Gantar: A Journey Through The Land Of Mirage

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Documentation of the NGO: Gantar

By

Siddharth Surana Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Acknowledgements

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Thank you Sukhdevbhai Patel, founder of Gantar, for introducing me to your organisation that is doing such a commendable task in one of the toughest terrains on the globe. Gantar for enduring long interview sessions and patiently answering all those not-so-wise questions. Thank you Sheetalben Patel, director, Gantar for your help and co-operation. I thank all the staff at Gantar, who facilitated my visits to Ahmedabad office as well as in the field. My thanks to Mahadevbhai, teacher at Rann School, for introducing the school and its students to me. Thank you, Labhubhai Pagi and Family at the Little Rann of Kutchh, for your help. Last but not the least, thank you Prof. Anil Gupta of IIMA for giving me this opportunity to study and document the efforts of Gantar under the seminar course on ‘Design and Dynamics of Developmental Organisations.’

Siddharth surana December 4, 2004 Ahmedabad

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Contents

The Journey ............................................................................................................... 3  Other interventions ............................................................................................... 17  RIGHT TO SURVIVAL............................................................................................................................................... 17  Intensive Health Monitoring System ..................................................................................................... 17  RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 18  Balghars – Child Rights Centres .............................................................................................................. 18  Learning Centres for Adolescent Girls ................................................................................................... 19  Gijubhai Bal Academy ................................................................................................................................. 20  School Reconstruction ................................................................................................................................. 20  RIGHT TO PROTECTION .......................................................................................................................................... 21  Relief work during earthquake ................................................................................................................. 21  Childline ............................................................................................................................................................ 22  RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE .......................................................................................................................................... 23  Bachpan Sena................................................................................................................................................. 23  Baal Adhikar Samiti (Child rights committee).................................................................................... 23  Swa Shakti – Mother’s Groups ................................................................................................................. 24 

Problems ................................................................................................................... 24 

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

The Journey Way back in 1965, a 5th standard boy in one of the municipal schools of Ahmedabad found his school too small to provide him all he wanted. This bright kid had craving for more books, more knowledge, and more space to experiment his ideas and satisfy his curiosities. The school was not enough…It offered very limited space for thought and action. A limited set of text books, a few teachers and limited study hours…This textile worker’s son remained hungry till he discovered a library in the neighbourhood. This Mazdoor

Mahajan

Sangh

library

offered

him

a

diversity

of

books,

newspapers and other regular publications. Bright student that he was, teachers freed him from homework. Using this time, Sukhdev started expanding his horizons. In 10th Standard, Sukhdev wrote an essay on his idea of an ideal village to won the district level prize. This was the beginning of a long journey towards making desired changes in the socio-political systems. Gradually, his reading turned mature enough to understand philosophical concepts of civil society. A break-out of riots in Ahmedabad in 1969 made him delve deeper into issues affecting society, his reading got more selective, though becoming more refined. At the same time he joined Vinoba Bhave’s Tarun Shanti Sena (henceforth TSS) for teenagers. Sena’s volunteers introduced him to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Nai Taleem. He got very intrigued by concepts of vocational education and village building as opposed to Macaulay’s model that cuts off the student from his own roots. Came 1974, the nation was going through political turmoil. A small agitation against hike in mess bills of LD college hostel spread among the youth all across Gujarat and metamorphed into a movement against price-rise and

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

corruption. That is when Jayprakash Narayan, national chief of TSS, propelled Navanirman Andolan.

It was followed by emergency in 1975.

