BEYOND ACADEMICS

The objective behind our Teacher Training Program is to improve the skills of teachers in relation to developmental, family, social and legal issues that concern children, and to introduce innovative teaching methods.

The topic for our first day of training this month was Sexual Abuse on Children. We discussed different types of abuse, how to identify them and how to deal with them in our project areas. On the second day, we focused on Children’s Rights, the status of these rights in India, and how to increase awareness about them among the social groups we work with.

All of our teachers and staff attended the training to learn how to handle problematic situations and be up to date on children’s rights.

LET'S LOOK AFTER THEM

PROJECT UTTARAKHAND

During the month of June 2013, the Indian state of Uttarakhand suffered one of the worst natural disasters in its history, when floods killed more than 6,000 people and left behind a bleak landscape, with road and homes completely destroyed. From the outset, Asha-Kiran worked with the local government that managed the relief actions, by contributing with all the logistical support possible and coordinating aid from NGOs and individuals in the state of Maharashtra.

This collaboration was completed with the Winter Project, wherein blankets and warm clothes were distributed to a total of 277 families and an orphanage with 36 children. This project was designed according to the needs of the Department of Disaster Management, which coordinates various NGOs, guiding and supporting their work so that resources are optimized and the relief is actually helpful.

With the collaboration of Bosch Pune, who made a collection among its staff to be destined to the affected area, we bought the material that was necessary and suitable for the families, and distributed it in hard-to-reach areas at the beginning of the cold months. The distribution was made according to the records provided by the government, with one family member picking up the relief package and signing the distribution sheet. There were a total of 1401 pick-ups. Afterwards, we distributed material to teachers from nearby schools and an orphanage with 36 children.

A severely damaged winding road goes from Rishikesh to the mountain villages, the most affected. Politicians move around the area by helicopter. This gives an idea of the situation local people are in, already impoverished before the disaster. There is hardly any infrastructure, so progress is infinitely complicated. While coordination by the government to revert the situation is exemplary, going back to normal life will take a long time... too long.

I was impressed by the people. They had lost a huge number of relatives, friends and neighbors just over six months before. We were there because they had no winter clothes and were already cold. Most of their few possessions had been lost forever, and yet there wasn’t a sad or defeatist atmosphere. People received their packages with gratitude, carrying enormous bundles because they were either taking them to so and so’s family, because someone was too old and couldn’t go, or because so and so had to look after her children... always with astonishing respect and simplicity, the kind that make you sit in a corner for a while and think about your own way of living life.

Víctor Natalias - Coordinator Asha-Kiran Spain / India

SURROGATE MOTHERS

Vasanti is pregnant, not with her own baby, but that of a Japanese couple. She will be paid €5,800, enough to build a new house and send her two children to an English-medium school - something she never dreamed possible. “In India, families are very close-knit. We are willing to do anything for our children,” says Vasanti.

With the embryo already implanted, she will spend the next nine months living in a dormitory with another 100 surrogate mothers, all patients of Dr. Patel. Vasanti, however, cannot help but feel uneasy. “I wander around at night because I can’t sleep. I want to go home soon to be with my children and my husband.”

Dr. Patel has arranged this service and delivered hundreds of babies in the last decade, but acknowledges that many people find her work offensive. “I have faced criticism, am facing it and will continue to face it because this issue, according to many, is controversial.” She goes on to say that “These women do the physical work and are being compensated for it. They know that there is no gain without pain.”

According to the doctor, there are several reasons why India is “the surrogacy hub of the world”. There is good medical technology, the cost is relatively low, and the legal situation is also favorable. “Women have no rights over, nor obligations towards the baby, so everything is easier, while in the Western world the birth mother is considered the mother, and the birth certificate bears her last name.”

“There are many poor women in India,” says Patel. Vasanti says that her in-laws will be delighted when their son and wife have new home. “Our social status will improve, which is good, but we can’t build in the same area due to the hostility of our neighbors. If you stay at home, everyone knows that you will be surrogate mother and you'll have a test tube baby, and they tell you ugly things, so we can’t stay there safely.”

Vasanti becomes teary-eyed when she recalls giving birth and catching a glimpse of her baby. “I saw my son, but he was taken away. I must have seen him for five seconds; I saw that he was alive. The couple wanted a girl and it’s a boy. It is good whether it's a boy or a girl. At least they have a child.”

As the tiny baby that she has carried for the last nine months begins his new life, Vasanti begins hers. She lives in her new house with her family, and her children attend an English-medium school. “My children are growing day by day and we want a good future for them,” says Vasanti. “That’s why we’ve done this, but I would never want my daughter to be a surrogate mother.”

In India, surrogacy revenues are estimated at over €726 billion annually. Poor women do welcome the money, but it remains to be known if the payment for their services also covers the emotional investment of surrogate mothers.

LET’S SUPPORT THEM ON THEIR WAY TO ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Source: bbc.co.uk

WIVES AND MOTHERS OF ADDICTS

Sahachari is a support group for the wives or mothers of addicts. When they come to the meetings that Asha-Kiran arranges for them, the first thing they understand is that they cannot cure or control another person’s addiction, and more importantly, that they are not the cause of it. Once they realize this, they can prepare themselves to help the addict in his recovery. In Sahachari, the women also learn to look at their own irrational behavior and make positive efforts to change it. Meetings take place once a month and consist of sharing personal experiences, discussion of various issues regarding addiction, guidance from a guest speaker and individual counseling.

A resource person from Muktangan De-addiction Centre comes to conduct the meetings and encourages the women to ventilate their feelings, counsels them on their rights and makes them aware of legal provisions related to women. The principle of confidentiality is followed in the group so that the women will feel confident to open up and share their personal life with other women who, like themselves, are engaged in dysfunctional relationships with relevant male figures in their lives.

LET'S FURHTER THEIR EMOTIONAL HEALTH

THE BUSINESS BEHIND HYSTERECTOMIES

Sunita's face hardens when she talks about her operation. "I went to the clinic because I had heavy bleeding during menstruation", she says. "The doctor did an ultrasound, warned me that I might develop cancer, and told me I needed a hysterectomy that same day."

Sunita says she did not want surgery right away, that she wanted to discuss it with her husband first. The doctor said that the operation was urgent, so she went into the operating room a few hours later. More than two years have passed since that day, but Sunita says she still feels too weak to work or care for their children.

