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2.6: "India dec 2003" - Page 8-8

network: India dec 2003 BACK TO CONTENT Seventh Report from 14-18 dec 2003 Hyderabad Poverty is a great curse on humanity, especially for underprivileged children. At an age when they have to go to school, frolic around in the vast open fields and enjoy their golden period of life, for many underprivileged children their childhood life is one struggle and grim battle for survival. R. Narsing RAO. Dear EQ-friends, Back in Hyderabad (well we are now in Secunderabad) after a 10 hours train travel we start at 6 with a good breakfast in "The home sweet home" of Jyotsna and Srinivasan. We are very thankful for all this kind help and hosting they do. This morning we will do a tree hours travel into the mountains to meet a big group of woman, most traditional nomads, who like to set up a self help group for entrepreneurship. We will facilitate a training for them to find out what the like to produce and how the will manage the program for accountable ownership and self help. This group will be one of the groups guided by the new project we call: "SACHITA". Sachita means "Consciousness" in Sanskrit. This is our conscious effort to contribute empowerment for poor, backward, neglected, deprived and subjugated woman and to provide joyful learning and living to the deprive children, Jyotsna and Srinivasan and friends founded with our help. "Sach" means good truth. Some goals: To make woman conscious of the possibilities for their upliftment. To help woman to develop skills for better entrepreneurship and competences like accountability, sharing ideas, learning to learn, marketing and presenting their products and to be responsible owners of their own organizations. To offer employment to woman in their homes, empower them economically, politically and train them in self help groups to be independent. To impart joyful learning for children and woman. Two groups we trained before our departure to Chirala are all ready started. Srini and Jyotsna did a good job. One group are trained in making incense and an other group start a production of beautiful hand made backs. The first examples are already there now. We will take some with us to Europe. Silicas will find some friends in India and Germany who will help by marketing and registration. Harry provided some financial resources out of his own office that they can use as start capital for one year. Than the first projects can be realized. The woman are inspired. The work, the knowledge that they can share and cooperate and the new perspective gives new power. When we arrived there the woman in the mountains have already some ideas. One idea is to make poultry food for the chicken farms in a village nearby. The farmers can organize the materials and they will do the work. They did some research. It seems a good plan. We use the EQcarts to find out what the feelings are to set up a broader discussion. The stories the woman give us in reaction to the face (mask) printed on the cart illustrate their life, hope, anger and sadness. We try to work the plan out in little circles. The first 10 minutes it is chaos. They are enthusiastic and every one is speaking, no one is listening. They never learned to communicate in circles. Normally nobody ask them to speak for themselves, they are disciplined to listen only. Now they have the possibility to speak and they speak all together. We failed but they enjoy the happening and after ten minutes some women spring up and begin to sing, clap and dance. We end up in a real celebration of life. We know they need a follow up to set there self help business. Srinivasan and Jyotsna will organize it under the umbrella of "SACHITA". And than there is a second 'bright idea' . This people with there beautiful clothes and natural competence for music and dance can dance on folk and wedding celebrations, they also can show or sell the beautiful traditional clothes they can stick, because in a historical perspective this clothes are real art: (see photos). In the evening we visit the incense skill trainer. He showed us the process of handcraft incense production. All ingredients are pure natural. That is something consumers have to be conscious of we think. The group has to be informed to set up a good and powerful presentation of the product. 