Matured Youngsters took charge and became active in the JP movement. Sukhdev too worked as a student leader. In this era of censorship on press, his group used to print a secret newsletter and in the darkness of night he would deliver the copies in thirty odd college hostels. Having a warrant under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) against him, he had to work underground, taking shelter in different hostel each night. This provided him the opportunity to meet like-minded youth and soon became a member of a group of active youngsters in Ahmedabad. The dark era of emergency ended with the defeat of congress in 1977. Having accomplished this mission of ‘second freedom’, as he calls it; Sukhdev’s group had to take up something new. By then he was a student of HK Commerce College. The group used to meet at a roadside tea stall and discuss their ideas. Access and quality of education available to masses used to be a frequent issue in the meetings. This is when the group in general and Sukhdev in particular resolved that sooner or later they will work for education revolution in the country. After passing out as a commerce graduate he had to look for some livelihood. “I will be an employment giver, not an employment seeker’’ was his decision. With four of his friends, he started a catering business. Soon they got mess contracts of institutions like NDDB, IRMA and Sabarmati Ashram. Now Known as Sukhdevbhai among the business circle, he became very impressed with administration skills of Dr V. Kurien. In 1985 he started a printing press as a side business. In the very first year, the press became profitable. His contacts with city’s intellectuals and activists fetched him orders from several institutions. He terminated the catering business. Sukhdevbhai’s press offered two advantages to the activists: quality printing work and a meeting place to discuss their views. He used to do ‘at-cost’ printing for a grassroot movement called Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini.

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Through the activists of this organisation, he was kept updated with new experiments in the field of education. During all these years of being engrossed in business, not for a single day he forgot his larger dream. Each Wednesday, old friends used to meet at the same ‘chai ki ketli’ to keep alive the dream of doing something in education. In year 1990 Sukhdevbhai decided that he had done enough for his family responsibilities. He wound up the printing business and started working in the field of education with some friends. The group includes Dr Sudarshan Ayengar

(Economist,

director,

CSS,

Surat),

Dr

Bashir

Ahmedi

(Neurophysician, Ahmedabad), Mr Ashok Bhargava (national co-ordinator, TSS), and Anjana Prasant. Sukhdevbhai was the full-timer whereas others helped through financial support and resource mobilization. Sukhdevbhai was member of ‘Janpath’-a network of Gujarat based NGOs. Although he was the youngest member of this solidarity support group, he had contacts with all who’s who among Gujarat’s social activists and intellectuals. In 1992, they formally registered their mission as ‘Gantar’. Gantar is a Gujarati word that stands for a collective meaning for Selfconfidence, Self-respect, Self-reliance and Wisdom. Those familiar with Gujarati language can easily understand what one means when one uses this word. Another word Bhanatar in Gujarati represents formal education. In contrast to Bhantar and Gantar is a process of learning from experiences through life. “Bhanyo Pan Ganyo Nathi” is a phrase used to describe someone having only bookish knowledge but no cerebrations over and above this which could impart him/her with real life wisdom. Gantar’s effort is to go beyond the limitations of present system of formal education and provide the child with wisdom and moral strength. The founder believes that by consolidating the energy of childhood of thousands of underprivileged children and bringing change in their lives, changes in the future society can be brought about. Thus the mission commenced with the strength of

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

incorrigible belief, the long desire, one person, entire life, one scooter and countless children deprived from their basic right to childhood…

To begin with, Sukhdevbhai and friends noticed that there are numerous children on Ahmedabad’s roads with no permanent shelter. Most of them have run away from their home for want of better future or to fulfil their dreams. They work as shoe-polish boy, cleaners, rag pickers, coolies or do whatever job they find for the day. They found these street boys almost everywhere and begun by talking to them. These kids are sceptical initially but once taken into confidence, they become very loyal. However this confidence building is very tedious and slow process. It becomes further difficult because these children have no fixed dwelling. Many a times children with whom Sukhdevbhai and team had spend weeks of relation building, suddenly vanished from their usual place. Moreover the group found that there are already some NGOs working for these children. So they decided to move into an area less touched upon. Sukhdevbhai and likeminded colleagues formed a study circle that used to meet fortnightly on 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Here they would discuss issues pertaining to youth children, employment and education.