The leaders of Sunita’s village say that about 90% of women in the area have been operated on, some as young as 20. Doctors usually charge about €146 for the operation, which often means that families have to sell livestock and other property to raise the money they need.

For many, it is clear that something strange and deeply disturbing is happening. Reports of some Indian states like Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh suggest that an extraordinarily high number of women of all ages are having their uterus removed.

Dr. Gupta, a member of a local partner of Oxfam, is one of the many activists who believe that some private doctors are committing gross negligence. According to him, "People say that in some places, there are entire districts without uteruses. It seems that private doctors see this as an opportunity to earn money easily. They are operating on women who suffer from ailments that could be treated more easily and less invasively. "To date, there are no reliable data on the number of hysterectomies performed, but evidence suggests that they have become much more frequent in recent years.

With the intention of improving health care for poor people in rural areas, the government launched a national health security plan, the RSBY, in 2008. Under this scheme, families living below the poverty line can receive a subsidy for medical treatment of up to €360 in private hospitals which the state reimburses directly. But critics say the plan seems to be encouraging some clinics to perform unnecessary hysterectomies, using the poor in order to have access to government funds.

The individual states in India are in the process of implementing legislation passed by the central government to regulate the private healthcare sector. Meanwhile, women in India continue to have unnecessary hysterectomies.

LET'S INFORM THEM

Source: bbcnews

HEALTHY TEENS

Adolescent Health Education sessions were conducted in Hadapsar community this month with adolescent girls. The objectives of this session were to

- Create awareness about health-related issues
- Control and prevent health-related problems
- Promote positive health and responsible behavior skills
- Support and help to develop an environment conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

The subject for this month’s session was the physical, mental and emotional changes that take place in adolescence. Our goal is for teens to understand the inner events that happen at this stage in life and learn how to regard and interact with them in a healthy fashion.

Under the Health Awareness Programs, we also had a Rubella Vaccination Drive for teen girls between 12 and 18 in the community . This vaccine is needed to prevent infection during pregnancy, when it can cause serious problems to the unborn baby. For this activity, we had a tie-up with Serum Institute, who provided Rubella vaccines at low cost. In this session we covered 46 teen girls.

LET'S CONTINUE TAKING CARE OF HEIR GLOBAL HEALTH

GIRLS FOR SALE

A farmer who was going through major economic troubles thought it would be a good idea to send his 16 year old daughter to New Delhi when she was offered a job there. He says, “She got on a train and said, 'Father, don’t worry about me, I’ll have enough money when I come back for you to marry me off”.

He never heard from her again. He added that “The police haven't helped us at all. They once went to the trafficker’s house but didn’t arrest him. They don’t treat me nicely when I go talk to them, so now I’m afraid to go”.

Meanwhile, in a slum in Calcutta, a man makes a living selling girls. Although he does not want to give his name, he does not mind talking openly about his business. "I have made a lot of money because there is so much demand for working girls and young prostitutes. Now I own three houses in New Delhi” he says. “I sell between 150 and 200 girls a year, from 10 to 17. “I don’t work in the field; I have people working for me. We tell parents that we're going to get jobs for the girls in New Delhi and then we take them to the placement agencies. What happens to the girls afterwards is none of my business.”

The trafficker claims to make 55,000 rupees (around €650) on each girl. Local politicians and the police seem to smooth things out. “The police know very well what we do. I have to tell them when I'm delivering a girl and pay bribes in every city. I've had trouble with the authorities but I’m not afraid. If I go to jail, I have enough money to pay my bail”, he says.

The director of the Criminal Investigation Unit responsible for combating trafficking in West Bengal, describes police corruption as “negligent” and says his unit is “absolutely determined” to combat trafficking. “We organize training camps and campaigns to raise awareness. We've rescued too many girls and will keep on fighting”, he claims.

“Simply changing the way police work is not enough. After rescuing a girl, what do we do?” wonders a representative of an NGO. “What we need is quick rehabilitation. We need social and legal systems that work.”. He adds that there is a lack of fast courts to prevent traffickers from getting out on bail so easily.

Even if corruption were greatly reduced, there would still be millions of children and parents living in abject poverty, struggling to survive. A lasting solution must necessarily take into account the origin of the social symptom, rather than just focus on the symptom itself.

LET’S SUPPORT THEIR EDUCATION SO WE CAN TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SOLUTION

Source: elteologillo

SEAMSTRESSES CLAD IN BLACK

I visited a sewing course for women. Some of them are Muslims and dress in black. They live in a slum, amongst rules and prohibitions. Even laughter is banned for them, that's the most inhumane part, but when they get together to sew they can escape the rules. Here, they laugh.

Sitting beside women dressed in black from top to bottom is shocking. I was shocked at first, at least. I didn’t dare to take the camera out. I think I interrupted their routine. All of them looked at me, not knowing what was coming. Deepti introduced me and they introduced themselves one by one.

—I’m Gyoti.
—My name is Pallabi.
—Shagupta
—Mubina
—Aisha
My turn.
—Aïcha, Aïcha, écoute-moi…

They laughed, and I felt comfortable.

They are learning to sew, are just getting started. Making buttonholes, stitching material... Mubina and Aisha are sitting next to me. They had to leave school and started dressing in black when they reached puberty. Now they want to be seamstresses. Someday they will make colored dresses. The title of the text mentions seamstresses in black but not all the women dress like that, only the Muslims. Hindu women wear brightly colored kurtas. That's the only thing that tells them apart; aside from that, they get along well as community women.

Fundación Asha-Kiran created this course, and Deepti, the coordinator, showed me the project. There are four Rajesh sewing machines in the classroom that resemble old Singers. However, for these women, what they release by talking is more important than what they sew together with thread. “This is a place to talk, the only place where anyone listens. Also, this course may bring them monetary benefit”, says Deepti. “One of the keys to the success of this project is based on proximity - we offer the course in the community itself, and since they are close to home, it’s easier for them to get permission from their husbands. Besides, it's free”.

They put the needles aside for a while and we start to chat. Deepti is the translator and mediator. She magically combines sweetness and respect - it is obvious that her work fulfils her.

