Economic Growth India Project #20121

Together for a more just and caring society

by Fundacion Vicente Ferrer

Project Report | Aug 24, 2022
From Living with the Dead to Living with Dignity

By Dyuti Khulbe | Communications Officer Rural Development Trust

More than fifty years ago, a group of people left Tamil Nadu looking for a better life and settled in the slum and cemetery of Bodigadi Thota in the outskirts of Nellore city (Andhra Pradesh). With no other means than their bare hands, they set up small sheds between the graves, and many of them started to make a living taking care of the cemetery and collecting and selling plastic and waste. This place became home to 251 families.

Nagamma is one of them. She arrived a few days after her wedding. Although she never built a house there, the cemetery became her family’s home. A filthy home, as she would call it. Nestled between a garbage dumping ground, cremation area, and a cemetery,

“In this place, almost all women have heart issues. The constant stench and germs from the dumping zone made my daughter sick; she started having heart problems but remained undiagnosed. We were unable to afford her treatment at the private hospital and she passed away at the young age of 21,” says Nagamma, as she wipes tears with her saree. “The game of destiny is funny; I gave birth to her in the land of dead and bid farewell in the same place”

For over 50 years, the inhabitants of Bodigadi Thota lived in extreme conditions. The houses were a mere pile of plastic sheets kept together by wooden poles. Instead of tiles, mud and trash covered the floor. There were no kitchens and no bathrooms. However, the graves of the dead served as a platform for cooking food, while the tombstones were shields for toilet purposes.

Women and children became the worst victims of the situation as they suffered from severe health problems due to poor environmental hygienic conditions in the burial ground. The women and adolescent girls endured a lot like a lack of privacy and a proper place for bathing limited their bathing to just once a week.

This situation went on until 2016, when the District Collector for Nellore District requested RDT for support. The organization assumed the duty to ensure access to dignified livelihoods to the people who lived among the dead.

A 47-year-old Danashekhar was born and spent his entire life in Bodigadi Thota. “I could never imagine a life outside this place,” he pauses as he coughs. “As you see, I have asthma. Every person in this place is sick one way or another. I could never study in this place. The constant foul smell, no electricity, and contamination can never be a favorable condition to study”. Some children would go to the main road at night so that they can study under the streetlights. It was not a safe option for many girls, so they opted to go to school as early as 5 am.

Today, after overcoming many challenges, and thanks to the collaboration between the local government and RDT, 251 families have access to dignified housing in a colony that spreads across 1.2 kilometers of land. They are one-bedroom houses, with hall and kitchen sets along with separate bathrooms, designed according to the region and climatic conditions of the district. The rooftop and the verandah are made of cement to avoid water leaking during the cyclone season. The construction of the colony involved the participation of all inhabitants to secure a sense of ownership. Of 34 leaders in the construction teams, 27 were women.

Danashekhar is relieved now. As they move to a new colony, he is assured that his three children will have better life and conditions for studying and complete their education. “These days I study better. My dream is to become a policeman, and maybe the next time you see me, I am already one!” exclaims Sanjay, a 13-year-old resident of the new colony.

Links:

A new beginning for 251 families living in a slum

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Sep 17, 2021
REDUCING GENDER BASED VIOLENCE

By Aida Maria Novaes | Aina Valldaura

Sangham

In India, a deeply patriarchal society, women are subjected to constant discrimination and in many cases, harassment. They are legally entitled to equal rights in all spheres of society, yet most women are at great disadvantage.

Violence against women is recognized as a violation of human rights. However, despite the initiatives that have been put in place to put an end to this scourge, in India 29% of married women in rural areas between 15 and 49 years old admit to having experienced situations of gender-based violence due to part of their husbands, according to the latest Family Health survey conducted by the Government of India. This figure is much higher in reality, but violence against women remains normalized and very few dare to admit that they suffer it.

The Rural Development Trust (RDT) works with men and women to achieve gender equality by fighting against gender-based violence and discrimination and striving to improve the social and economic situation of women. By enabling women to reach their full potential and equipping them to be a part of the decision-making processes, we can attain sustainable development.

Girls and women are constantly under the threat of harassment and violence from their families and in the society at large. Tackling such situations is only possible through the combined efforts of both men and women. The project focuses on these areas:

Awareness workshops with adolescents to discuss various issues they face and to instill gender sensitivity.
Gender sensitisation workshops with men to push for attitudinal shift and make them partners in the fight for equality.
Discussing about gender violence in the village meetings and through cultural activities on women’s rights, on how to avail legal aid and medical assistance, where to report a crime, or on the functioning of family court

TESTIMONY

Lakshmi Narasamma: The leader of a sangham - women's association –

The objective of these associations is to promote the empowerment and autonomy of women, who realize that by themselves they can do many things. However, one of our main tasks is to raise awareness about gender violence to avoid this type of situation. The sanghams are only for women but the Women's Sector of the FVF also organizes activities for men, whether they are talks or training.

Before the FVF started organizing meetings to sensitize men and women about the problem of gender violence, many people saw it as normal. There is still a long way to go but we are seeing positive changes through community participation in these workshops.

If we compare the situation with that of a few years ago, it has undoubtedly improved. Gender violence has decreased in our town. I have been in the sangham for the past 20 years and I can assure you that without this support network, solving many of my problems or those of the other women would have been almost impossible. We need to create a network to become aware of the violence that surrounds us.

Lakshmi

Woman protesting against gender violence

Links:

Stop violence against women

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Apr 1, 2021
One year with Covid-19

By Aida | Fundraising Department.

Home school

It has been a year since the lockdown was declared in India to curb the spread of #COVID19. It had various effects on different groups in the society, especially those with limited resources. Here's how we worked together to overcome the challenges that the pandemic and lockdown following it posed.

220 health professionals working in Bathalapalli Hospital intended for covid patients.

6.200 covid patients looked after in our hospital (from April to October 2020).

403.154 meals distributed to displaced people.

5.544.653 masks made and distributed.

Nowadays, India is rebounding contagions after months of declining declines. India has completed a first phase of vaccination for frontline people, doctors and health workers and other staff working in health spaces. Also officials who may have direct exposure to coronavirus, such as police and collectors.

Vicente Ferrer Foundation facilitates the monitoring of Covid protocols established by the Government, such as masks, gloves, hand washing, social distance, COVID tests before surgery, etc. Any small action to prevent the spread of the virus is vital. All FVF hospitals work hard to follow protocols and provide the best service to patients. And very recently, two months ago, schools have opened their doors to 9th and 10th graders who had to be screened for higher education, a government-approved measure. All measures are carried out for the safety of students.

Despite all the adversities and delays, the Foundation's teams of educators have not stopped for a minute: preparatory meetings with schools, complementary trainings for staff and search for new future solutions in complementary schools.

Experts say the consequences of closing schools for the most vulnerable students, especially girls, could be severe. Students in rural communities also face enormous obstacles to continuing their education even in normal times (distance from populations, coverage problems, homes without a computer or mobile, lack of funds in families, etc.). The truth is that isolation measures and school closures made disparities in access to inclusive, equitable and quality training visible and increased. To help break down these barriers, and given that online training has broken into these circumstances to stay, the Foundation has provided tablets to 415 inclusive school students to continue their education from home.

Links:

One year fighting against the Covid-19

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