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Youth

Employment

Children

Education

A one-page write was prepared in a week advance and circulated among regular participants, NGO offices and libraries etc so that the participants can come with some homework on the topic. A lady called Aminaben Machiswala and her daughter Usma were regular in such discussions. They had a plastic recycling unit on Sarkhej Sanand highway where they used to see children of migrant brick kiln workers coming for drinking water. These kids had nothing much to do while their parents were working. They had no education even when their parents did not engage them in child labour. Aminaben introduced Gantar to this issue. Sukhdevbhai and associates went to the site and met these kids to find out that although they were admitted in their village, due to absence from the school for more than six months, when they went back, they were not allowed to sit in examination. Thus these students did not dropped out voluntarily or otherwise but were ‘pushed out’ by the system of formal education. With an objective of knowing them better and imparting them with some basic education, Sukhdevbhai and fellows started spending time

7

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

with these kids. They used to play toys and other interesting games, sing folk songs with them, and simultaneously teach them. Soon monsoon season came and there was no work at kilns. All the children migrated back to their native villages. The kiln started working again in Navaratris. Gantar team went there to find that there were all new families this time. Not a single kid whom they had taught earlier was there. Their families had migrated to some other place this year. All effort put into building relationship with those children went down the drain. “This won’t work” Sukhdevbhai was quick to realise. He raised this issue in next study circle meeting. It was decided to do a survey to find out which all villages these migrant workers come from and how many children are there without education. The survey revealed that these families come from 41 villages of Sanand, Viramgam, Dhanduka, Dholka and Patdi blocks of Surendranagar and Nalsarovar block of Ahmedabad district. There were 457 children without school out of which 356 were in age group 6-14 (school going age). Gantar realised that their efforts will be of no use until they build end-to-end contacts with these migrants. Out of these 41, five villages were selected containing 30% of these out of school children. Upon interviewing local people there it was found out that brick kiln workers migrate back to their villages in June and the next season starts in October. Teenagers don’t have much work to do in this slack period. Gantar offered vocational training to them. Through their contacts in Ahmedabad, 25 such trainees were placed in different occupations from tailoring to electrician and from carpentry to automobile mechanic. A hostel was given for accommodating them in the city. Out of these, 20 completed the program successfully. This was an encouraging result.

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

In 1994-95 it was observed that in these five villages, enrolment rate in class 1st is 86%. However, while reaching 7th standard, 61% drop out. Gantar decided to instigate a 100% enrolment movement called Bhantar Pheri in a cluster of 18 villages. The theme of this campaign was that ‘if children can’t come to school, the school should go to children.’ A hand cart was decorated as a Sarasvati Rath with a model of school containing an idol of goddess Sarasvati; the entrance of this model school would have a black board. Whichever village the Rathyatra reaches, the principal of village school would write the name of his/her school on the board. Then the procession would walk through the village’s streets in form of a Rathyatra. It would stop at doorstep of each and every out of school child. The accompanying school teachers and Gantar people would convince their parents to enrol their child in school. Once they agree, the name of child is written on a black-board on the side-wall of the school and he/she gets the privilege to sit in a bullock cart following the Sarasvati Rath with other freshly enrolled children. This is a moment of pride for parents too; they join the procession as it moves further, and the convoy gaining strength. It concludes at village school premise and ends in a ceremony where the principal performs a Pooja of the goddess. Slates and pens are given to each new student. To ensure patronage of local authorities, usually the Sarpanch of the village is made president of the program and others like Tallati or secretary of Panchayat are chief/special guests. On the spot birth certificate were given to the children so that there are no hassles in admission process. Chances of corruption are also eliminated because the issuing authorities are doing it in open and transparently. During this campaign drive, leaflets were distributed, which told people ‘why to study?’ since the villagers’ approach to education was in general, cynical. They would always site examples of people who are unemployed or are doing a modest job. The motivation level for education needed to be changed from education as a mean for livelihood to education as something essential for one’s overall development. The leaflets had slogans 'Ma thi