The women often talk about their problems at home, so as to release their burden and responsibility. “We usually laugh here”, said one of them,” without having to cover our mouths, as tradition dictates”. They all laugh freely here. For example, they let out a belly laugh when we said that men can wash dishes. “Yes, we know that household responsibilities can be shared with husbands but we would never ask them...”.

“We talk about the situation of women, about why there are so many rapes, for example”, says Nilofer, who has been the most daring when speaking. The women address three serious problems:

Rape. They comment that the media have worsened the situation. Before, violence or sex scenes weren’t found on TV. It wasn’t so easy to see pornographic films. “We can’t talk about sexuality, and movies are the only reference youngsters have. What they do is put into practice what they see in films and they assault any woman to that end”, translates Deepti, adding that “The problem is patriarchy. Also, they know how to choose a victim; they get the weakest one, one that won’t put up a fight”.

Social pressure. According to the women, this is the most serious problem - having to constantly worry about “what people think”. They began to give examples.

We can’t give our opinion because it’s frowned upon.
We can’t talk to men who are not family members.
We can hardly go outside and must always be home at 7 pm.
Our attire is established.
We can’t laugh freely.
The women eat after the men have finished. We eat what they leave behind.

Female child births. Women are seen as a burden in our communities. They are ill treated, they will go live with another family when they get married and will have to pay a dowry on top... why give birth to girls then? This puts pressure on women. “But us women are important, we are mothers, without us there is no birth”, Nilofer reasons.

When we were about to end the meeting, Pallabik, a woman who had been quiet until then, wanted to add something. “Why are we only talking about negative things? She will then tell them abroad and will give a bad image, but we can say, for example, that the President of India was a woman until 2012, and that the chief of police in Pune is a woman”.

Maria Antonia Artano, Journalist.

TOO YOUNG TO MARRY

Pratigya hears that Chandra, a village mother, is planning to marry off her daughter Basanti. Pratigya grabs her bag and pays a visit to Chandra. What follows is a friendly but uncomfortable conversation about child marriage. Basanti is just 15 years old. The two women talk about the reasons why parents marry off their daughters at an early age, and about the dangers of child marriage. They also discuss why it is important for girls to continue their education.

Later on, Pratigya says that “Local families often believe that if they do not marry their daughters young, they could start a relationship with a boy, something which would bring dishonor to their family. I explained to Chandra that we, as parents, should consider a different approach. Mothers should advise their daughters as friends, not only as mothers, so that the children will listen to their parents from love and common sense, not out of fear of being beaten”.

Pratigya lives in Bhawrak, a small village in India’s most populated state, Uttar Pradesh. With a population of nearly 200 million, the state also has the highest children population in the country. About 154 families live in Bhawrak, and they all belong to a socially excluded and marginalized caste. Until recently, children here rarely went to school, and the were often involved in child labor.

In collaboration with Ikea Foundation, UNICEF is supporting the Government of Uttar Pradesh to establish Child Protection Committees across the state. Now, the Committee in Bhawrak provides a safe environment where people can discuss various topics without fear of being stigmatized. Since the establishment of the Committee, Pratigya and other women have become agents of change. They visit homes and raise awareness on child labor and child marriage. Their message is loud and clear: children should be in school. Led by the village chief, these committees include several village elders, leaders, and two minors.

At fifteen, Anita is one of these minors. “My parents used to say they were going to marry me off soon, but thanks to this Protection Committee, the village elders have convinced my parents not to do so”, says Anita. Committee members have pledged to support the movement against child marriage by publicly stating that they will not marry their own daughters before they reach legal age, and their public commitment has had a significant influence on the rest of the village people.

While Pratigya and Chandra are chatting, Chandra breaks down in tears. Pratigya says that she had her older daughters marry at an early age. One of them has been seriously ill from a complicated pregnancy. Doctors have told her that the girl's uterus is damaged, and have attributed it to her pregnancy at 16. Chandra decides not to marry off her younger daughter. “I've learned from my mistakes. I promised Basanti, my youngest daughter, that she will continue in school and will not get married until she’s 18.”

LET'S PROMOTE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Source: UNICEF

RURAL CHILDREN IN DISTRESS

Madhav is a tribal child whose father committed suicide due to the impossibility of repaying his debts. Now, Madhav spends his days tilling his small plot of land or working on the farm of the person who lent money to his family. At an age when most children play and go to school, Madhav is a small adult who works tirelessly. Will he meet the same fate as his father?

Twelve years old and nervous, Madhav is a shadow of himself, a silent victim of hardships that have attained disastrous proportions in the entire Vidarbha region in the state of Maharashtra, India. Madhav is just one of thousands of children who, like him, have lost their parents to the agrarian crisis that ravages the country. Almost without exception, the children in the area seem desperately hungry. In many homes, suicides have worsened poverty. Discrimination based on caste and class aggravates the situation.

Having left school, a peasant child has no skills apart from the trade that has become a terrible nightmare for over 60% of India's population, especially for those who practice subsistence agriculture that depends on rainfall. Most children from homes devastated by suicide are forced to be farmers and embrace the same system that has swallowed up their parents.

So what does the future hold for rural India? A very bleak one, if the experiences of thousands of farmer adults and children are not ignored. Although farmers put food on other people’s plates, most can barely feed their own children. Girls are the most vulnerable; many also live with the guilt that when they marry, their parents will have to pay a dowry. In rural Amravati, a 18-year-old’s neatly written suicide note said that if she did not die, it was almost certain that her father would.

While various political and social initiatives come to naught, farmers in Vidarbha are going from bad to worse in terms of income, agricultural techniques, diversity, food security, health and social status. In recent years there have been about 5,000 farmer suicides in Vidarbha alone. Those who keep on trying have little hope of surviving.

Despite some government interventions, structural abnormalities have not been properly addressed, nor have the human dimensions of the agrarian crisis been fully understood. Data from the National Crimes Records Bureau show that there were over 40,000 farmer suicides in the state of Maharashtra between 1995 and 2007. The number of families and children affected by these suicides is staggering.

Viewed in the context of children's rights, the tragedy of children in the countryside raises the question of how to defend children's rights to survival, protection, development and participation if the problem has not yet been acknowledged.

When Rahul Gandhi toured the area, he asked a boy what his dream was. A farmer who was standing nearby said, “Don’t ask them to dream, ask them to face reality. They have no right to dream”. A surprised Gandhi politely suggested that he not be so pessimistic. The farmer insisted that it was better to face reality than to dream, because former would help them understand and overcome the problems.

