Research

So, as I said I am doing research for MVF and the 'National Council for Educational Research and Training' as they have chosen MVF as a successful community based organization. To give you an idea, here's the main guidelines:
-identify significant features of selected organizations in promoting the participation of the community and local bodies at the elementary school level
-study the processes adopted by the organization in promoting the role of the community and local bodies in achieving the UEE (enrolment, retention and quality)
-identify and document appropriate strategies adopted by organizations for promoting community participation at the school level and its implications for future policy formulation.
I talk to kids, parents, past employers of child labourers, women's groups, youth groups, gram panchayats (village gov't), camp students, camp teachers, gov't teachers, MVF employees, community volunteers, various other community groups facilitated by MVF, elected representatives and gov't officials!!
I spend 3-4 days in each of 4 districts and I'm going to my last one tomorrow! I go to very small villages that I would never get to see without doing this research. For example, when I ask what are the school problems a few ppl have answered that the cows and goats get into the school yard and make a mess...It is also nice to be able to go to such rurul places as they have not had much research done on them so it is more authentic.
Basically, MVF is a perfect example of how community development works and has reinforced everything I learned in community and participatory development at dal...
For example, I have had old men explain the importance of community ownership and participation, illiterate mothers tell me how they will do anything to make sure their daughters go to school and past employers of child labourers explain how they were transformed to being pro child labor to advocates for the organization and travel all over talking at rallies and functions...
On the other hand I have also talked to 12 year old girls telling me it is pointless for them to go to school because they are getting married soon and are just saving money to buy things for their babies, parents say their children are too stupid and will be labours like them and employers say they can just pay off the police if they are found out...
There are also things that are difficult, such as the cottonseed industry employees 90% young girls because once they get their period they are thought to bring bad luck and "ruin the crop"....this superstitious bullshit is very hard for me to listen to and obviously hard to fight. Also, dowry is a big problem because poor families often try to marry their girls young as dowry increases with age...
Overall, I have really seen and learned a lot and feel very optimistic about MVF's work! Now, I just have to write my report...

Here are a few more..of the crazy Chowri Chowk market in Delhi. I dunno if you can see but the man in the last pic on the rickshaw is carrying a shotgun eek! And here's also the hardest poverty to see--kids and kids with kids :( Its worse at night, when they all sleep on the road dividers as all the traffic pass by a foot away...

Delhi and Taj Mahal

I did the tourist thing in Delhi so here are some pics of historic places plus TAJ! Photos cannot do it justice as it is seriously the most amazing site!! I met two Canadian guys there which was fun!

Wedding!!

Here's the wedding, it was truly amazing! Shaona is my friends Kalka's cousin, so I really got to see everything, we went to the beauty salon with her and everything. While most weddings in India are arranged, this one wasn't. :)

I'm a Telegu movie star!!!

After Hindi, Telegu is the second largest language subsection within Bollywood...which is the language spoken here in Andhra Pradesh. Through a friend, I got to play an extra!! I'm in a few scenes but my 5 minutes of fame is a scene under a tree playing a game with the two main characters. I also play cricket, sit on a tractor during a dance scene and am in the backgroud of a few other scenes...

P.S The day before I got back from Delhi, there was a bombing in a mosque here, but it was on the other side of the city. They are not sure who it was, but think it was a islamic group from Pakistan...kinda scary but don't worry this city is huge and I rarely go in that area...

research

Here is another district which I was in for research for a few days...

girls bridge course camp

Here are some pics of the girls camp that I stayed at for a few days. These girls are here for 6-18 mths to catch up in school b/c they were child labourers. Many of them also lived on the street and 13 of them are married. The last picture is of a mother, grand-mother and two girls who came to look at the camp. The older girl had been working but now the mother wants to send her to the camp. But the grandmother wants to get her married. (dowry increases as the girl gets older). Thankfully, the mother allowed her to stay!