9

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

sawai dikri, Baap thi sawayo dikro’ 'Daughter ahead of than mother, Son ahead of father' Conveying the parents that through education their kids would develop into more empowered individuals than what they are. This ceremony was also used for attacking some long-held superstitions. Some experts would show tricks like producing ashes out of air, putting coconut on fire by sprinkling water and so on. They would then explain scientific logic of these ‘miracles’ so that next time people would not fall in the trap of some guileful Sadhu Baba. This helps inculcate a scientific temperament in community. Next day, the team accompanied by few people from this village, would move into another village and so on. This movement covered eighteen villages in so many days and a 100% enrollment was achieved in the target area. However, the success could not be sustained for long. For one, this intake increased

load

on

already

insufficient

school

infrastructure

and

no

proportionate recruitment of teachers was made; as a result, quality of education suffered. And for the other, the children of migratory workers migrated with their parents to unknown destinations. “Okay, we can’t stop migration of workers, but we can stop their children from migrating.” this was the idea that emerged at Gantar then. There existed some residential schools but they were already running over capacity and had no place for new students. “Why not use the houses of emigrants themselves and turn them into some kind of a community hostel?” The idea was powerful yet had never been tried. Will people be willing to eave their kids behind? Who will give their house to be turned into this hostel? What will happen to the food for children? Who will take care of

10

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

them? From where will the funds come? These were the questions to be answered. The plan that was drafted after considerable brainstorming was like this: One vacated house in each village will be made into this hostel, after convincing the owner of the house. Migrating parents will leave behind their child’s share of grains. Other requirements were to be met through funds raised by local community itself. A person from the village will be appointed as a full time caretaker. In addition, there would be a cook to prepare meals for students. Convincing migrants to permit their house to be used as hostel turned out to be very easy. ‘Bal Adhikar Samiti’, a committee of village residents was formed to take care of this community hostel. Village Sarpanch is the chief of the committee and the local school teacher, secretary. Whoever wants, can become a member. It raises funds for mess and other expenses from village community. The motivating factor is that they are contributing for their own children who are this village’s future. Thus this programme ‘Bal Rashmi’ emerged as a school support system. It was supported by CRY. The half-yearly community hostels are running in10 villages of Nal-Sarovar area. This innovation has enormous potential as a replicable model and the education authorities can implement it to other areas with similar problem of migration.

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Bal-Rashmi The Bal-Rashmi programme evolved while Gantar was exploring possibilities of intervention with children of brick-kiln workers in 1994-95. The issue of migration was vibrant and challenging to deal with. Children of these migrant workers used to come with their parents to Ahmedabad and its periphery for livelihood. The inaccessibility to education facility at work place and inconsistency in education eventually forced these children to get into labour. ‘Bal-Rashmi’ was developed as a model and break-through to break the vicious cycle of exploitation formed due to migration. The programme launched in the villages from where these children used to migrate. In-depth research on the issue brought significant information out and accordingly concept of half-yearly community hostels shaped up. 10 villages of Nal-Sarovar area were selected to demonstrate this model.

It’s dinner time at the community hostel.

While talking to these brick kiln workers it was revealed that prior to brick kilns, many of them used to work at Salt pans in the Rann of Kutch. Why did they quit that job? The response was that working in salt pans is much tougher than that in brick kilns. Brick making itself seems a tough job, how would a job tougher than this look like? To see the condition of people in general and of children in particular, Gantar carried out a yatra from Gandhi Ashram to little Rann of Kutchh the slogan was “Mitha na gangde ajadi, abadi ni navi ladai’ meaning “ we got

12

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

freedom through salt pebbles, now this is a new fight of people.” This yatra lasted for eight days, out of which six days in salt pan villages and the Rann. They prepared a list of 9th/ 10th passed youth who were interested in contributing towards education in the region. On the last day a Poornahuti program was organized in which issues/ problem in this area were talked about with local people. A surprising fact emerged that in times of British reign there used to be a school in the Rann. However after independence nothing was done and the earlier schools were closed. This was because of the fact that this salt rich region was a big revenue earner for the government back then. Salt tax (the same tax caused Mahatma Gandhi to call for Dandi March) collected from the region used to contribute to a third of the total tax revenues. Hence the British were concerned about development of the area. Health and basic education was critical for maintaining productivity of work force. “When there were schools fifty years back, why none now?” the question troubled Sukhdevbhai. “How long should we wait for the government to wake up and do something? The children there need it now!!” with this urgency, Gantar did many follow-up visits through Mr Prashant Rawal who had the background knowledge of the area having worked in the locality for some years. It was decided to set up schools in the Rann. The parents were more than willing to get their children educated. But as a token of commitment, they were asked to erect a school hut. “You build and then we’ll come.” All the material e.g. gunny bags, bamboo were provided to them. The first Rann School started in the Rann near Kharaghoda village of Patdi block in Surendranagar distt. Nobody could come from outside to teach so local 10th pass/fail youth were picked up and trained for the purpose. The model is entirely different from the government’s ‘informal education program which in Gantar’s view is ‘poor education for poor people’. In