Source: infochangeindia

CHILDREN IN DOMESTIC SERVICE

Two girls, barely 14 years old, were taken to New Delhi by a neighbor to work as maids. A month after leaving home, both girls died. Another 13 year old, also a domestic servant, was rescued from the home of a couple who went on vacation and left her locked up at home without food.

There are countless such stories of abused children throughout the country. In 2012, after years of relentless struggle by child's rights organizations, the Union Cabinet approved an amendment to India’s Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act. The bill proposed a ban on all forms of child labor, in particular the employment of children under 14. However, it has some important gaps as it still allows children to work as domestic help.

According to Thomas Chandy of Save the Children, “Engaging children in any form of labor and exploiting them is one of the worst forms of violence against them. It is important that the violation of the Anti-Child Labour Law become a non-bailable offence”.

Millions of children are denied their constitutional rights, and millions of employers violate Indian laws. ILO has set 2013 as the year to combat child domestic labor, which is a growing social threat in India. The demand for child domestic workers is at an all-time high. Only in Delhi, there are more than 100 employment agencies and thousands of child domestic workers.

Surprisingly, in many cases, employment agencies do not give any money to the parents of the children they recruit. There are no special laws to control these agencies. “Police take action against employers when a case is reported, but the law needs to be strengthened to act as a deterrent against child employment”, added Chandy.

Another important and often overlooked factor is the reason why children work. If these children did not live in extreme situations -abandonment or extreme family need- there would not be a case for more stringent punitive measures. A society free of child labor is not an impossible dream. It can also be achieved in India if the government and society come together to invest on the material and cultural resources that will educate all strata of society so that no one is left without the tools and means to live with dignity.

LET US PROVIDE THE MEANS

Source: savethechildren.in

HIV AND NEGLECTED MINORITIES

According to the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), “HIV has been treated in India for over 20 years, but not enough attention has been given to the needs of women and children”.

Women living with HIV/AIDS face great challenges: in-laws that refuse to give them their share of property or assets, hostility from society, almost no support networks and, sometimes, HIV+ children of their own. WINS, funded by ActionAid, has organized about 25 women's networks in Chittor district in Andhra Pradesh, where there are about 800 families with at least one HIV-positive family member.

“Infected women contemplate suicide; they must find a way to rebuild their lives," says R. Meera, from WINS. Women living with HIV have ignorance, rejection and destitution as common denominators. If they have support, some fight for their rights; many others accept their tragic fate and just give up when the pressure is too great.

Usually, says Meera, a girl gets married around 14 to a man twice her age. She is not told that her future husband is HIV positive. At the age of 16, she is a widow and may already have two children. She has no home to call her own, no food, no self-esteem. The villagers do not want to talk to her. Being an abandoned woman, she becomes vulnerable to sexual overtures.

If her case comes to be known by an NGO such as WINS, “We approach her and tell her that HIV is not the same as AIDS, that she can live, and live well”, says Meera. She begins to attend the meetings and can assess the possibility of getting back the goods that her mother gave her at the time of her marriage. She has the right to do so, but is afraid to ask for her share; she will not even have her own mother's support.

According to Meera, “To avoid confrontation, she may not claim what is hers, but ask for it to be transferred to her children”. Her in-laws assure her that it will be so, but reality will be otherwise. If she insists and there is a confrontation, her in-laws will see her as demanding and ambitious. She may be told to leave and take her children with her, with no money and no one to turn to.

“There are some lawyers that help women without means”, says Meera. “We try to find good lawyers and cover some costs. A rural dweller cannot fight without outside help.” However, women often risk their lives fighting for their property rights. A case in point is "Vidya's", who married a farmer. A year later, he had died of AIDS, Vidya realized that she was HIV positive, and her in-laws had driven her out of the house. She went to court to claim her property. The district court ruled in her favour and so did the high court. She died in 2008... killed by her in-laws.

LET US INFORM AND SUPPORT VULNERABLE MINORITIES 

Source: hivaidsonline

LEARNING HOW TO TEACH

Asha-Kiran endeavors to equip children and teens with the tools they will need when they reach adulthood. One of these tools is conventional education, so it is only fitting that those who have a close relationship with the children in this sense -their teachers- be people who are not only well trained academically, but also know how to relate to their pupils, use discipline with tact and respect, and enjoy the work that they do.

With this aim in mind, our latest Teacher Training activity took place at Yashodhara Shelter, where the teachers attended the following sessions:

Stress management 
Behavior problems and how to deal with them
(Given by Ms. Divekar, Counsellor from Pune Municipal Corporation).

How to improve memory
How to develop teaching skills
(Given by Mr. Son Kamble, retired Pune University professor).

Counselling needs
(Given by Ms. Varsha Kali, President of Indian Union for Barbala).

Our thanks to them and Ella and Madukar Sarode from the NGO Dyandaine, for networking with Asha-Kiran, coordinating the sessions and for their selfless participation.

LET'S CONTINUE EDUCATING EDUCATORS

PROMOTING HEALTH

Health is one of the major issues in slum life because children and adults usually live in highly unhygienic conditions. As a result, they suffer from a range of diseases like malaria, respiratory problems, diarrhea, etc. For this reason, Asha-Kiran conducts Health Checkup Camps in the Community and Construction Site Centers for children and adults as well. Our Health Program runs at the preventive and curative levels.

Our objectives are to

Identify health related issues
Reduce health problems
Provide health care facilities.

During the months of July and August, it was found that most of the children at both projects were suffering from colds and cough, for which they received the proper medication. There is a rise in certain illnesses due to seasonal factors such as the monsoon, so seasonal checkups are carried out in addition to regular ones.

LET'S PROMOTE THEIR HEALTH

RAPE: THE PROBLEM BEHIND THE PROBLEM

In 2011-12, the gender rights NGO Akshara conducted a study in collaboration with Hindustan Times called 'Make Mumbai safe for women'. After surveying 4,200 women in Mumbai, it was found that 95% of the respondents had experienced sexual harassment on the street, and 46% on public buses. Despite the escalation of offenses against women, the gang rape of August 22, along with other rapes in the last year, has left people bewildered, incensed and in search of answers.

