Veena- An Undaunted Young Tribal Girl

Veena is a tribal youth from Kanbai village of Kherwara block. She is in the 2^nd year of her Bachelors in Arts and hails from a family of farmers. She helps her mother and father with daily chores. She is the first young person from her village to be associated with ALFA. She has been selected as one of the five fellows supported by Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3) through which she is addressing gender inequality in her village by spreading awareness and sensitizing youth about gender discrimination.  

She is an extremely passionate young woman who wishes to put an end to the stereotypes especially associated with gender roles. She is dedicatedly working towards spreading awareness about the importance of education to every girl in her village. After claiming her fellowship from C3, she has formulated a strong group of young people with whom she conducts different activities throughout the month and engages them in issue-based discussions.

“I want to help the society in whatever way possible and eradicate the evil thinking of people. I wish to channelize the thoughts of young people towards constructive practices through which they can help our village towards development. Thanks for providing me the fellowship of C3”, says Veena.

Veena wishes to create active citizens in her village where young people would take the lead and advocate for the issues which have taken a long time from getting addressed by the Panchayat. She aspires to become a teacher so that she can enlighten the path of coming generation with positive thoughts from the beginning and make them informed citizen.

“I discovered that ALFA promotes the environment of working together and provides a platform to young people to voice their concerns and ideas openly without being judged. It is true to its name, Sanjha Manch. I am happy that I am associated with ALFA.”

-          Veena, Youth Volunteer and C3 Fellow, Kanbai 

Action in the field!

Two of the fellows, Priya and Krishna, working under the project of Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3), together conducted a meeting of young people aged between 15 and 20 years. C3 is funding ALFA to foster quality education in Kherwara block of Udaipur district through connecting children who are deprived of education with the schools, enrolling back the dropped out students to the formal institutions, strengthening quality education in the existing schools and promoting creative learning outside the school campus.

The fellows explained the youth the importance of having some aspirations in life and then the continuous efforts to achieve those dreams. They discussed with the youth how education and schools play a huge role in achieving what you desire and to become independent. They cited many examples from their own surroundings to explain the benefits of proper education. They especially urged females and motivated them by giving a live example of Krishna who received a scholarship for higher studies along with a laptop and scooty as she qualified the state board examination with distinction. This motivated the youth who expressed their interests to pursue education by sharing the problems they face. The meeting culminated by conducting a fun activity with the youth which everyone enjoyed and promised to come in other gatherings too where the discussion will be more two-way.

New member in ALFA family

It all began a long time ago. Munis Makrani is a valuable addition to our team who knows ALFA from top to bottom. Started his journey as a local volunteer in 2010, he got involved in all the interventions and programs of Sanjha Manch, community name of ALFA. Munis, one of the survivors of Godhra riots, fled to Rajasthan with his family to escape the communal barbarity of 2002 while he was a small kid. Since then he has been brought up in Karawara village of Kherwara block, Udaipur.

He used to come to ALFA to chill out and spend time with volunteers who came from different parts of the world. Gradually as he grew up, he became sensitive to Hindu Muslim conflicts and opposed violence and discrimination on the grounds of caste and religion. His engagement with ALFA got deeper and he immersed himself in spreading the message of peace and love among diverse communities. He was one of the very active and passionate youth volunteers of ALFA. He attended various workshops and training organized by ALFA and has been to different parts of India to learn more about different ways and perspectives to approach the problems of society. He has been to various internships and became Youth Facilitator after undergoing a long journey with the organization. He conducted computer classes of local youth and has also worked in the past with us for a short period of 3 months while he was studying in University.

"I worked on the ground on grave issues of the community with ALFA. I feel proud to be associated with the organization due to which I was able to realize my dream of becoming a teacher. Even with my current profile, I will be engaged with children imparting quality education and creative learning." 

-Munis Makrani

It is a pleasure to have him back on the board. 😊

Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) Health Project

On Monday, July 15, a student from Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) gives a young boy an oral examination in Bambala, Kherwara Block. Using large models and poster presentations, the students taught local residents the importance of teeth brushing, hygiene, and good nutrition.  

Nine students from the KMU are working in Kherwara block this month to educate the village residents about common diseases and health best practices. The university's immersion internship program has sent medical students to ALFA Educational Society in Karawada twice in the past year. The students conduct surveys, health assessments, and workshops to improve knowledge and health, as well as provide a platform for intercultural exchange. 

The medical workshops cover the topics of malaria, AIDS, influenza, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, tuberculosis, hepatitis, oral hygiene, and hand washing. The interns conduct these workshops and health assessments for the ALFA staff and local volunteers, as well as in local households and schools in Karawada and the surrounding villages of Padela, Bambala, Barodwara, Futala, Kharidiwara, Dabachia.     By the end of the month, the KMU volunteers will have educated more than 50 families, 175 students, and 12 youth changemakers at ALFA. 

This summer, the KMU students have expanded their curriculum to include more in-depth surveys of the families they visit. By assessing their crops, income, education level, labor, and diet, the students can better understand the health conditions of the residents. They are also conducting local martial arts classes in the evenings. 

"It is so rewarding to see this program develop," says Cheng Ting Wu, a a third-year KMU student volunteer returning for his third time at ALFA, "each year we discover nuances that affect local health, and develop deeper relationships with the local volunteers; their motivation inspires me to work harder and learn more from the people here."

A special thanks to Sim-Sim Nursing Foundation and the Taiwan  Liver Research Foundation for making this collaboration possible.

Mahila Shakti Silai Sangathan (Organization of Strong Women Who Sew)

Women's Empowerment Initiatives:

During the month of July 2013, ALFA has implemented the project Mahila Shakti Silai Sangathan (MSSS). A women's empowerment program, MSSS creates a micro-finance opportunity for 15 women participating in tailor-training classes to sell products in Udaipur. The combined benefits of education, capacity building, and micro-finance are used to mobilize women to gather and engage in a common space, sanjha manch. By creating a community around the teaching and learning of a valuable craft, MSSS seeks to help women build a sense of social as well as financial autonomy. The project is also designed to be sustainable by creating leaders within the group of women who can teach, organize meetings, as well as manage their growth in the future. It will leave the women with many opportunities to market and sell their products and services, as well as to meet collectively for this purpose on a regular basis. The women have all contributed a small fee to participate in the workshops, money with which they have bought a group sewing machine to be shared by all.

The classes began July 1st, 2013. The women started by cutting salwar kameez from newspaper, practicing over and over again until the cuts were straight and the measurements were accurate. In the second week, the women are taking turns practicing threading, pumping, and sewing seems with their new machine. They have shown extreme pride in their first garments! MSSS sees this batch of women as only the beginning. ALFA and the community of women in Karawada are determined to continue to teach and practice the art of tailoring, as well as the local embroidery practice called tanka.

As more women participate, the group will be able to acquire more sewing machines, facilitate regular workshops in an MSSS specific sanjha manch, and build up a sense of identity around a strong community of women who sew.

Intern coordinator: Matea Fish

 

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