When we say we bring hope, life, colour and fun to the lives of vulnerable children, it’s 'hope' that kicks off the list, and with good reason. Hope is the cornerstone of what we believe is vital for children living in desperate situations, because it’s all about change.
Hope could be seen as a fluffy, sentimental term; something to inspire a kind of 'sunshiny' feeling about helping children, but we think it’s the opposite. Children that live in the situations where we are working don’t need something fluffy, they need something revolutionary. These are children facing war, persecution, poverty and injustice and in the current political climate, the need is not abating. Nationalism is on the rise, compassion is fatigued and barriers are growing. In her book, ‘Hope in the Darkness’, Rebecca Solnit says that ‘Hope is an act of defiance… the alternative is surrender, which abandons not only the future, but the soul’. At present, our work with children living on the edges of their societies is more vital than ever, and it works in defiance of the status quo that marginalises children on the basis of their race, caste, class or ethnic minority. In October an 65, 000 Rohingya refugees fled horrific human rights abuses in Myanmar, joining the masses of refugees already in Bangladesh, who have been fleeing government persecution for over a decade. It’s here we are providing education for 2,700 Rohingya children in a makeshift refugee camp. Late last year, an 8 year old Dalit girl in Bihar State, India was beaten by a group of men when she dared to say that she could be a magistrate or the chief of police one day. It’s here that we are supporting education and non-violent activism to tackle ingrained caste discrimination and help ‘untouchable’ children realise their rights. Currently, the practice of child sacrifice in Uganda is still going unreported and there are gaps in legislation enabling perpetrators to go free. It is here that we are working with a Ugandan child rights group, and the government to address the problem, whilst expanding our child protection teams in communities. Hope is an act of defiance which often begins in the margins of society. Going forward we will highlight how it motivates action and inspires both rapid transformation and long term evolution. Read our latest blog: 'How hope is a catalyst for action and ownership' Throughout March and inspired by International Women's Day, we have been celebrating how the women on our projects encourage us to #BeBoldForChange. We are privileged to be partnering with a number of truly inspirational women, who use boldness and strength to bring about change for the women and girls in their communities. Varsha Jawalgekar is the leader of Parivartan Kendra (PK) who we partner with in Bihar State, India. Children on the Edge support them in their work to end discrimination against the Dalit people in Patna, through education and community action. We asked her 10 questions about how to #BeBoldForChange.
Small groups of Dalit women are ensuring shelter, education and safety for their communities by raising their voices in Bihar State, India.
In and around Patna Children on the Edge support two small, dynamic organisations who are fighting against caste discrimination for the children in their communities. They do this through a combination of education and local action, with a major strand of this action being rooted in the creation of Women’s Groups. In the rural villages surrounding Patna, our partner Parivartan Kendra (PK) support 10 community women’s groups. Their key strategy in bringing change in these communities is the strengthening and development of these groups, each of which has around 25 women who work closely with their area’s education centre in trying to help the community, including its children, realise their rights. One of the key priorities of the women’s groups is ensuring that their children are given access to education so that they can break out of the poverty cycle and the trap of bonded labour. Their aim is to slowly create a groundswell of awareness regarding rights, which then leads to action and the realisation of those rights. Varsha Jawalgekar is the leader of this organisation, she says ‘I believe the only way real change can be brought in Dalit communities is through collective action, through the gathering and the rising up of many’. The community have witnessed how an individual fighting alone for their rights, is not only timely and ineffective, but dangerous. Varsha herself has been jailed and beaten, but more disturbingly an 8 year old girl was was badly beaten by a landowner simply for telling him she was going to school. He mocked her with caste names and asked her if she would be a magistrate or police officer when she grew up. When she said ‘why not?’ he attacked her with an axe. She is still experiencing medical problems as a result, and her parents are fighting for her case in the courts. Varsha believes that communities as a whole must be taught about their rights and supported to stand up together, safely and peacefully fighting for change. This is not just a theory; the women’s groups are already bringing change. Under Indian law, Dalits living below the poverty line are just as entitled as the rest of the population to certain allowances for housing, food and free health care. In practice though, Dalits face corruption and discrimination regarding these entitlements. They also experience practical difficulties in applying for them as many are illiterate and lack the required identification papers. One group in the Chakfeteh area has been running for eight years and is well established. They recently ensured that 19 households received housing entitlements (financial allowance for housing). They did this through training on their basic legal rights and entitlements and being supported to complete the paperwork. Another example