13

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

contrast, they provide the children with the mainstream text books and full time schooling (even more than the specified school time in a setting like Rann where kids spend almost all their day at school). Each fortnight, the teachers are given two days of training. At the same time, their feedback is taken for improvement in the system and future planning is carried out. The training program is tailor made to the needs. Simultaneously an enrolment drive was carried out in ten villages of Patdi block and 100 % enrolment was accomplished. However, when the students of Rann schools went to their native village, schools there didn’t accept them and did not allow them to take examination saying that these students do not fulfil attendance criterion. They enrolled everybody in first class irrespective of what they learnt in Rann schools. Parents got annoyed with this. They saw no point in sending their child to Rann School if he/she remains in the same class after two or three years. Gantar contacted authorities in education department for intervention but there was no rule that could favour Gantar. Mr SM Talvi, District Education Officer was an understanding and helpful officer. He issued an order that no government schools would deny Rann school students for admission. Through constant lobbying and advocacy with the government officials at the state and district level these schools were linked with the mainstream schools in the village consequently enabling children studying with the Rann schools to appear for the annual examinations. However, this increased number of students and hence workload on government school teachers, who were not happy with this. They started deliberately failing students on technical grounds such as attendance. Gantar appealed to director, primary education against this. Through a circular, he ordered the government schools to count Rann school attendance towards the student’s overall attendance requirement. A permanent system was established then. Under this there are two copies of attendance register. Monthly attendance record of students is sent to

14

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

respective village school headmaster before 5th of the next month. The schools are named in local language and names are such that reflect a progressive approach like Asha, Anand, and Tejas. Little Rann of Kutchh: A tough terrain The Little Rann of Kutchh is surrounded by the districts of Kutchh, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Surendranagar and Rajkot. It is a unique place. Historically it was a shallow part of the gulf of Kutchh. It is formed through gradual siltation of marine estuary. During monsoon, through the discharge of river and rain waters together with sea water blown up due to south west winds, the rann becomes a vast shallow sheet of water which dries up by October, November leaving a flat surface to provide super highway for vehicles. It’s a flat, salt-cracked vast barren land of mirages and horizons. With an average rainfall of about 310 mm which goes down to just 100 mm in drought years, the Rann is one of the toughest abodes for humankind on the globe. Rains are erratic and every alternate year is the drought year. The climate is hot and dry for most of the year. However, temperature variation is very high ranging from 4° C minimum in winters to 47° C maximum in summers.

Picture courtesy: http://www.indiabirds.com/Images/WildAss1.jpg The salt impregnated Rann is sterile and devoid of any vegetation. Water, soil or air, it’s salt everywhere. Salinity of ground water is three times that of the sea water. Apart from humans the only other animal specie that thrives here is that of wild asses. The fringe and Bet (an elevated island in Rann) areas have prosopis, salvadora as tree vegetation and unique saline resistant grasses like sporobolus, sueda, theglo, allurops etc. form the fodder base for those wild herbivores. The majestic wild asses locally known as Ghudkhar, roaming over mirage waters make it a unique and one of the most fascinating wildernesses of the world. The wild ass sanctuary was established in 1973 covering entire little rann and waste lands of bordering five districts with an area of 4953 Sq. km. The Rann is the only of its kind of land in world where salinity of ground water is three times

