P.E.N.) FOR THE YEAR 2019-20
Dear friends,
In the present pandemic of COVID 19, I present before you the annual report for the year 2019-20.
At the previous AGM, I had apprised you with the background of OPEN’s functioning since its inception and how things developed over the years. Community Health programmes and bringing about general awareness for health and cleanliness, mother and child health care activities including pre and post natal assistance to the womenfolk in remote, hilly and distant unserved villages in Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi districts of Uttarakhand was our focus area. Sustainable progress and health awareness amongst our communities could only be achieved when our future generations took to these concepts. Phillip Memorial School, thus came into existence.
The number of students in Phillip Memorial School has generally remained stagnant for the past two-three years. We noticed that after children did their primary classes here, parents wished to put their children in bigger schools, where once admitted, their wards could complete higher education at the same institution. During the 2019-2020 academic year, we had classes from Playgroup to Class 4; 70 students and nine teachers, besides two Ayahs and a Safai Karamchari. The school commenced in 2011 and we have been adding one class every year.
Though the current academic session 2020-21 has only been a distant education, with no regular classes being run in the school premises, we presently have classes from Playgroup to Fifth. We had applied for registration of the school. I am happy to inform you that our school has been registered with the Uttarakhand Education Board as Phillip Memorial Junior High School.
In the past one year of the reporting period i.e. from April 2019 to March 2020, the students of our school have actively participated in co-curricular activities such as sports, drama, dance, discussions, art and craft exhibition, trying their hands on pottery making, Rakhi-making competition. They have also put in their best at the Grand Parents’ Day, Teachers’ Day, Children’s Day and Annual Programme. Our students and teachers have proudly show-cased their patriotic spirit in singing our National Anthem and other nationalistic songs, remembered our National Heroes and participated in flag hoisting on Independence and Republic days. The photographs hereunder depict these activities of our students and the talent they are blessed with. All this has been possible with the active involvement of our teachers and the parents too. In order to have regular interaction with parents, we have been having discussions with them on Saturdays and also held meetings wherein issues related to the development of the students and involvement of the parents was considered essential. Teachers were also encouraged to bring any shortcomings or lapses noticed, to the attention of the Principal as well as the parents. Teachers too are regularly motivated and encouraged to find ways and means for better interaction with the students and parents.
Community Lay Leaders’ Health Training Certificate Course (CLHTC)
Being a partner of Community Health Global Network, Uttarakhand Cluster(CHGN UKC), OPEN is the Lead NGO in carrying out the CLHTC through three contact programmes of 20 days each, at Herbertpur Christian Hospital and Landour Community Hospital, Mussoorie. The Lay Leaders who come as trainees on successfully completing all the three contact programmes, are provided with certificates and medicine kits. Subsequently their Validation is done at CMC Vellore at Validation Ceremonies held there.
I am happy to report that during July 2019 to June 2020 on completion of their third contact programme, in November 2019 a total of 37 candidates graduated and were given the First Aid Kits to use as they start their work in their respective areas.
Here below are group photographs of the courses held at Herbertpur and Mussoorie during 2019 :-
Herbertpur 2019 
Mussoorie 2019
In 2020 the number of candidates who attended the First Contact Programme at both the centres was 33. At LCH Mussorie 19 candidates completed their first contact programme held in February 2020. At Herbertpur 29 candidates applied but only 14 could attend in March 2020 and due to COVID-19 lockdown, we had to conclude the programme earlier and were unable to conduct the final exam, so that the trainees could go back home.
Mussoorie February 2020 
Herbertpur – March 2020
Since 2011 more than 300 candidates have completed the course and are able to serve within and outside their communities.
Due to the COVID lockdowns, the 2nd contact program will start online only. All the details were sent to CMC Vellore. Books will be sent to the candidates for further studies.
Health teaching in class forms a part of the curriculum for the candidates, as promotion activity practice, which would take place when the physical contact program resumes at HCH and LCH.
Feedback from candidates who have passed out
For obtaining feedback from our trainees on how they have been putting the training to use in their respective areas as well as suggesting ways and means to sort out any difficulties they face, our CTO visited Delhi; Kurukshetra and Gurugram in Haryana; Chutmalpur and Saharanpur in UP and Chamba, Tehri Garhwal and Thatyur in Uttarakhand.
Community Health Promoters Course (CHPC) Pilot Trainer of Trainers (TOT) and CHPC First Contact Program
Leaders of various organizations that have been sending candidates for the CLHTC felt that there should be an option for their staff to do a shorter course on preventive health which would make it possible for them to send more of their staff and also those working as volunteers in their communities resulting in a greater impact. CMC Vellore who have been the guide and resource for the CLHTC were contacted and a shorter course was developed and called Community Health Promoters Course (CHPC). Pilot test was held for the first time in north India from 28th October to 3rd November 2019. This was a TOT (Training of Trainers) and the same was carried out by Master Trainers from CMC Vellore. Nine trainees took part in this training.
