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Topic: Rebuilding lives

ephemeral
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8881

posted 12 May 2005 12:32 PM

I thought this was a rather touching story:

quote:
"This is a community school, run by us. There is no government role here," she says as she assists a young girl with her sums.
"I teach them everything - how to read and write Tamil, how to count - all that I know."
"It is very important for our community to be literate. Because we were uneducated, we were exploited," says Rajamani.
"I don't know how to read and write. But I want a better life for my children."

Here's the link to the full story.

From: under a bridge with a laptop | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged

skdadl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 478

posted 12 May 2005 12:41 PM

It is moving, but also enraging. It sounds as though there are still thousands of Irulas living and working as slaves ("bonded labour") in that area: how could the Indian government, once informed of the problem and forced to help this group, allow the practice to continue anywhere?

I wonder how long it is going to take the NGOs and the UN to respond to this story.

From: gone | Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged

ephemeral
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8881

posted 13 May 2005 11:04 AM

i know how you feel. me however, i have gotten really used to the idea that the indian government is terribly corrupt and negligent of its peoples, and has been for several years. there are numerous practices in india that violate human rights. even though they have been legally abolished for hundreds of years, they are so common and go against india's constitution. the government knows what goes on where, but they choose to ignore it. 'sati' - the burning of a widow - was abolished in 1829, and it is still rampant.

you think paul martin is bad... it is a hundred times more difficult to hold the indian government accountable to anything, to stick to their election promises. from where i'm sitting, there is little i can do but celebrate a community effort toward greater women's rights, literacy, liberation and progress despite the government.

From: under a bridge with a laptop | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged

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