Nevertheless, rape is endemic and widespread in Indian society, occurring both inside and outside the home. The victims are not only women, but also teenagers and girls. The best way to tackle the problem is at its base: during childhood. It is necessary to educate children, reach their parents, their neighborhoods, their communities. There must be gender sensitization workshops for teachers, parents and school administrators. Gender equality, as a subject, should be compulsory in the school curriculum. There should be innovative events, creative activities and projects for children and parents, month after month, year round.

There are no quick cures to a problem that arises from an entrenched patriarchal system and misogyny fueled by a culture of impunity. Violence against women has to be eradicated through intelligently conceived, intense and sensitive work at the school, community and district level, all backed by a relentless media campaign that can evolves as needs change. Laws and punitive measures are not enough. Although progress may be slow and may obstacles will have to be overcome, this is the only way to go if there is to be a radical change in society’s attitude towards the female sex.

Source: hindustantimes

FUN AND CREATIVITY

For three weeks in the month of August, various arts and crafts activities were conducted at all of our projects for our young beneficiaries, led by Laura Amor and Silvia Benítez, two Spanish volunteers. Some of the objectives behind the workshops were to enhance the children’s psycho-motor skills, teach them to handle the various materials used, and enhance their creativity in innovative ways. 

Aside from thoroughly enjoying the activities, they were helpful to arouse the children’s interest in studies. Language was not a barrier for either the volunteers or the children, who understood each other perfectly. Laura and Silvia drew, made face masks, sang songs and danced with the children.  It was rewarding to see them opening up to, interacting with each other, and having so much fun.

When volunteers from the West go to India for the first time, a process of adaptation occurs when they come into close contact with vulnerable children. This process usually ends in a new attitude towards life and relationships, as was Silvia’s case, who has shared her feelings with us.

“Today I thank life for allowing me to learn this way; because I have been ‘slapped’ to make me see that I have infinite good fortune; because it has taught me the universal language of smiles and looks; because it has set me before another world and other lives that are totally different yet wonderful; because it has made me see my boundless love for children; because it has made me understand that I am just an accident and that my ego is not more than one of those pebbles I encounter along the way.

Today I think I'm more humble. Right now I feel like a millionth of a total and wonderful whole, and as such, why not, also a wonderful part, but not an important one.

Today, I promise myself to thank the universe more often for all that I have been offered. Today, I promise myself to get up every day with the firm intention of helping others, starting by those near me. Today, I commit myself to breathe in life every second, to be aware of every moment and never cease in my work of attempting to be a better person. Today, I see the world through different eyes.”

LET'S SUPPORT THEIR CREATIVITY

WOMEN POWER

This story of a woman farmer is a testimony to the change that women can bring to their families and communities when provided access to training and the proper resources. Ram is a leader who defied social norms in her community in Uttar Pradesh and has been implementing sustainable farming methods on her farm for the past ten years thanks to the training she received from GEAG.

Equipped with know-how, she uses intercropping and crop rotation to increase farmland productivity and improve soil fertility. She maximizes production during the dry season, growing more than 32 crop varieties. The monsoon is often devastating in Ram’s village, so she counteracts its effects by growing flood-resistant vines that allow her to farm the land during the rainy season.

Before Ram was successful in agriculture, many women in her village were reluctant to attend the training provided by GEAG. The social ridicule she faced, however, dissipated when she saved enough money to buy her own piece of land. Inspired by her example, village women began to attend classes and to develop sustainable agricultural management practices.

Since then, Ram has taught 200 women in her village, 90 of which are now small-scale organic farmers who use local seed varieties. Recently, Ram bought a well so that women would not have to walk long distances in search of water, thereby increasing their productivity. Ram continues to create solutions to adapt to climate change in her community, empowering other women to become advocates for the environment and self-sufficient farmers.

Source: womensearthalliance

BETTER VISION

In collaboration with Bharati Vidyapeth Deemed University, Asha-Kiran conducted eye checkups for the dwellers of the slum community we work with in Hadapsar, Pune.

A total of 101 people were screened, of which around 50 were found to have vision deficiencies and will be fitted with glasses. Also, six of them have cataracts and will undergo corrective surgery, paid for by Bharati Hospital, to correct their condition. 

HELP SUPPORT THEIR GLOBAL HEALTH 

DEVADASI GIRL PROSTITUTES

Every January, nearly half a million people visit the small town of Saundatti to be blessed by Yellamma, the Hindu goddess of fertility. Some girls from the "untouchable" caste "marry" Yellamma from early childhood. They are never allowed to marry a mortal, as they are forced to devote their lives to the service of the goddess. This was once considered a holy calling, but in practice, to become a devadasi is a direct path to sexual exploitation.

Centuries ago, the Devadasi were educated in prayer, music and dance. They were often courtesans, but they had a control over their lives that to the rest of Indian women did not have. The Devadasi system was created by the feudal class and the priests. Apparently, they devised a way to give prostitution religious and official approval.

At puberty, the devadasi "serve" the priests and residents of the temple, zamindars (local landowners) and other men with money and power. The "service" (sexual satisfaction) given to these men is considered akin to serving God. If a devadasi escaped her fate, she would be rejected by society. These girls are also extremely vulnerable to being sold or trafficked to brothels in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and other major cities.

It is estimated that over 450,000 devadasi are trapped in this hideous form of prostitution, glorified by religious laws. According to the Devadasi Security Act of 1934, the practice is banned in India. The ban was reinforced again in 1980, but it is broken every day. Poverty and being an "untouchable" contributes to the persistence of this terrible practice. It will take intelligent and effective actions to transform traditions and the poverty that pushes families to offer their daughters as devadasi.

LET’S EDUCATE DISADVANTAGED MINORITIES

Source: theguardian.com

A HUNGRY NATION

Despite its economic growth, India remains a hungry nation. According to the government, almost half of Indian children under five are chronically malnourished. Some economists have called India's inability to adequately feed its women and children “a catastrophic failure with far-reaching implications, not only for the people of India today, but also for the generations to be born in the near future”.

The new Food Security bill is considered by some as the best tool to combat chronic malnutrition and hunger since it seeks to make food a legal right. I will attempt to cover two-thirds of the country's population and provide 5kg of subsidized grain per person per month.