This TOT was followed-up by the First Contact Program for 19 CHPC trainees from the 4th to the 9th of November 2019. The 9 trainees (who were considered to be trainers) who had done the TOT in Oct-Nov 2019 were also given the exposure here.
Training of Trainers (TOT) 
The trainees after completing CP1 of CHPC
InFebruary 2020 we were able to conduct theCHPC training with three trainers in Thatyur. This was attended by 11 trainees, who found the training very easy to understand and were eager to teach the people in their villages
The training in progress at Thatyur 
CHPC Trainees carry out
Thorough Hand Wash
The second Contact Program for CHPC was planned to be conducted during April- May 2020 but had to be postponed due to the lockdowns.
O.P.E.N.s’ Burans Project
This partnership project between the Emmanuel Hospital Association/Uttarakhand CHGN Cluster and O.P.E.N. has had a busy year with four formally funded sub-projects but all sitting under the broad aspiration to promote mental health (awareness, agency and access to care) among people with psychosocial disabilities (PPSD), their caregivers and members of the community. Our team members diligently carried out the tasks in hand.
Community group session on Gender Based Violence 
Community worker and client engaged with SLS tool
A Cleanliness Awareness Rally in progress 
Data collection in a women’s group
With more than 2000 + people with psycho-social disabilities registered with Burans, it was important to address the root causes of the problems and work on increasing resilience amongst the young people in the communities with Nai-Disha sessions. We also worked on producing easily sharable WhatsApp videos as part of our project.
In February 2019 we started a new project – implementing a randomised controlled trial of Nai Disha among young people. This was implemented from March 2019. A total of 530 young people participated in the randomised controlled trial and the key outcomes are shared herebelow :-
| Total | |
| Total number of PPSD registered | 217 |
| No. of people with mental illness disclose their status i.e. total number of people disclose status vs total PPSD in your project | 136 |
| No. of persons with mental illness who report reduction in use of abusive language in community (calling paagal, etc) | 54 |
| No. of PPSD who are able to attend social functions such as wedding, religious functions. | 169 |
| No. Of PPSD above the age of 18 able to engage in economically productive activities | 32 |
| Total people who received MH awareness (including all community meetings, World MH day etc) | 7186 |
| Total PPSD who started meds this year | 46 |
| Total PPSD who received counselling and family support this year | 146 |
| Total people who accessed disability pension or certificate this year | 1 |
| Total active DPG (or caregiver/ PPSD support) groups this year | 16 |
| Total young people completed youth resilience course this year | 181 |
| Total PPSD back to income generation work this year | 54 |
ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT DURING LOCK DOWNS
Cooked meal provided – 1130, Dry Rashan distributed – 80, Cash amount Rs.1500 -76 people
Community volunteers making social distancing circles in community to create Covid-19 awareness alongwith our team member.
The community helped and made food packets for people in need during Lockdown
Our team members were able to provide food to the needy people in the communities we serve.
Disability Inclusive Livelihood Project (DILIP)
While working for people with Psychosomatic Disorders (PPSD), we have been encouraging some families with the least resources of livelihood and providing them information, knowledge and resources to be able to earn something. This was done with the advice and consent of the communities where these people lived. We had surveyed and registered four families this year, whom were considered the most needy ones in our area of work. Their names and disability are shown in the chart below. The activities that they could carry out are also shown in the chart. In the surveys we had found out as to what they could do and what small ventures could be undertaken by them with confidence. As deemed fit by them and their caregivers, we have been providing them assistance towards this end by providing them plants for kitchen gardening (majority were interested in growing vegetables as it needed least investment and they had some land near their houses), poultry, pigeons and goats.
| S.NO | NAME | FATHER/HUSBAND’s NAME | DIAGNOSIS | AGE | TRADE |
| 1. | Khalid Husain | Nawabuddin | Physical | 32 | Goat rearing & kitchen garden |
| 2. | Salman | Mehndi Hassan | MR | 28 | Goat rearing |
| 3. | Mushtak Ahmad | Mohd. Yamir | Physical | 37 | Pigeon and kitchen garden |
| 4 | Vedprakash | Daya Ram | Physical | 42 | Poultry & kitchen garden |
In closing my submissions, I wish to thank the Lord Almighty for having bestowed His mercies on our Organisation and especially keeping all of us safe in these unprecedented times. He has helped us all along marvelously and helped us to learn and keep moving forward. I also definitely wish to thank each and every one of you from the core of my heart, for having stood by me and guided and supported me as and when required.
Respectfully submitted.
(Madhu P. Singh)
24th October 2020 Director