The city of Ranchi is the capital of the newly created (in 2000) Jharkhand state situated in Northeast India, approximately 400km west of Kolkata. In Ranchi District there are around 22 Blocks; each Block is made up of villages. Khunti Block comprises 144 villages spread across 43,421.02 hectares.
HOPE & Animal Trust is based and working in Khunti Block. This Block does not have any big industry hence there are no opportunities for the growing population and people are finding their way through engaging themselves in burglary, theft, killing and also joining insurgent groups. 5% of the total Population of the block is engaged in various handicrafts. But the problem with these artisans is that they do not get good price for their work. Many young male and female members of families are migrating from this state in search of jobs and survival. In this group children below 18 years are also forced to work as labour or household workers. Many of them are badly exploited. Child abuse is common for this group. According to the survey approximately 70,000 population is migrating from the region (Annually). In Khunti Block alone more than 600 children were migrated in year 2003. When these children and young people return home, they bring worries such as health diseases like AIDS.

Threat to the Environment
When people do not migrate, they try to find a living but this is done to the detriment of the environment. Khunti was once known for its many streams and forest, but although most part of the block is surrounded by river there is always considerable crisis of water resources. Irrigation facilities are not commonly available hence agriculture is at subsistence level. Production is not enough to sustain family requirements. Upland rainfed crops are primarily produced perforce.
Trees are cut down and sold. Statistics gathered at Ranchi Railway Station, where people arrive to transport their bundles of wood, show that over 400 trees are cut down each week. In total, around 20,000 trees are cut down per year from Jharkhand Region alone!

The People's Animals Need Help Too
Jharkhand state has 22 Districts. Each District has 15 to 20 Blocks with 100 to 150 villages per block. Each Block only has one Veterinary Clinic with only one or two Veterinary Doctors. It is always difficult for blocklevel government veterinary clinics to provide services to all 100-150 of the villages at times of need. Villagers often cannot receive help even from the government clinics because the doctors are often visiting animals in the field.
The sufferers of this are not only the animals but also the tribal people. Their animals are left to die without medical support and care, which leads to the spreading of diseases amongst the other animals - this is common in Jharkhand. Also due to frustration of not being able to provide medical assistance to their animals, the people are then forced to sell their animals, animals that they depend on for their livelihood, to the slaughterhouses.

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