Although this appears to be good news, the proposal has detractors. On the one hand, pro-government critics argue that the plan could upset the national budget if it doubles food subsidies (17 billion Euros). According to them, this will not help India to reduce its fiscal deficit, and they address the food security debate as "a matter of hungry people versus fiscal responsibility".

According to its critics, there are more severe reservations about the plan. One is that it proposes to distribute food through notoriously corrupt ration shops. Several studies of recent years have estimated that between 37% and 55% of subsidized rice and wheat are illegally diverted in these stores and sold in the open market.

Some activists also argue that the process of classification of beneficiaries by the state and federal government is complex and also lends itself to corruption.

Finally, there is the issue of the poor quality of food storage facilities. According to an estimate, India has 60 million tons of food reserves to cover the plan, but much of the food sits rotting in warehouses and open spaces. This has been described as "a situation of hunger in the midst of plenty".

Critics say this is mainly due to a warped food policy: the government buys grain from farmers at too high a price (called "minimum support price"). This reinforces production but reduces demand because of the high price of food, so the government is forced to buy the difference to keep prices artificially high.

It has been said that the bill has been a move by the current government in view of the possibly closely fought 2014 general elections. "Actually," says one economist "is not whether the bill will add to the high subsidies in India, it is a question of the quality of the delivery system and that the food reaches the beneficiaries."

One solution, many say, is to transfer cash to beneficiaries instead of using a creaky system as a means to distribute food. There is no solution in sight. The jury is still out on how to fight hunger in India, and perhaps the Food Security Act is not the magic pill some think it is.

LET'S HELP THEM GET PROPER NOURISHMENT

Source: bbc.co.uk

STREET CHILDREN AND AIDS

Two boys and a girl between nine and sixteen years of age live under an unused bus shelter in Bangalore. They share food, habits, and the substance they are addicted to. The girl’s biological mother is the only adult they have contact with. The mother begs and prostitutes herself for a living. The children collect plastic waste to sell, steal and sell sexual favors. They have all spent time in shelter homes, and have all run away. They prefer being in the street because of the "freedom" it offers.

Street children are abjectly neglected children who are deprived of the affection of responsible adults, who are barely visible except when they are considered a threat or a nuisance. If social service organizations do not disrupt their initiation to life on the street, they become addicted to it. In order to deal with the dangers of street life, they join gangs and learn strategies such as "sex for comfort, pleasure or money" and "drugs for loss of pain." AIDS is just one of the diseases they fall prey to.

Street children routinely have and 'buy' sex under the influence of drugs and their peers. Girls are the most abused. Seeking protection, they join a gang and even the same band members use them. These girls have no knowledge of protective measures and are highly susceptible to HIV infection.

Vasudev Sharma, president of the Child Welfare Committee in Bangalore, says: "Many people think that boys are safe, but boys are just as susceptible to abuse, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, if not more. Boys are more prone to infection due to their limited knowledge and their addiction to 'sex for pleasure' from an early age".

Sharma states that neither the government nor private organizations know how many street children are HIV-positive. Homelessness is not accepted as a reason to test them. The situation is exacerbated by the taboos of Indian society around sexuality in general and the government’s stance in particular. According to field workers, social, religious and cultural barriers prevent an open discussion about the sexualized lives of street children.

Renu Appachu, director of Jagruthi Shelter, says: "There are between 30 and 40 HIV-positive children in my house of 100 children. The issue of street children’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is a ‘hidden time bomb’ that people in India do not yet recognise as a serious threat".

The children of construction workers also run the risk of getting lost in the streets of the cities their parents have migrated to  in search of work. You can help to keep these children safe and enhance their chances of having better lives by contributing to Asha-Kiran's project Day Care Centers for the children of migrant workers, clicking on the link below.

JOIN US

Source: infochangeindia

NUTRITION SESSIONS FOR WOMEN

Under its Health Program, Asha-Kiran conducted blood checkup camps for the women at its Construction Sites Centers project and the Community Development project to assess their hemoglobin count. The results showed five women being anemic out of the 35 who agreed to be tested. As these women are currently pregnant, we will specially focus on them at the upcoming Food and Nutrition sessions.

The sessions are also planned for women who have children between 0-6 years and will focus on basic facts about food and nutrition, the functional significance of malnutrition, improving their diet at a low cost, the nutritional needs of different age groups (toddlers, children and teens), the nutrition of expectant and nursing mothers, infant feeding, preparation of instant and supplementary foods, and promotion of breast-feeding.

JOIN OUR WORK HERE

RESCUED?

'Gauri’s' boss, who owns a chain of hotels in Mumbai, said he did not know it was such “a serious offense” to hire a minor, despite the fact that the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act was passed in 1986, and that in 2006, the ban included work in the domestic sector, restaurants and tea stalls.

Through rescue operations that can be very traumatic for them, the Child Labor Program locates working children under fourteen, removes from the work site and hands them over to the juvenile justice system or (sometimes) to educational institutions. Although punitive actions against employers are carried out, the process may also lead to the criminalization of children.

Historically, when the worst forms of child labor caught the attention of international organizations, the idea of "rescue and rehabilitation" gained popularity. However, 'rescuing' child workers without providing better alternatives to them and their families, merely push them to less visible and harmful jobs. It seems that, at least in some cases, the social duty ends at 'freeing children’, without stopping to think that by doing this alone, their right to survival is violated.

Children who are forced to work are not criminals; they do not work because they want to or enjoy it, but because they have no choice. Victims of an unequal and unjust system, they are often regarded and treated as criminals instead of individuals whose rights have been violated, who struggle to survive amidst growing pressures, and who should be respected and supported in their transition to durable solutions.

Through its work with marginalized communities, Asha-Kiran strives to provide education and opportunities to children in need, and to empower their families as well. Help us keep our projects with vulnerable children going so that they will no longer need to work. Click below to contribute to this cause.

LET’S KEEP THEM FROM BEING PRECOCIOUS ADULTS

Source: The Concerned for Working Children

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS - IGNORED AND MISTREATED

A report by Human Rights Watch states that sexual abuse is "disturbingly common" in Indian homes, childcare facilities and schools. To add insult to injury, child victims are often mistreated and humiliated by police. The Indian government has made no public comments concerning the matter, as it usually does not respond to such reports.