of change was brought by the women’s group is in Madhaul. Dalit children at the community school here were experiencing high levels of violence and discrimination. Being treated as ‘untouchable’ is outlawed, but teachers here were making them sit separately, physically abusing them and denying them access to lessons and school meals. Varsha and the women’s group here conducted a peaceful protest in front of the school. As a result they were locked up in a classroom by the headmaster, who made threats about ‘boiling them alive’. Varsha called the police, who freed them and demanded the headmaster apologise. Although this seems like a a lenient consequence, it sent a strong message throughout the community about the practice of discrimination based upon caste. The women’s group have since reported positive changes in the school’s treatment of their children, as a direct result of their actions. A few years ago in Patna, two Dalit children were kidnapped from a poor area with a high crime rate. Many Dalit children are abducted here with no reprisals due to local corruption, so Varsha and some of her colleagues sat in the middle of the road until a traffic jam built up in order to get a proper response from the authorities. When the police arrived they said that the children could be brought back to the women within the hour. This is not only clear evidence that the police are involved in trafficking, but that Varsha’s model of standing up collectively against discrimination, does yield results. Change here is gradual and hard won. Through an outlawed yet active caste system, Dalit children here face severe discrimination, violence and poverty. They go un-noticed locally due to cultural norms and are overlooked internationally because of India’s relative wealth. Children on the Edge are committed to supporting our partners in bringing lasting change for these children and their communities. Each year on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day encourages us all to forge a better working, more gender inclusive world. Children on the Edge works with local partners to restore the ingredients of a full childhood to some of the most vulnerable children worldwide. A big part of this is working towards equality in opportunities and an end to discrimination for the girls we work with. The theme for the 2017 International Women's Day is #BeBoldForChange and we are privileged to be partnering with a number of truly inspirational women, who constantly use boldness and strength to bring about change for the women and girls in their communities. Sister Veena Jacob is the Director and Founder member of Navjeevan Educational and Social Welfare Centre (NESWC) who we partner with in Bihar State, India. Children on the Edge support them in their work to end discrimination against the Dalit people in Patna, through education and community action. Sister Veena has been working with Dalit women in Bihar State for the last 11 years. We interviewed her about what inspires her to be bold in creating change, what changes are possible, and how she overcomes obstacles and barriers in her work.
Today is World Day of Social Justice. In 2007, The UN General Assembly proclaimed 20 February as a day to promote social justice activities. The UN define social justice as an ‘underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations’.
They describe how ‘We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.’ Today Children on the Edge are promoting the work we support in Bihar State, India, helping Dalit communities to remove the barriers they face due to caste discrimination and fight for social justice. Despite the fact that discrimination based on caste was outlawed by India’s constitution in 1950, the practice of ‘untouchability’ still dictates the order of modern life for millions here. The caste system assigns individuals a certain status according to Hindu beliefs. Traditionally there are four castes (divided into thousands of sub-categories) and a fifth category of people who fall outside of the system - the Dalits. The word Dalit translates as ‘oppressed’ or ‘broken’ and is generally used to refer to people who were once known as ‘untouchables’ because of the impurity connected with their traditional ‘outcaste’ occupations. The resulting persecution, discrimination and poverty leaves Dalit children extremely vulnerable. Working with two partner organisations, Children on the Edge are supporting education for Dalit children and their communities in Bihar State, not just for education’s sake, but to begin to break the cycle of discrimination. Varsha Bela heads up the work of Parivartan Kendra (PK) in the rural Dalit communities of Vaishali District, Bihar. She describes the vision she has for her work as: “Bringing change in the lives of Dalit children through the transformation of communities on the edge”. In the urban area of Patna, Sister Veena and her organisation Narjeevan Educational and Social Welfare Society (NESWS) shares this vision and between them they facilitate 25 Community and Education Centres in the urban slums and rural villages. The discrimination they are fighting in Bihar is very real. Veena describes the experiences of the Dalit community she works with; ‘In the village their houses are kept away from other houses, and in the city they are ghettoised. There are no toilets in their houses, or even a community toilet so they are forced to go in the open, on land they do not own, so they are chased away. There is a lack of clean drinking water facilities for the Dalits, in one slum 150 families use two hand pumps. The man next to this slum does not allow their water to flow through his land to the river, so the dirty water remains in the slum and creates sickness and filth. If I go with Dalit staff or friends to someone’s house they are nervous as they know they will not be welcomed in. They will not be be