• Six numbers of sensitization campaigns are planned in a year.
• Aashwas has identified a cluster of seven villages in each of six districts where there is a history of ethnic or terrorist violence.
• Seven such campaigns were already conducted in a groups of villages (1) Rangia under Kamrup District, (2) Majuli sub-divisions under Jorhat district (3) Numrup under Dibrugarh District (4) Rupshi under Dhubri District (5) Hahchara under Sivasagar District & (6) Singiaputani under Nogaon District. (7) Serfanguri under Kokrajhar District

2nd Sensitization Campaign at Majuli from 08/04/2002 to 12/04/2002

The 2nd Sensitization campaign of Project Aashwas was held in a cluster villages under Majuli sub-division of Jorhat District from 8/4/2002 to 12/4/2002.

• The Campaign incorporated the following Villages.
  • i) Bangaon
  • ii) Raunapar.
  • iii) Mekhiligaon
  • iv) Chamuguri
  • v) Kahalgaon
  • vi) Dakhinpat
  • vii) Salmara.
• The biggest River island of the world, Majuli is a major world heritage site and communicable only by riverine route.
• The villages mentioned above have been traditionally regarded to be strong holds of ULFA militants. Mr. Sanjoy Ghose of AVARDE-NE who had tried to bring about a socio economic transformation of the land by community organizational work was identified to be an enemy of ULFA and was kidnapped and allegedly killed in an around these villages. This episode was a watershed in the staggered history of conflict in Assam inviting adverse international opinion.
• The people in all these villages have been living a life of terror. The children are quite traumatized. Distrust, fear inter-community tension movement of extremists and action of the state have caused a serious breach in social life in general causing irreparable damage for the village children mentally, educationally and socially.
• The campaign has started on April,8th,2002 with a briefing session by the Aashwas team with the important persons of 7 ( Seven) villages and a group of 50 boys. The local groups of volunteers donning while 'T'-shirts were dispatched to the each house-holds of the 7 villages with a questionnaire. The questionnaire was on health, access to medical facility of children concern for children etc.
• On the 2nd day two workshops were simultaneously organized at village Bongaon and Rauanpar. In these workshops noted Gynaecologist Dr. Gonesh Sarma, Child specialist Dr. Shyamanta Madhab Sarmah and Dr. Prasanta Phukan had interacted with women of all the 7 villages on issues like mother and childcare, Health and hygeine. The enthusiasm of village women could be gauged from the questions they asked the experts on rearing of children and other issues. Street-plays on issues on health and hygeine were also performed.
• On the 3rd day of the campaign an inter School elocution/ debate and quiz competition in Assamese and missing language were held at Bangaon Primary School where participants vigorously defended the cause of peace. The topic of elocution was " peace, not conflict can only bring development in our society".
• There was also a children sports and games for all the 7 villages were arranged at the Bongaon Primary School field.
• On the same day noted artists Mrs. Chetana Das, Mr. Jayanta Bhagabati and Mr. Hiranya Deka also attended in the campaign. While entertaining the audience with their participation and histrionics, they appealed to the villagers to treat their children as the central issue in their lives. They also appealed the audience not to do anything that can hamper the peace process.
• On the 4th day of the campaign was the day of education assessment of the 7 villages. Several teams of educated youths had attended all the Schools of 7 villages and noted down their observation in a set of questionnaires provided to them. The observations were primarily on the following.
  • School discipline
    Teachers commitment
    Commitment of the student.
    Dropout rates.
    Building and infrastructure.
• On the same day noted artist Mr. Pranjal Saikia had attended the campaign where he delivered lectures and emotionally appealed to the gathering to embark on a new path of non-violence and work-culture. Noted psychiatrist Dr. Adinath Sarmah interacted with the school teachers and parents and analysed child psychology and correct methods of imparting education to the children for their moral, physical and mental upliftment.
• The last day was the day of Peace campaign. More than 500 youths of 7 villages took out a procession in bi-cycle covering of all the 7 villages calling upon people to usher in peace and denounce violence. The procession was accompanied by two groups of artists from Majuli Kala Tirtha and Replica Flim and advertisement of Jorhat who had performed street plays and sang song of ethnic amity in all the villages wherever the procession stopped.
• At the end of the procession a public meeting was held which was addressed by the Deputy Commissioner of Jorhat, DIG Eastern Range, amongst others. The local people profusedly thanked Aashwas for ushering in a new thought process in their lives. Some chose to do so by presenting self-composed songs and rendition by traditional forms of music.
• People were moved by performance by a local team on communal harmony.
• Noted artist Mahendra Hazarika entertained the villages with his popular numbers and songs on non-violence and issues of children.
• The gathering formed a human chain and sang in unison to lead a life of peace, work-culture and took pledge to aim their activities at ensuring a better future for their children.