Community Mapping in Anandapuram

Anandapuram mandal in the district of Visakhapatnam is in the process of becoming a #ChildFriendlySmart Mandal.

To help achieve this, PRIA has begun a community mapping exercise in the 108 hamlets of the 26 gram panchayats of the Mandal. In the past week, 250 adults and 200 children from 30 hamlets across the 9 gram panchayats participated in the community mapping exercise. Everyone took keen interest in drawing “their village”, based on their experiential knowledge. Elected representatives like sarpanches were part of this mapping exercise in some gram panchayats, wanting to ensure the facilities on the map were accurate.

To ensure inclusion of the voice of children, the mapping exercise was conducted separately for children and for adults. The maps of the children revolved around their schools and playgrounds. They were asked to think of what makes them feel good or bad about their village. They all enjoyed the process, speaking confidently about their needs.

Women mapped the future village they wanted around the need for water connections. The need for water is universal. In one school, a young girl identified household water connections as the first important need for her hamlet. When asked why, she smartly replied, “I carry water, and it gets tedious. A water connection for the household means less work for me.”