offered food or able to use the glasses or plates of other castes, if they touch these things, the owner will throw them away”. The model our partners are working with to bring change has three components. First they set up Community Resource Centres, where Dalit people can join together and ‘feel the strength of their unity’. Through the establishment of women’s groups attached to each centre, people are trained about their entitlements and about the use of non-violent dialogue and actions to achieve their rights. They are also supported in a practical sense (i.e obtaining ID papers which qualify them for their entitlements, but are often missing and hard to access because of illiteracy, migration and landlessness). As government primary schools are currently discriminating against Dalit children, the second component is to use the Community Resource Centres to facilitate education for children. Each afternoon, alongside basic maths, science and languages, 25 classes learn about many issues relating to caste discrimination, local governance, gender equality, human rights and self expression. Varsha describes how “We teach children from the Dalit community that you have equal rights to any citizen in this country. We focus on the Indian Constitution which gives us fundamental rights and does not allow anyone to be treated according to their caste, class, religion, place of birth or sex. The implementation of the law is very poor though, and knowledge and use of it is very low due to lack of education. This is what we can change”. Lastly comes action. In response to their training the community focus on realising their rights to a life with dignity, and all that entails. So far the women’s groups in the area, through peaceful protest and dialogue, have successfully fought for land rights, food entitlement, access to school and even the return of trafficked children. Between them these two organisations are educating 800 Dalit children, who are beginning to realise their worth and be equipped to fight for the equal opportunities they deserve in the future. “This is a sustainable model of change” says Varsha, “it ensures Dalit children will get their rights in the future. If they grow up thinking they are nothing, then they will expect nothing in life. Education is the start of this change.” Find out more about Social Justice Day Read about our work with Dalit children in Bihar State Urge the Indian government to end discrimination against Dalits. In early September unprecedented water levels created destruction across Bihar State, India, with 213 people killed, 2190 villages underwater and thousands of people displaced to relief camps. In this area we support a number of education projects for Dalit children and at the time we launched an appeal to help our local partners (Navjeevan Educational & Social Welfare Society) who were heavily involved in the relief effort. Thanks to the generosity of our donors we were able to contribute to the work of Navjeevan who focussed on providing for immediate basic needs (i.e food and clothes) and worked to link affected families with government and non-government organisations for further help and support. Not only this, but because our partners work in education, they engaged local school children in helping with the packing of relief materials ready for distribution and spent some time sensitising local young people about the suffering of the flood victims, motivating them to help. This had incredible results. Sister Veena who leads Navjeevan said “Motivating the youth of the locality and inspiring them to actively participate in the relief work reduced the corruption at different levels, because they demanded that the government provided for those affected by the flood, and it reached people”. The young people worked together to mobilise the politicians to contribute. They secured funds for food, and feed for animals owned by the families affected. To protect livelihoods, every family with animals was given one sack of food and medicine for the animals. The youth group also got permission to use government land to make temporary sheds for livestock. After one protest at a government office they ensured 6000 rupees for each family affected in one block, then they went to a relief camp in the same area and asked the government to provide police protection for the people there. They also requested a free boat service for flood victims who were being exploited by those who owned private boats and were charging high fares for their use. As a result, there was both a government and a military boat service provided. Sister Veena says “Children and youth, if motivated will act promptly and generously. Everyone has something to give. We encouraged children at one of our Centres to give what they could for the flood victims.… Almost all the children contributed biscuits, rice, potato, dal, etc. One child who is very poor and only has three shirts, brought his best shirt to give to the children affected by the flood. It was very moving and challenging”. Children on the Edge is a child rights based organisation and we work to encourage child participation in all our work. This is a great example of what children can achieve when they are given the resources and the opportunity to make a difference. Find out more about the education projects for Dalit children we support in Bihar State, India and consider a donation to the flood appeal. Although the waters have receded there is still much rebuilding to be done.
It’s been over a month since the flood waters in Bihar State rose to unprecedented levels causing damage, destruction and the death of over 200 people. Children on the Edge have been able to support our local partner, Navjeevan Education and Social Welfare Society in aiding some of the families hardest hit by the floods and from the start of September launched an appeal for donations.