A government study reported that over half of the nearly 12,300 surveyed children reported one or more forms of sexual abuse. Child rights activists believe many more cases go unreported. According to Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of HRW, “Children who bravely complain of sexual abuse are often dismissed or ignored by the police, medical staff, and other authorities”.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act made all forms of child sexual abuse a criminal offence. It also made it possible for an abuser to be prosecuted for molestation and non-penetrative sex, shifted the burden of proof onto the abuser, and recommended setting up special courts to try cases of child abuse.

But campaigners say that better laws alone will not help unless there is a change in social attitudes and the way police, medical officials and the judiciary deal with these cases. In India, sex is a taboo subject and sexual abuse is rarely discussed or admitted. Campaigners say that the abusers are often family members such as parents, grandparents, uncles, siblings, and other caregivers.

Often parents and other authority figures are reluctant to report abuse because they want to avoid shame and scandal. They may also want to protect the child victims from having to deal with a callous police force, intrusive medical examinations and an insensitive judiciary. Campaigners argue that India needs a "zero tolerance approach" to cases of sexual abuse of children.

Sources: bbcnews / humanrightswatch

TRAINING FOR WOMEN: ADVANCED COURSE IN TAILORING AND DESIGN

The advanced course in tailoring for community women, which included fashion design, started in June. The first batch of 20 women who completed the beginners’ course last year enrolled in this first course of advanced fashion design, which will have a duration of three months.

In this second stage, they will learn to design new patterns of dresses, blouses, etc., and perfect their cutting and stitching. Upon completion of the course, they will be awarded a certificate from the Government of India, which will come in handy if they wish to start their own business, get a good tailoring job or secure a loan for small scale entrepreneurs.

Asha-Kiran's aim is to strengthen, train and prepare women and to equip them with commercial skills so that they can provide clothing for their families and develop their own economic streams.

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES - DOUBLY CHALLENGED

According to Indian government estimates, one in 10 children is born with or acquires a physical, mental or sensory disability, so India could have 12 million children with some form of disability. It is estimated that three quarters of disabilities are preventable and that only 1% of children with disabilities have access to education.

It is unfortunate that society continues to view disabilities with apathy, or with pity on the one hand, and repulsion on the other. While recognizing the need to make a special effort for people with physical and mental challenges, efforts in this direction have been insufficient. And in spite of initiatives to frame disability within the area of "rights", there is still a long way to go.

Source: infochangeindia

WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOR

Since 1978, the government of India has attempted to tackle the issue of working children. But millions of children still work in humiliating and injurious occupations. State strategies have failed to meet constitutional commitments to children. Scheme-based, relief-oriented strategies have not only failed but also caused irreparable harm to them. The approach has been criminalizing rather than empowering, and marginalizing rather than inclusive.

Poverty is a condition that ails more than 42% of India’s population. The present rationale is that the poor have brought this condition upon themselves through resisting education, succumbing to superstition, and lacking initiative. It is also believed that compulsory education and microfinance are effective in solving the problem. However, the possibility that poverty could be the result of economic models and the slow progress towards political decentralization is rarely debated.

Global recession is also contributing to increased poverty and vulnerability of those who already lack social security, increasing the numbers of children who work. Plans to address child labor concentrate on the ‘pull factor’ (the demand for child workers) instead of the ‘push factor’ (the reasons why children enter the labor market). They attempt to prevent child employment by using punitive measures against the employer through raids and financing bridge schools for rescued children.

This bypasses the fact that bans only try to shut off the demand for child workers, paying little attention to the causes of poverty and the increasing supply of children to the labour market. On the other hand, blind faith in schooling to solve all problems and the conviction that all work is a curse upon childhood are simplistic generalizations.

It is worth noting that present schooling for children from marginalized communities does not promote independence, critical thinking and an enquiring engagement with the world. It is rather a form of ‘training’ designed to meet the needs of a rapidly changing market. It would be more practical to address the supply side of child labor since this would place the focus on the basic causes that push children into the labor market and would lead to more sustainable solutions.

It is likewise not acknowledged that working children are thinking and feeling human beings who are capable of participating constructively and actively in the formulation of solutions. They and their families need to be empowered to become agents of their own change. Such an approach, with the right support and resources, can achieve much more than treating them and their families as lawbreakers.

It would be advisable to break up the problem into manageable portions and decentralize the design, planning and implementation of initiatives to the panchayat and municipality level, as a previous step to make working children and their families part of the solution.

Decentralized social monitoring would enable local governments to have a better grip on the progress of action plans. Each panchayat or municipal ward could begin by conducting a detailed survey of child workers in the area. This data should serve as the baseline for monitoring progress. Social monitoring by children, their families, the community and local governments, would enlist the whole population in the mission.

India must uphold the Convention of the Rights of the Child and keep the ‘best interests of children’ as the central principle of all strategies and interventions. This can only be done by recognizing children as active participants in the process.

Source: infochange

THE DRAMA OF INDIAN FARMERS

The agricultural sector is progressively less prominent in India's booming economy. The crisis has led at least 216,500 farmers to suicide, especially in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra, Madhya and Chattisgarh. All these areas use monoculture widely with genetically modified seeds.

There are three main factors that greatly contribute to this problem.

By using genetically modified seeds instead of saving them from one year to the next, farmers must buy them every year since the reproductive capacity of transgenic seeds is restricted.

Monoculture dramatically increases insect pests, since bugs that eat a given crop grow uncontrollably and pesticides become indispensable. This adds an expenditure to the farmers, not to mention the environmental cost that this practice entails. Many farmers fall ill and helplessly watch their animals die when they graze in areas that have been sprayed with pesticides.

The overuse of farmland renders it barren and necessitates the use of fertilizers to nourish the crops: one more added expense.

Exhausted by the situation, farmers sell their organs or search for work in big cities, where they will lead a nomadic life full of hardships. When they migrate with their families, they and their children cannot avail of basic services such as health care and education.

Many give up and kill themselves, even though suicide is frowned upon by Hinduism. According to analysts, a deficient credit system makes farmers easy prey for private moneylenders who charge exorbitant interest rates and end up seizing the mortgaged land.

A series of demonstrations in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra have taken place to demand that suicide be considered murder, with the lender being the perpetrator. “The government is taking the issue seriously, but it is a grave matter. The rural population is living in depression. It is genocide”, said Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti, president of the Popular Movement Association, which fights for the rights of farmers.

