Education India Project #52298

Help tribal children to learn and grow in India

by Karuna Deutschland e.V.

Project Report | Sep 14, 2023
Aadhila's vision to open a library

By Claudia Krueger | Fundraiser

Aadhila wants to make a change

Aadhila (name changed) is one of the millions of children who grew up with an alcoholic father who spent all his income on alcohol and other drugs. Her mother had to take over the entire responsibility of the family due to his excessive drinking habits. Aadhila and her mother have been victims not only of physical violence but also of psychological abuse; they have been rejected, insulted and even terrorized by the father.

Aadhila is 17 years old and lives in Indapur, she studies in 10th grade.
Despite all the difficulties, she is very hardworking, likes reading books and traveling to places unknown to her. Nirman has provided her with a small stipend of 700 rupees for school supplies, stationery and notebooks. With this, a good 80% of her school needs have been taken care of by Nirman. She will soon enter 11th grade and major in science, after which she would like to become a nurse.

She is the chairperson of the Youth Council (Balika Panchayat) and actively participates in all activities and meetings. She also participates in educational street plays and in this way sensitizes the people of the community about the various rights of children and women. Issues addressed include child marriage, child labour, sexual violence, domestic violence, addictions and their consequences. Under her leadership, the Youth Council has submitted a request to establish a library in the community. The council members conducted a campaign in which they visited every household and collected books to be given away.

If you donate up to 50$ in the time between 18. till 22. September GlobalGiving will match your donation 50%!

Make a double impact! Please help Aadhila to make a change!

Links:

Karuna Deutschland e.V.

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Aug 10, 2023
Rohan's journey from irregular student to chairman

By Claudia Kruger | Fundraiser

Rohan learning

Rohan*, 17, belongs to the nomadic Dombari tribe of dancers and athletes. They traditionally earned their living by performing on the streets. Rohan lives in Anthurnen Indapur block, a remote outskirt that is part of the big city of Pune. There, they are cut off from all basic utilities such as water, electricity, sewerage, toilets, as well as school and community services.
His father sells toys at fairs or works in road construction to support the family. With these unstable sources of income, his father has no choice but to involve Rohan and his younger brother in earning a living to increase the family income. Since this prevents them from attending school regularly, this becomes a cycle of poverty for generations.

Since Rohan's tribe was excluded from mainstream society for decades, a distinct culture developed within the tribe. The tribe also became more and more distant from the Marathi language spoken in the general community, making it difficult for Rohan to understand the Marathi language. Rohan lost his interest in education due to stigmatization and the language barrier. This directly affected Rohan's development in school. He frequently missed classes and received poor grades.

Nirman runs a support school in Rohan's district that provides two hours of teachings daily,
which is aligned with his school's curriculum and includes basic science, maths, language and general knowledge. The teacher of the support class gave Rohan additional lessons in language and other school subjects to motivate him to continue his education. Nirman's team visited Rohan's parents to counsel them. He was supported with a stipend of 4,000 rupees, textbooks and stationery.
Gradually, his language skills have improved with help of the support classes. Now he has already completed 10th grade and is currently attending 11th grade. This makes him one of the few in his tribe who have completed 10th grade and are continuing their schooling beyond that. Rohan became chairman in the Youth Council (Bal Panchayat) and attends every meeting.

*To protect the privacy we have changed the name.

Rohan and his family

Rohan

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Mar 24, 2023
Veer can play like a child again

By Susanne Traud-Dubois | Programme Manager

Veer and his mother in their hut

Nandini, Veer’s mother, recollects while talking to Nirman's staff, our local partner organisation: "Sometimes I could eat a full meal and sometimes I had to sleep with a hungry stomach. Veer's health is not good because he could not have enough food". It has a staggering impact on Veer's education. Although Veer has always been calm and quiet, he started skipping school.

Veer is studying in 2nd class. He resides in the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar neighborhood dominated by Pardhi community of Lasurne, Indapur, Pune District. He attends the Zilla Parishad Primary School.

Veer's father used to make alcoholic beverages for a living. He was caught and arrested by the police and is currently serving in jail. He was the only earning member of the family. Veer lives with his mother, and his mother did not find any work due to the stigma of crime associated with Pardhi communities. “The Criminal Tribes Act,” 1871, notified this community as criminal tribes. The notion of criminality percolated in the society like a wide-fire, misattributing all the people born in particular tribes as criminals. Social and economic marginalization and discrimination against these tribes was its ramification and continue to date. Villagers have not included them to work on their farms. Their migratory nature made it difficult for them to access government entitlements on housing, health, nutrition and livelihood as they do not possess documents like voter ID, ration card and health insurance. As a last resort to meet her family's needs, Veer's mother had to engage in begging in the village and fair. Veer accompanied his mother and often ran behind her to bring his mother back.

The Nirman Sanstha's distribution of nutritious and healthy essentials gave Veer and mother Nandini some time to breath freely. Veer was seen happily playing with his friends from the village. The school teacher reported that for the first time, Veer has been attending regular classes without skipping school.

Thank you for your support to enable children like Veer to study and play like all children should be able to.

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