I know I said my next post would deal with getting settled in Jodhpur and the organization I'm working for, but seeing as how this past Tuesday was International Women's Day a different posting feels more appropriate.
Sambhali Trust is an organization working towards empowering women in the city of Jodhpur and Setrawa, a rural village about two hours away. To realize this dream a free school was established to teach English, Hindi, Math, etc. Volunteers who come to the site hold workshops on a variety of subjects such as theatre, photography, health, and different arts & crafts skills. As a way to bring more funding to the program and allow the women and girls to start earning an income, sewing schools have been established along with the Sambhali Boutique, where a variety of products are sold. Govind Rathore, the founder of Sambhali and proprietor of the Durag Niwas guest house, has created a real asset for this community and provides for these women and girls an opportunity which wouldn't be available to many of them otherwise.
This being the case a very disheartening thing is happening. For a variety of reasons attendance to the center can easily be described as a bit spotty. Although the school is free many times girls do not receive support from their family or taunting from members of their community serves as an effective deterrent. Earlier this week we were informed that two girls, sisters Priyanka Ral and Priya, were no longer going to be able to attend the school as per their uncle's orders. Any girl that is told she can't attend the school is going to be a loss, but this was especially disheartening due to the aptitude Priyanka Ral had shown in the photography workshop. Then the next morning we found out that another girl, Radha, was being pulled from the school because of her parents.
Radha's situation is a bit different in that her parents were responding to a recent occurrence in our city of Jodhpur. This week an eight year old girl was raped by her 22-year old teacher, who had been assigned to the area through an NGO. The only reason her parent's found out about this is because of the blood they found on her sheets the next morning. That man is now in jail, but his family is planning to offer the victim's family around $6,000 in exchange for any charges being dropped. Now this girl's family is living in poverty so of course $6,000 is going to be hard to turn down, especially when the alternative is an expensive lawsuit which not only can they not afford, but they very well may lose. Not only has this man disgraced this girl and her family, but he's also given NGO's a bad name further hindering an already uphill battle. For example Radha's family pulled her from the school out of fear that something like this could happen to their daughter.
International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women all around the world and recognizes the work women do every day in support of their families and communities. In light of stories like these it becomes obvious why a day like this is needed, because a girl born in the developing world faces a battlefield from day one. Everywhere she turns not only is she told that she's not capable, but people all around her treat her like an object to be used, as opposed to a person who has value. The real shame of course is that they do have value, we all do. Until this is realized not only are we holding back the dreams and achievement of millions of girls all around the world, but we are hindering our own growth whether that be economic, academic, in the arts, the possibilities are endless.
Sambhali Trust is an organization working towards empowering women in the city of Jodhpur and Setrawa, a rural village about two hours away. To realize this dream a free school was established to teach English, Hindi, Math, etc. Volunteers who come to the site hold workshops on a variety of subjects such as theatre, photography, health, and different arts & crafts skills. As a way to bring more funding to the program and allow the women and girls to start earning an income, sewing schools have been established along with the Sambhali Boutique, where a variety of products are sold. Govind Rathore, the founder of Sambhali and proprietor of the Durag Niwas guest house, has created a real asset for this community and provides for these women and girls an opportunity which wouldn't be available to many of them otherwise.
This being the case a very disheartening thing is happening. For a variety of reasons attendance to the center can easily be described as a bit spotty. Although the school is free many times girls do not receive support from their family or taunting from members of their community serves as an effective deterrent. Earlier this week we were informed that two girls, sisters Priyanka Ral and Priya, were no longer going to be able to attend the school as per their uncle's orders. Any girl that is told she can't attend the school is going to be a loss, but this was especially disheartening due to the aptitude Priyanka Ral had shown in the photography workshop. Then the next morning we found out that another girl, Radha, was being pulled from the school because of her parents.
Radha's situation is a bit different in that her parents were responding to a recent occurrence in our city of Jodhpur. This week an eight year old girl was raped by her 22-year old teacher, who had been assigned to the area through an NGO. The only reason her parent's found out about this is because of the blood they found on her sheets the next morning. That man is now in jail, but his family is planning to offer the victim's family around $6,000 in exchange for any charges being dropped. Now this girl's family is living in poverty so of course $6,000 is going to be hard to turn down, especially when the alternative is an expensive lawsuit which not only can they not afford, but they very well may lose. Not only has this man disgraced this girl and her family, but he's also given NGO's a bad name further hindering an already uphill battle. For example Radha's family pulled her from the school out of fear that something like this could happen to their daughter.
International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women all around the world and recognizes the work women do every day in support of their families and communities. In light of stories like these it becomes obvious why a day like this is needed, because a girl born in the developing world faces a battlefield from day one. Everywhere she turns not only is she told that she's not capable, but people all around her treat her like an object to be used, as opposed to a person who has value. The real shame of course is that they do have value, we all do. Until this is realized not only are we holding back the dreams and achievement of millions of girls all around the world, but we are hindering our own growth whether that be economic, academic, in the arts, the possibilities are endless.
The Girl Effect
The above video is really wonderful, if you have 3 minutes take a look. Hopefully it will get you excited about the many possibilities there are in empowering women and girls all over the world! To end on a happier note, Rowan, the photography volunteer, and one of Sambhali's teachers, Tamana, went to talk to the girl's families and present all 3 are back in school! This is a really great achievement and a big win for those girls, but there are millions more girls out there who also deserve a chance.
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