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Visit to Asha: A Rann School The author visited one of these Rann schools Asha on 21st November 2004. Rann schools are built in a unique manner, wherein the floor of school is about 3 feet below the ground level. It serves dual purposes: for one, it requires less construction material and for another, more importantly, protects the inmates from scorching heat. It’s located amidst little Rann of Kutchh., 22 km from patdi. The school is running for fourth continuous year. New session of the school started on 1st November after the Navaratri season when immigrants come and erect their huts. It has fifty five students in seventh standards. Composition of the classes was as follows. Standard Girls Boys Total 1 6 8 14 2 5 2 7 3 4 6 10 4 0 6 6 5 3 5 8 6 1 6 7 7 0 3 3 Total 19 36 55 The teacher Mahadevbhai is from a village called Mandal, 20 km from the school. He lives in a nearby hut and each fortnight goes to his village on his bicycle. He fetches drinking water every third day from a distance of five km. Upon talking he said that it gets too cold for comfort in the night. Huts made of bamboo and gunny bag don’t give much protection. Living in such tough circumstances, he appeared highly motivated and satisfied with his work. He told that he gets special training at GBA (Gijubhai Bal Academy, more on this in following pages) for whatever subjects he finds tough to teach.

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

While we were talking, Dasharath Labhubhai Pagi a 9th standard student at government school, Kharaghoda broke in. He is a pass out of the same school, and hence has affinity for his alma mater. In his spare time he comes here and helps Mahadevbhai in teaching. The author asked a few questions of general awareness to the students and the responses were at par, if not better than any mainstream village school.

Other interventions Since its inception, Gantar has followed a rights based approach. It has addressed following rights of the children through its interventions. Right to Survival “Every child has a right to live with love, care and affection”

Intensive Health Monitoring System It is believed that the state is primarily responsible to ensure survival of all citizens. Basic survival right has been included under the scope of human rights too. With this understanding Gantar has adopted a complementary role instead of acting as a service dispenser. The primary role of Gantar consists of developing inherent systems in the entire programmes across the board to generate relevant and reliable information on the issues of survival. This information is processed to develop perspective on the issues with deferent dimensions. The basic parameters of information include Birth Rate, Mortality Rate, Cause of death, Quality of nutrition, Child Health education to Mothers, girl child health education status, preventive action taken on epidemics and other diseases, status of vaccination, and knowledge on disaster preparedness. Gantar also provides the referral

17

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

services to sick children and also helps in the critical cases to curative measures at Ahmedabad. Right to Development Every child has a right to grow in equal, healthy and exploitation free environment Balghars – Child Rights Centres “Being social is the basic instinct of human beings. The society has significant role in psychophysical development of a human being. In rural society, people interact with each other at different platforms such as, women generally share talks at common water source, for elderly people there is a panchayat office or market and youngsters generally get together at playing ground or a shop. The only section of society left without such unconditional avenue for social interaction is children. They spend maximum time with their peers only in school, which provides conditional environment and a structured time span. It doesn’t provide exposure to the children to partake activities that would build their overall personality. Balghar is an attempt to address this inadequacy. Healthy interaction with peers helps build confidence and coping mechanisms. This was the theoretical foundation behind the concept of Balghar (Children’s Activity Centre) as Child Rights programme for children. Balghar gives them an opportunity to empower themselves with their own basic rights. The programme was also found successful in trauma reduction after the earthquake.

18

Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Balghar Balghar provides space for school going as well as non-school going children to freely interact, play, express their opinions and learn through a joyful medium. This is the place where they can see their ideas take shape. They are the sole mangers and sole decision-makers of this place. Here, they can structure their own syllabus and can decide what they want to learn. This is the place where they get a common friend called Baldost. Baldosts offer coaching to non school going children who are inclined to join school and prepare them for the same. This provides both the children and the baldost to interact even when the community hostels are closed.