India is paying the price of the “Green Revolution” that began in the mid-1960s and helped double food production in 20 years. Monoculture became commonplace through modified seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and more irrigated areas, but nowadays it implies high production costs, an increased risk of crop failure, depleted farmlands, and a rural population close to extinction.

Source: urbanicultor.

CHILD PARTICIPATION PROGRAM IN MUMBAI

Four children from the community that Asha-Kiran works with in Hadapsar went to Mumbai for a child participation program organised by Yuva, a Mumbai-based organisation. The objective of the on-going program is to make children from all over India aware about child rights and child abuse, and build their self-confidence so that they can address an audience.

Firstly, the children were introduced to the definition of a child, child rights, child abuse, and the future planning of the program. Separate groups of children were made To discuss all the issues. It was a three-day consultation which the children not only enjoyed but where they also learned various issues to apply at home, their school and their community in their own capacity.

The main thrust of the program was to help children stand up for their rights and make informed decisions concerning their own lives. They also made a lot of friends from different parts of India while learning and teaching each other the languages spoken in their home states.

A THOUSAND DAYS LEFT

In the year 2000, 150 countries around the world made a commitment to deliver the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Last April 5th 2013 marked 1,000 days left to make these objectives happen.

Save the Children’s report Ending Poverty in Our Generation outlines the steps to take in order to build a new MDG framework that will impel progress towards achieving the development targets. The recommendations include a transparent new framework that addresses inequalities and develops a global mechanism where citizens can hold their governments accountable. Save the Children asks that high burden countries include a focus on reaching the poorest children, incorporate indirect interventions from other actors, and include a strong monitoring framework and regular review processes with inputs from civil society.

The report also highlights the goal we have made the least progress on: “A Global Partnership for Development”. Working together across sectors should be the lynchpin of the Post-2015 framework, which will need to include a leading role for the private sector to develop alliances with local governments in order build on momentum and pursue the targets of the MDGs.

Although it is conceivable that we could end preventable child deaths, eradicate hunger and rid the world of absolute poverty, getting there will require a resolute focus not only on the targets we want to reach, but on how we can make these aims deliver for the poorest.

Whether or not we can reach these goals depends on how we use the next 1,000 days.

Source: savethechildren

GLOBAL HEALTH AT YASHODHARA

As we usually do at the beginning of every school year, a blood check-up camp was set up in Yashodhara Shelter Home to see if any children were suffering from anemia. When any cases are found, the doctor prescribes special nutrition and medication to counteract their iron deficiency. Towards the end of the year, the tests are repeated to see the impact of the nutrition provided and check whether the child has improved or not.

The camp was conducted by a lab technician from a government hospital. All of the 178 children at Yashodhara were tested for hemoglobin count and their blood group. Most of the children had their HB count up to 10, which is very good sign, while only one girl’s was below 9.

We believe it is essential to look after the physical health of children so that their mental, emotional and social development can also blossom.

DEAR MOM

Indubai, mother of two children who live at Yashodhara Shelter -Hrthik and Rohan- was a caring and working woman until her joy faded away due to a mental disorder that made her plunge into a deep depression. With only her own mother’s support, and unable to work or care for their children, she saw Yashodhara as a Home that would offer her two sons the attention that she could not provide.

In the last four years, her children have matured and enjoyed their stay at Yashodhara, excelling so much in their studies that they have received several scholarships, all the while staying in touch with their mother and grandmother, and always wishing for Indubai’s recovery.

Thanks to her medical treatment, Indubai has regained her will to live. She understands that the best place for the children is still Yashodhara, but now she can smile broadly at her children when she comes to visit them.

LACK OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE

The first six years in a child's life are crucial. It is in these years that the physical, cognitive, language and social development of the child is at its peak. Investment in early childhood care and education is essential.

Investing in early childhood care and education means providing comprehensive maternal care and entitlements, provision of crèches, child care, nutrition, immunisation and health care, pre-school education, protection and care to children, and creating child care services to release girls from sibling care responsibilities, so that they can go to school and get an education.

It is estimated that India today requires 800,000 crèches for its children. Against this, there are only 14,925 crèches, which leaves an enormous gap.

INDIA, EYES TO SEE

The collection of photographs taken by Uttam Módenes: INDIA, EYES TO SEE presented by Fundación Asha-Kiran, wishes to be a loving tribute to the millions of vulnerable children in the world, to their eyes, their smiles, their vital needs, their dreams, their often violated rights.

This collection shows many "eyes to see", all of them photographed in India; but in order to feel them you need to remember the harsh reality of a large part of humanity and open your "eyes to see".

In India there is tremendous social imbalance despite being a country under rapid economic growth. The lives of millions of children go by in the midst of misery, exploitation, neglect, lack of education, discrimination, lack of protection and extreme vulnerability. For them, life is a daily struggle for survival.

Children are tomorrow's society, and we, as adults, must accept our responsibility to them. If we want a more fair and balanced society, we must work towards it now.

In developed countries there is a growing concern about the deterioration of the rights of children. Problems such as neglect, physical and sexual abuse are mentioned relatively frequently in the media. This proximity to children’s problems "here" should bring us closer to children "there", in developing countries, so we can come to realize that both in Northern and Southern societies, children are the weakest link in society.

The right to be a child is the right to not be a premature adult - it is the right to play, to learn, to be valued and cared for. It is the supreme right to not be concerned about sustenance and shelter.

Let us build together a world fit for children. This world will also be suitable for adults.

Fundación Asha-Kiran works towards creating a world for children in which they can fully partake of all their rights as set forth by the United Nations in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We believe that a world fit for children, as a framework of reference, will be the beginning and also the result of the transformation in the way human beings live, and that it is up to each one of us to make it come true now.

HOLIDAYS AT YASHODHARA

At Yashodhara Shelter Home, all the children were busy last month getting ready for their finals. After their examinations, both oral and written, the children left the Shelter to spend their long holiday with their family – a well-deserved break after a whole year of studying and learning. 

Congratulations to the fifteen children who, due to their outstanding academic performance, also did scholarship exams.

Now it is time for them to forget the books for a while and enjoy their free time at home. Their second Home will await them with open arms when the new school year starts in June.

Happy summer break!