COVERING MORE GROUND

This year, Asha-Kiran is contributing to the formation of self-help groups, and to counseling and training adults of two slum communities in the Koregaon Park and Hadapsar areas.

The training consists in teaching adults how to read and write, and the counseling, in providing them information on professional courses and how to form and manage self-help groups. These initiatives aim to empower the adults of these communities in the financial realm, provide tools for them to deal with emergencies, and learn how to give each other financial support.

To perform this task effectively, our social workers contacted the Department of Urban Community Development of Pune, which develops and gives programs and courses, and awards grants to economically disadvantaged groups. We are pleased to have this organization as a partner for the improvement of the economic and working conditions of our target communities.

A group of 11 people is taking shape in the community of Koregaon Park and two groups of 11 people each in the Hadapsar community. The people in these groups have welcomed the program as they realize it will enable them to be independent in their financial activities and improve their decision-making ability for the sustainable development of their families and communities.

INDIA IS LOSING ITS GIRLS

The first population census of 2011 shows a total of one million two hundred thousand people in India and also presents a worrying fact: for every one thousand boys under 6, there are only 914 girls.

Families prefer to have sons than daughters, especially among economically disadvantaged groups.

Girls in India are still seen as a burden, ‘a bad investment’, because they have to be taken care of only to ultimately join their husband’s household. Therefore, some mothers practice selective abortions or abandon their daughters after birth. If they are born, girls generally receive less attention and healthcare than boys, have a higher level of malnutrition, and are less likely to get an education. Mortality rates are higher among girls. From a very young age, they perform household chores which may take up to eight hours daily – a time they could spend going to school.

At present, India has one of the largest imbalances between boys and girls worldwide. The lack of females could cause serious problems in Indian society according to the Population Fund of the United Nations, one of them being that a significant proportion of young men would not be able to find a partner, especially among the poor. This, in turn, could lead to an increase in violence and trafficking of girls. On the other hand, young women would be pressured to marry and have children at an early age and, therefore, would often give up their education or jobs.

Empowerment of women and the community, access to education, implementation of rights in all sectors of the population, and a system of community solidarity will be key elements in addressing this problem.

YASHODHARA: A WELCOME VISIT

Mª Angeles, a friend and Volunteer at Asha-Kiran, came to Pune to meet her sponsored child, Ravi, an 11-year-old boy from Yashodhara Shelter, and share some time and presents with him and the other children. Such meetings are as necessary and enriching for the sponsored child as they are for the Sponsor. Cinta, Asha-Kiran's friend and collaborator, also came to visit.

Before being admitted in the Shelter, Yashodhara children used to live in conditions of extreme vulnerability. They came from homes where they may have suffered physical or sexual abuse or may have been forced to work. All this seems very far away when one sees their joy, vitality and their ever-present smiles, but there have been times when their hearts have also had folds of sadness and discouragement.

With a visit from Volunteers and Sponsors, the veils of these folds seem to fall off. A visit is a gift that goes beyond mere human contact. The way that children receive love from visitors, so unexpectedly, opens the door to other ways of experiencing the world. The children seem to be healed by people who come to Yashodhara and have an influence in their many desires and activities. Any gesture, however small it may seem, encompasses many dimensions.

THANKS to Maria Angeles, Cinta, and to all those who share their hearts with children.

Eshana Alcover – live-in Volunteer at Yashodhara Shelter

SNAKES and CHILDREN

The geographical location of the campus where Yashodhara Shelter is located is an ideal habitat for snakes. Having seen snakes around the Shelter on several occasions in recent months, we decided to inform about them to the nearly two hundred children who live on the campus.

Our Project Coordinator, Aniruddha, and our Social Worker, Deepti, organized the briefing jointly with Mr. Aniruddha Joshi, who is associated with the Information Center and Security Network Department of Pune University.

We made the children aware of the danger posed by snakes through audiovisual support and a detailed explanation of the types of snakes and their characteristics, bites, how to tell by the bite if the snake is poisonous or harmless, and precautions to take to prevent snakes from nesting around the buildings on campus. They were also told about the time limit for treatment and that the campus hospital is well equipped to deal with snake bites.