Since this time, flood water has receded and people in Bihar are beginning to return to their villages. Most are repairing damage or rebuilding houses that have been completely washed away. A spokesman for the Bihar governments said "The real assessment of damages and losses will only take place after floodwaters recede fully by the second week of October.” Sister Veena Jacob who leads Navjeevan Education and Social Welfare Society says “The problem people are facing is building their huts again and getting clean drinking water. The ground water here has become mixed with flood water. There is no clean water”. With the support of your donations Navjeevan have provided food for 1000 families, including rice, dhal, beaten rice sugar, milk powder for children and biscuits. We are keeping the appeal open and ask for continuing donations to help people in the aftermath of the flood. Sister Veena says “We are grateful to you for the help given to the flood victims. What people really need now is clean water, hand pumps and help to rebuild or repair their houses”. You can donate to the appeal by visiting our Bihar Flood Justgiving page and find out more about our work with Dalit children in Bihar state by visiting our project page. Thank you. Recent monsoon floods in India's Ganges river have created unprecedented water levels at four locations in northern India causing damage, destruction and loss of life.
Bihar state, where we support education projects for Dalit children, is one of the worst flood-hit states in India with at least 150 deaths and nearly half a million people evacuated. The highest water level record was in Patna, the state capital of Bihar where flood waters reached 50.52m. Sister Veena Jacob who leads Navjeevan Education and Social Welfare Society, one of our partner organisations in Bihar, describes the situation. “The most affected areas are six Panchayathsin Manner Block, Kitha Chwarthar Madhay and Haldi Chapara which consist of 12 villages and are completely under water. There are 50,000 people affected by this flood very badly. Many people are staying back in the villages to safeguard their belongings. They are staying on the house tops. They are drinking the flood water, [there is] no fire wood to boil the water. Only a few are reaching out to them with relief because they are cut off from the main land. The relief camp is kept without basic facilities of food and clean drinking water. It is very heart breaking to see children crying for food to their mothers. Mothers have nothing to provide for the children.” Children on the Edge has made an immediate response to the crisis by sending payment for rice, dahl, beaten rice, sugar, candles and matches for 400 families in the immediate area. The flood situation remains very serious and it is expected their water levels may rise again. Hundreds of thousands of people are not being reached by government help. There is huge gap in food supplies, sanitary kits, clean drinking water, medicine and temporary shelters. We are making an emergency appeal to support the people of Bihar at this time. Sister Veena has asked “On the behalf of the flood victims in Bihar I make an urgent appeal to people of good will to generously contribute to this humanitarian call and express our solidarity and support in time of need. Your contribution will make a difference in the life these needy people” To donate simply visit our JustGiving Bihar Flood Appeal page. Thank you. The Dalit people or ‘untouchables’ are India’s lowest caste. Despite being outlawed, the caste system still dictates the order of modern life for millions of people here. The Dalits are shunned by society and suffer from exclusion, discrimination and exploitation. The Musahar are the lowest strata of the Dalit caste.
Government primary schools in Dalit majority areas are scarce, and those that do exist are so poorly staffed and equipped that children rarely attend. A parent’s perspective On a recent visit to a Musahar village in Bihar State, one mother named Gita explained to us that, “My children are enrolled in a government school, but the teachers do not teach. They come and take the register in the morning and then leave”. If they do manage to enrol in schools, Dalit children are frequently discriminated against, being made to sit at the back of the class and restricted from touching or interacting with children of other castes. As a result, those who do make it into school feel isolated and often drop out at an early age. Gita goes on to say how, “There is lunch given at the school, but, because my children are from a lower caste, they must bring their own dishes and are served last. If the food runs out, lower caste children do not eat. I complained to the teacher about this once, and he threatened to have me beaten”. Other parents reported that their children do not attend government school as it is too far away and barely functions. Kana, aged 12 explained, “I look after my siblings while my mother works in the fields. My father has died. I cook, clean and do housework. I would like to learn to read and write, and I did enrol at school. But the teachers do not teach at that school”. A teacher’s perspective Pramod is the only Musahar teacher on the project. In this culture it is very unusual that he managed to complete up to grade 10 in government school. “I was on the verge of moving to the city to pull rickshaws or find a factory job to support my parents” he explains, “then the opportunity came up for me to be trained to be a teacher in this programme, and I decided I wanted to stay and help other Musahar children become educated”. Pramod says that most children from his community work in the fields with their parents as the government schools either don’t function or exclude Dalit children. Some children have little choice as the landlords demand both adults and children work for their keep. Rohit, age 13, reports, “The owner of the land we work demands that I collect grass for his cattle. This can take 3-4 hours a day. Right now I do not have time to go to a government school.” Once inside one of the programme’s classrooms, Pramod describes how Dalit children face additional challenges; “Parents are very supportive of their children receiving education, but learning can be difficult for