15 december we wait for Mr. K Muharahi RAO president of the Seeds Men Association and the Consortium of Employers'Associations for Elimination of Child Labour CEASE. This is an initiative of 22 Commercial Associations and Institutes against Child Labour. The Consortium has embarked on its mission since February 2002 and charted out its detailed plan of action to executed by its members. Basic objectives are: To facilitate the main streaming of child labour as an issue into the activities To develop a set of policies, approaches and recommendations on child labour for employers. To establish a dialogue with the government and its agencies on implementation of child labour policies. To support direct action programs to start bridge courses for child labour, improving existing educational facilities, increase enrollment of drop out children strengthen monitoring of school education, run vocational training courses of occupational schools. To run partnerships with NGO's, Lions clubs, Rotary Clubs, Trade Unions and similar organizations working towards eliminating child labour. To initiate anti-child labour campaigns, include elimination of child labour as an agenda under the Corporate Social Responsibility in their respective Organizations. To include clauses on child labour in collective agreements and strengthen co-operation between the trade unions and employers on the issue of child labour To carry out studies & research to understand the large picture of the nature and extent of child labour in particular industries, occupations and services. We have a meeting with Mr. C.S Reddy who gives us an introduction and shows the portfolio with photo's of all actions they did. Back in town we visit a yearly organized handcraft-arts exposition. Its a good experience, all kinds of handcraft and Art, music and dance gives us the possibility to celebrate all experiences. 16 December we travelled for 4 hours to a little village south of Hyderabad to visit Residential Bridge school. This school who have a practise for Human Joyful learning is founded by the Seedsman Association at Mahaboobnagar. The President Mr K. Muhari RAO is telling: "My position as a president of the Andra Pradesh Seed Growers Association gave me an opportunity to undertake some initiatives, as most children in the state are employed in agri-culture. We formed CEASE. Being associated with IHEU - affiliated Rationalist Humanist Association of India as its treasurer for the past five years given me a unique opportunity to put Humanist principles into practice in social work." The Residential Bridge school support a direct action program to bridge the gap for victims of child labour, increase enrollment of drop out children. The Seedsman Association has selected Bhoothpur mandal of Mahabubnagar and conducted survey of the Child Labour with a view to ensure that the Mandal is made "Child Labour FREE Mandal". They mainstream the children aged between 6-8 years age and 9-14- age. Around 250 Children have admitted in to the regular school during the academical year 2002-2003. The association is making every effort to bring as many children as possible from the Mandal. The school is build in an old chicken farm. We wonder, this is an unusual and special but also very efficient environment for an Indian school. Tree teachers give clinic for us and some other visitors. It is real joyful learning and multiple intelligent education. They use everything they have to learn, they sing, dance, use the blackboard, clap hands and act, do body work, use drawings, mathematical matrix and storytelling. During the lessons a person from government comes in with 4 new boys in the age of 10-12 years old picked up in stores and factories. From now they will have education, health care, food and clothes and a bed here in the campus. After some time the school manager ask Dhyan to give a clinic and workshop to. Dhyan gives joyful lesson HVO art of living and math in English. The children enjoy the new songs, the rithms, the numbers and exercises. Teachers are wondering like we did. Our educational methods are similar. But one thing they have we have not. That are the humanist songs to learn children about there human rights and make them conscious. The songs are in Telegu. Here is one translated in English: What say you when asked what is your nation? For myself, I say humanity is my nation. What say you when I ask what is your religion? For myself, I say being good is my religion. What say you when I ask what is your morality? For myself, I say love is my morality. Poem by Malyasree Translation, Babu Gogineni. In the afternoon we visit the cotton, seed processing & poultry industry of Mr.K Maharahi RAO his family. The 17th of december we had our last training session. One of the school managers of the Hyderabad schools for Joyful learning asked Dhyan to give one more clinic and workshop to show what joyful learning can do. The children (standard 6) are enthusiast. This bright children are learning very quick. They picked up every thing they can learn and enjoy the exercises. Teachers are wondering because for them this is a revolutionary way for education. Joyotsna assist Dhyan to learn by doing. She is doing well. We discussed follow up. Jotsna will train the teachers. She ask Dhyan to coach her by internet. The first doors are open for new school development, joy-full learning and woman entrepreneur competence development for real empowerment. This evening we fly back, first to Delhi and from there to Amsterdam. Thanks to everyone and greetings from India! Dhyan & Harry BACK TO CONTENT Back European Network on Emotional Quality © 2002-2008