Karamba is a small village in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand is a home of 19 families. To reach the village one has to cross 3 km dense forest and a rivulet. During rainy season, water of Jhari river rises to life-threatening level and absence of proper road adds to the villagers woes. Locals have to go the nearby village of Amnari, even for their basic medical needs.
When the water level of the river is in spate, it becomes difficult for the villagers to reach anywhere especially for the pregnant women, as they have to be carried on palanquins for nearly 4 km through the dense jungle and crossing the river in order to reach the nearest health centre. In the past, many pregnant women had to suffer due to their inability to reach the health centre on time.
“I lost my child while delivering as I was unable to reach the hospital on time because there are no roads. My mother then told me that from now on, no one will marry their daughters in Karamba Village,” said Sabitri Devi.
When the team of Goonj, an NGO, reached the village and suggested the locals to build a wooden bridge over the river, they immediately agreed to work on it. Under Goonj’s Dignity For Work (DFW) initiative, villagers have decided to build a wooden bridge over the rivulet. According to the locals, building a bridge will help them to access basic amenities. But most importantly, no mother would die while giving birth.