A jovial group of kids at Balghar Learning Centres for Adolescent Girls During the earthquake intervention in Kutchh, Gantar got exposed to issues pertaining to education in the region. Inadequate infrastructure, human resource and orthodox societal mindset prevent girls from education. Kutchh is one of the most backward districts in women literacy. The gravity of this issue compelled us to intervene with adolescent girls. With an objective to develop change makers at village level and ensure basic literacy and life skills to Adolescent girls, Gantar is running 30 Adolescent Girls’ Learning Centres in Anjar and Bhachau block of Kutchh region. Sakhis, Lady Teachers who run these centres belong to the same or neighbouring villages. More than 800 girls are gaining literacy and social learning skill through these centres.

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Gijubhai Bal Academy In view of weak policies and inadequate law enforcement, advocacy on child rights issues becomes an essential tool for making the state proactive. Effective advocacy involves in-depth research and a cadre of equipped people, who can act as advocates for child rights. Unfortunately very few institutes in India work on this. Gijubhai Bal Academy (GBA) is a unique attempt of Gantar to address this. GBA aims for building cadre of child rights advocates

through

intensive

research

and

training

programme.

The

academic exercise will also direct the strategies and future programme of the organization. This institute serves dual purpose for Gantar. One, its Gantar’s captive training center for its teachers, Baldosts and the like and the other, it works as a resource centre for government and non governmental training programs. Such training programs helps Gantar spread

its

philosophy

among

different

segments

of

academia

ad

administration. To accomplish that along with specified curriculum of the training workshop, Gantar instructors like Sukhdevbhai or Prashantbhai take a session daily on issues of child rights etc. The institute is also involved in research and making alternative policies on subjects of child rights. The author visited the place on 21st November, 2001. In GBA campus, they run Bhantarshala, an informal school for homeless children, who could not pursue formal education. There are 17 such children who along with vocational training, would go through informal education for three years and then would take secondary school examination as ex-students. Vocational training includes skills like weaving, electrician, bakery, sewing, carpentry etc. There are six teachers at GBA to take care of them.

School Reconstruction Villages located on periphery of Little Rann of Kutchh were badly affected by the quake. Community of saltpan workers mainly populates these villages. Many schools in these villages had completely collapsed and as these are very remote no organisation took charge to reconstruct them. Gantar shouldered the responsibility

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

of reconstruction of damaged schools looking at the negative effect the situation had on education. Gantar has reconstructed 5 schools in Bajana, Patdi, Sali, Odu and Zinzuwada villages of Patdi Block. Three of these schools are girls’ school and their colourful and child friendly infrastructure has helped increase enrolments.

Zinzuwada Primary School reconstructed by Gantar

Right to Protection Every child has a right to get protected in any kind of crises.

Relief work during earthquake The devastating earthquake of 26th January 2001 had left behind widespread destruction in the entire Kutchh district and parts of other districts like Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Patan, Banaskantha, and Ahmedabad. In this hour of anguish, Gantar took charge with following interventions: •

24 hours Control Room

Entire team of Gantar got involved in the immediate relief and rescue operations. Its office was one of the three Control Rooms of Janpath Citizens

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Initiative (JCI). The supply of relief material to the non-Kutchh areas was co-ordinated from the Gantar Control Room. Consequently Gantar was involved in the relief operations in Patdi block of Surendranagar and Santalpur block of Patan district and provided relief materials like tents, tarpaulins, blankets, food grains etc. The Gantar teams were able to reach nearly 3,578 families in 16 villages of 2 blocks. Temporary Shelters made of iron; cane and canvas were provided to 150 families of Himmatpura and Naranpura, two worst affected villages in Patdi. Tarpaulins and tents were also provided to 20 worst affected schools in the region. After the rescue work, Gantar involved in devising strategies on issues like education, livelihood, social rehabilitation, and the like. •

Sneh Samudaay– Community of Love

Gantar is active in 18 villages of Anjar and Bhachau talukas of Kutch district of Gujarat under earthquake rehabilitation project called Sneha Samuday. This works on community based rehabilitation of the most vulnerable among the survivors of the Gujarat earthquake – children without protection, single women and widows, disabled and old people devoid of the care of families. Chief objectives of the programme are: •

Protection of the rights of the most vulnerable survivors of the earthquake.