many of the children as they are often hungry. Many of them only eat once or twice a day and their minds are not accustomed to concentrating on things like school work. They have only known working in the fields”. Health issues are the next biggest challenge facing Dalit children. Many of the children miss significant time at school because they are sick from poor drinking water or skin rashes. Pramod explains, “If it rains too much the surface water becomes mixed with the well water. The colour turns brown. But we have nothing else to drink. At this time, many of the children become sick”. How we are helping Children on the Edge are currently working to bring together three small, active and engaged local partners to provide quality education for Dalit children aged 6-12. Community Learning Centres offer education up to grade 3, which enables children to achieve basic literacy and numeracy as well as provide them a stronger foothold when integrating into mainstream, government schools. The most important element is that the centres are places where the children feel safe and happy, without fear of intimidation, discrimination or abuse. The Community Learning Centres also serve as hubs for civic activities in the Dalit communities. Each centre hosts a Women’s Self-Help Group which meets weekly to discuss issues facing the community and organise efforts to bring out about change. The centres also maintain a communal library which is open to all adults and children; the literature has a focus on promoting health, hygiene and human rights. The Hindi name of the centres actually translates as “Education Change Centres”. Varsha Jawalgekar, director of the programme’s rural centres, explains, “The goal of the centres is not just to provide education to children, though that is important. These centres will also bring Dalit people together and change communities from the inside.” Teachers are trained specifically to adapt to their resource-scare surroundings, using simple, available objects creatively and generously. Trees outside are not only used to provide shade for the classes on hot days, but instructors hang lesson cards from the branches to create numeracy and literacy games. Sticks and rocks are employed as tangible learning aids for maths lessons. Turning the tide of a system which has discriminated against Dalit castes in Bihar for hundreds of years is not a quick process, yet our local partners have a track record of successfully bringing change to marginalised communities through educating residents and lobbying the government for the provision of rights and services. Through our efforts Children on the Edge believes there is a real opportunity for this programme to change the lives of thousands of Dalits in Bihar. Find out more about the project Consider donating to this work. The Dalit people or ‘untouchables’ are India’s lowest caste. They are shunned by society and suffer from exclusion, discrimination and exploitation.
Children on the Edge are currently working here to bring together three small, active and engaged local partners in India's poorest state (Bihar), to provide quality education for Dalit children and enable them to access mainstream, government middle schools. John Littleton, our Asia Regional Manager recently visited the programmes and spent some time in the Vaishali district of Bihar, where our partners Parivartan Kendra have opened Centres in ten rural Dalit communities offering education to 280 children. The Musahar Of the twenty-one strata of Dalit castes, the Musahar are the lowest. While all ten of the participating communities in Vaishali district are from the Dalit or ‘untouchable’ classes of society, four of the communities are Musahar villages. John describes how “the term literally translates as ‘rat eaters’, a practice which both ostracises the Musahar from other Dalit castes and reflects their desperate struggle for daily survival. Musahars almost universally have no access to land ownership, schooling, or meaningful work.” We talked with some of the women from one of the Musahar Community Action Groups about their situation. What emerged was the level of abuse and the lack of power they struggle with in their daily lives. Aside from raising unclean animals such as pigs and brewing home-made alcohol, most Musahars in Vaishali are trapped in bonded labour. One lady, Kumari said “Because we have no land we have no power, the drinking water is often dirty which makes our children sick. I work for the landowner for for 60INR (75p) a day but sometimes he gives us nothing. I have to work for him or my family will have no place to live.” The majority of residents in this village are engaged in some form of bonded labor – a practice which allows landlords from higher castes to exploit Musahar families whom they allow to squat on their lands in exchange for free or cheap labour. While formally outlawed in India, this is a practice which dates backs many centuries in Bihar. John also spoke with a lady called Shela at a Musahar village meeting, she works in the fields for about 50 pence per day, she is not allowed to stop for food during the day. “I live on the government land by the canal. The officials often tell us that they will force us to move. When it rains the canal floods and water runs through our home”. The project The aim of the work here is to not just introduce basic education to children in these communities, but also to inform the community about their rights and give them the tools they need to practice self-determination and create better lives. In their monthly meetings, Shela and Kumari, together with the rest of the Community Action Group report potential threats, raise awareness of human rights and communicate information about the services available. They are currently planning a series of Child Rights Focus Days and working on the issues highlighted of untouchability and child marriage. The group also discuss child safety issues and create guidelines for preventing exploitation, abuse and abduction. They work with children and community members to identify and respond to dangerous situations, leading to a safer community. Find out more about the project Consider donating to this work |
RECEIVE OUR EMAILSBlog Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|