Asha for Education --

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Project Address:
Village–Matuchauri, Post-Uchauri,
Tehsil-Saidpur, Zilla-Gazipur
Saidpur, Ghazipur District
UTTAR PRADESH
India
Tel:

Funds Disbursed:

2002 Colorado $690
2003 Colorado $1,877
2004 Colorado $2,033
2005 Colorado $4,406
2006 Colorado $1,400
2008 Colorado $5,500
2009 Colorado $3,000
2010 Colorado $3,400

Total = $22,306

Mailing List

Saturday, Sept 18 2010, 6:30 pm

Civic Green Park
9370, Ridgeline Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO

Parking available on site

Additional parking available at RTD park-n-ride (Highlands Ranch Parkway and Ridgeline Boulevard)

Jeevan Daan Samiti (JDS)

Project Background

As of Dec 2009, Colorado chapter have decided to stop funding for the project. We are sending remaining funds for 2009 in Feb 2010.

Jeevan Daan Samiti (JDS) focuses on imparting basic education to children in Math Uchauri and surrounding villages in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. Its. The project runs nine teaching centers where 250-320 children between the age of 3-12 years attend classes.

Most of the people in these villages belong to the Musahar and Chamaar castes. They are among the poorest of the poor, usually worse off than the Harijans. Their main source of income is brick making in the dry seasons. This usually involves moving from place to place. In the rainy season, they make leaf plates and do other low income activities. The children work around the house or make bricks. There are very few educated people, if any, in these communities. They are considered untouchables and find little acceptance in society.

Jeevan Daan Samiti was started by Vishwesh Kumar, who used to be a reporter in Hindustaan. He started the project with the help of a few friends and still remains the main force that is moving JDS forward.

Programs and Progress

The primary focus of JDS is teaching the children and getting a culture of education developed in the region. Second, it tries to spread awareness about alternate means of income for the people, so that they can afford to send their children to school. To this end, JDS runs a screen printing press, an apiary and some sewing training centres. The third front is making sure that the people are aware of their rights and benefit from government schemes.

Achievements:

Seven teaching centres where 250-320 children between the ages of 3-12 years attend classes. The children are taught counting, Hindi alphabet and other basic subjects. A few children have started attending formal government schools, but the drop-out rate is high.
Initiated a tailoring program to enable women to have a secondary source of income. Other income-generating schemes include bee-keeping and soap-making.
Campaign for Right to Information and Right to Food. Most of the poor people, being illiterate, have no idea what government schemes are running in their area and thus never benefit from them. With help from JDS, things are beginning to change, in spite of resistance from the powerful.

Key Challenges

Absolute poverty has forced most children to work
Awareness about education is pretty minimal in the community
Being “untouchables”, they find it hard to get acceptance at school
There are no permanent school buildings. Classes are held in mud huts or under trees near the brick kilns.
Health care facilities are non-existent. One of the JDS teachers also dispenses medicines for common ailments.
So far the response from the people has been positive. Demand for JDS centres has been growing in the neighbouring villages. One child has reached class X and is being encouraged by JDS to go to college.
JDS tries to engage the villagers using cultural programs. The annual JDS function Jeevan Daan Mahotsav is well attended. They also enact plays on contemporary issues. JDS is also trying to spread environmental awareness and awareness about the need for trees.

JDS and Asha

Asha-Colorado has been supporting JDS from 2002. Asha-Kaithi is also involved with JDS at the local level. For 2006 the project needs about $4200.