•

Ensuring the best possible rehabilitation for these segments of population based in families and their communities;

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Strengthening caring responsibility in the community and,

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Influencing the state policy with regard to these groups, particularly in the context of disaster.

Childline Childline is a national project of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJ&E); it is 24-hour free emergency phone outreach service

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

for children in need of care and protection. Any child/concerned adult can call 1098 free of cost and avail of the service at any time of the day and night. Gantar shouldered Right to participate Every child has a right to express feelings and opinions.

Bachpan Sena ‘Gantar’ believes that children have tremendous strength and potential to develop their skills and personality as noble citizens. However, their cerebrations and energy require proper channel. Bachpan Sena gives that platform to channelise this energy in a right direction. The concept of Bachpan Sena conceived in the programme of Balghar, where children began to take initiatives in managing their centre. Setting up a formal structure of a group has ensured equal and democratic opportunity for leadership. The group received identity, as ‘Bachpan Sena’ The word ‘Sena’ stands for army. The name signifies the force of childhood. This group is not for routine studies, but for acting in favor of children. Bachpan Sena of some villages has started playing significant role in the village administration. Baal Adhikar Samiti (Child rights committee) No social intervention can succeed without participation of the community. The area of child rights is new in the context of community participation. The visibility of community participating in the issues of children is comparatively limited and restricted to school. The indicators of child mortality, child marriage, and child labour have historically been paid less attention as these issues are either related to their economic status or culture. Therefore, a select group of members of community is formed into committee called ‘Bal Adhikar Samiti’ The committee functions to build the perspective on child rights and act as pressure group in the village to work on the issues of children. The committee plays a role complementary to

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

Bachpan Sena. Members represent all sections of caste, gender and class. The involvement of teacher and other knowledgeable people helps sensitize them.

Swa Shakti – Mother’s Groups This is national level programme promoted by Government of India with the support of World Bank, objective being financial freedom for rural women. The programme was running in state for last five years; however Gantar took the responsibility to implement the programme two years back, with the conviction that working with mothers would help encourage girl child education. Formation of women’s group and engaging them in income generation activities gives an opportunity to sensitize them on their daughters’ education. Women also talk about domestic violence and other cultural issues. Gradually, the group gets converted into a forum. The membership of these groups is restricted to women, whose children are regular in the school. Indirectly this restriction builds up the appropriate environment for education. Problems In spite of such an impressive track record, Gantar is faced with some constraints, which if relaxed, can lead to much better results. •

Limited Scope Though Gantar has been very effective with whatever issues it took

up, the impacts of its efforts are pretty localized given its scope of operations. The founder says that it’s very difficult to mobilize resources at local level. Dependence on donor agencies is a big constraint in timely and correct execution of projects. •

Lack of professional staff Gantar’s roots are in an individual’s volunteer spirit and as it grew big

it has more or less followed the same route of voluntarism where the

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Gantar: A Journey Through the Land of Mirage

employee’s motivation is preferred over her professional skills. It has a policy to develop administrators in-house rather than hiring professional from outside. Lack of funds to compensate good professionals is also a governing constraint. However if Gantar can be a little more open to professionalism can be able to hire better skilled staff at critical positions, at the same time protecting its values, it would help its cause. •

Communication skills of employees Almost all of the staff is from Gujarat, not very comfortable with

English which today, has become a language for official communication. This problem hits more so because of the need to interact with international funding or professional support providers. •

Absence of documentation So far, there has been no serious effort to document Gantar’s

background, interventions and philosophy which could help them reach out to individuals, agencies, and officials with a standard document. Without this it becomes very difficult for an outsider to guess what this organization is, what does it do and how can it be of interest for him/her. Author hopes that this effort helps Gantar in its cause. ********************************** Contact Details of Gantar Mr Sukhdev Patel, Gantar C-11, Kalpana Apartment, Besides Bike Auto, Vijay Cross Roads, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380009 Phone: +91(0) 79-2646 61 57/2640 75 58, 9825012036(Mr Sukhdev Patel) E-mail: [email protected]

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