Dear friends,
We’d like to show you the letter we got yesterday from our project director in India, Manish. In it you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the ‘shades of grey’ of the work we have undertaken and the challenges we face daily, many of them at the hands of the Indian authorities themselves…
We’d like to show you the letter we got yesterday from our project director in India, Manish. In it you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the ‘shades of grey’ of the work we have undertaken and the challenges we face daily, many of them at the hands of the Indian authorities themselves…
Hi, Uttam and Hansa.
The new CFC (Child Friendly Center) was opened in the Vishrantwadi ar
ea, close to Yerwada, Pune. The CFC was built out of bamboo and bamboo sheets covered by plastic. The materials used are not of very good quality, just average, due to the fear that the local authorities might tear it down. As the whole community is illegal, it could be demolished any time, that’s why we made a simple shelter so as to not spend too much.
ea, close to Yerwada, Pune. The CFC was built out of bamboo and bamboo sheets covered by plastic. The materials used are not of very good quality, just average, due to the fear that the local authorities might tear it down. As the whole community is illegal, it could be demolished any time, that’s why we made a simple shelter so as to not spend too much. To our sur
prise… Yesterday, December 5th, 2007, was the first day at the CFC. Thirty five children came, very happy to be there. They were so excited with the Centre, that they didn’t want to go home for lunch, and we had to make them go. Classes continued after lunch and I was there to take some pictures. While I was taking pictures, many people came and, to our surprise, they were the local authorities, who had come to bulldoze the slum and the CFC. I was almost in tears. Finally, I decided to talk to the municipal officer and ask him not to tear the Centre down. He didn’t agree to it, but promised he wouldn’t harm it and would take it down carefu
lly. We have put the material in a safe place, and will build again in the next couple of days. I would like to go on with this Centre, since the children and their parents cooperate with us. The parents will help us rebuild it. We haven’t stopped the classes – the teacher will continue with them out in the open for two days, until we build it again. Child labour:
The impact of the new CFC was such that a ten-year-old girl was working as a servant in a nearby house, but when the Centre opened, her parents sent her to
the Centre instead of sending her to work. Of course, we had to do a lot of counseling, but in the end, the results are obvious.Regards,
Manish Shroff (Asha-Kiran Shelters Foundation)
