Coffee meeting and buying material for vocational training
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| Raintree |
Yesterday I met with Shilpa (social worker) and Raji (program manager) from the NGO Vidyaranya, at the café Raintree, for updates and to discuss future actions. We also met in order to buy material for vocational training. Raintree is located opposite ITC Windsor Manor Hotel, in a colonial bungalow surrounded with boutiques, and sometimes exhibitions. Not only is the café and boutiques a must to visit, especially since the ambiance is very cozy, but I also wanted to show the girls this place as a possible location for their future collection of handicrafted jewelry.
When sipping our coffee, Shilpa and Raji informed me about some newcomers in the shelter. Things never stops to amaze me here, how this community and culture is so different from ours, yet so similar ... but things are very much tabu and stigmatized here. For example, sometimes it might happen that teenagers fall in love, but the parents can obviously not agree to this, so they sometimes accuse the boy for rape and tries to institutionalize the girl. You see, parents are accountable to the surrounding community, the school teachers, and the police. And of course, to add to this we have the issue of dowry, which everyone can not afford to pay to the other family. When a girl is "damaged" the family suffer tremendously and sometimes feel that they have no other option than to send away the girl. It happens so many times that when a girl is raped, the family also tries to force the girl into marriage. Whatever the reason is for girls being in a shelter, is is a huge challenge to help these girls to get integrated back into society again, and at the same time help these girls to become self sustainable.
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| Chikpett, Bangalore |
In the shelter, sometimes, we face girls with totally different backgrounds and stories. Most are, of course, victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Regardless backgrounds, it is always very sad to meet young girls and hear their stories of how they have been exploited or abused, in way or another. However, I strongly believe that institutionalization is not the right way to go about things (which can be the case in some state homes and other shelter facilities). Yesterday we also discussed another case, of a woman who had fallen in love with a man who sexually exploited her and sold her to his friends. The woman later became pregnant, and is now expecting to have her child any time soon at the shelter. The woman had two kids since an earlier marriage as well. What type of future will this woman have? These things are so stigmatized here. Can you imagine Sweden ever treating women like this?!
Of course, Sweden has developed over a long time. In the development of society from the 1700s until 2000s, one can interpret great changes in men's and women's roles. The woman has gone from her place in the home out to the working life. Now, the history of India is of course completely different with, for example, colonialization and the cast system. However, there is a great need for India to change. Personally I think there is a need to control the population rate and focus more on equal human rights, rather than focus too much on religion. I have nothing against religion at all, but I do not understand how people rather pray and worship instead of helping each other and less fortunate people. Action, rather than worshipping will help this country to progress. Sweden has of course their black spots as well, remember, it was not long ago since we forced sterilized women (up to the 1970s, the practice and debate later continued for transexual people).
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| Shilpa bargaining for us @ Chikpett |
After having our coffee at Raintree we decided to head out to buy some material for the girls in the shelter so that they can undertake vocational training. Funds for this was used from the christmas donations, as we still had some left. We went to a place called Chikpett market, near Majestic. This place has cheap whole sale items, and our best bet at finding all the items we needed for jewelry making. Shilpa, ever so considerate and happy, constantly worried about my safety and inquired if I was tired. Such a sweet girl! After taking the wrong turns a few times, we finally found a store which had all products we were seeking. It took many hours, but we finally found everything! This area is quite dodgy, and one old man asked Shilpa where she was taking us, insinuating that she was taking us to a location where she could sell us. Possibly cause Shilpa was holding my hand in a firm grip leading us into dodgy roads. The area is known for being a source area for sexual exploitation and kidnappings. Safe and sound, in the early evening we were done and headed out from the market with the help of an auto. We said good buy and decided to meet up the next coming week.
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| Shilpa, me and Raji |
Thanks to sponsoring companies such as Indpro, Scania and the Heat, we managed to take the girls and women out for a one day trip to Bhennerghatta national park and zoo, in order to celebrate Women's Day which occurred on the 8th of March. Certainly does these former victims of sex trafficking truly deserve a treat like this! They girls and women were very happy, and all to brave ... Even though one girl was sick she insisted on joining. Since all the other girls were putting on their finest dresses, so to did she, and came along. She was actually really ill, but well taken care of afterwards. Together we enjoyed our food from the Heat on the bus, we visited the park, enjoyed dinner at a restaurant, and we took a tour inside the wildlife safari. The girls and women were so happy all day long, and a lot of them danced inside the bus on the way home back to the shelter. The youngest girl (at the moment in the shelter, 14 years old) also danced, and gave me flowers. Such a sweetheart! They all are! On the way home I got to learn about some women's sicknesses. It seems as though one have to be really keen on proper check-ups so that doctors don't give wrong diagnoses. Again, who cares about theses women, if not the staff at NGOs, such as Vidyaranya?! Thank you all dear colleagues Raji and Shilpa, as well as our guest Miriam. Due to safety and integrity reasons I can't post all photos online. 
