May 13, 2010

When 12-year-old Julia Thicke heard the story of the Dalits she was moved to action. She chose to get involved by fundraising to build a playground at one of our schools, as in her opinion all children should have the opportunity to play. Julia invited her friends and family to support her by replacing their birthday and Christmas gifts with donations, and also rallied her schoolmates by holding a Bollywood dance in her elementary school. Together, Julia and her peers have succeeded in funding a playground! Click Here to view her Champion page.

As a result of her tremendous fundraising effort, as well as her invitation to others to participate in something significant, Julia has been selected as a finalist in the 2010 Canadian Living Me to We Awards. She is one of three finalists in her category, Youth in Action (12 & under).

This is where we are asking you to get involved. Whichever contender gets the most votes from the public will win the award. You can vote online at http://www.metowe.com/awards from May 13 to May 27. Winning the award would not only be a wonderful way to acknowledge Julia’s hard work, it will also mean significant publicity for Dalit Freedom Network and the situation in India.

Thank you for helping us and Julia!
CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

May 4, 2010

Mark Maxwell, newly appointed President of Prairie, communicated the recent action of the College Board regarding the plight of the Dalit people:

“IN SOLIDARITY with the oppressed people of the world, we, the Prairie community in Three Hills, Alberta, wish to declare our campus to be a Dalit Freedom Zone. We choose to identify with the most oppressed and underprivileged people of the world and welcome all races and nationalities onto our campus… AS EQUALS.”

DFN Canada is honoured and encouraged by the bold stand that the Prairie Board have taken and hope that other colleges and communities across Canada will take a similar stand for the plight of the Dalit people.

April 26, 2010

NGP school in the state of Maharashtra has started an adult literacy class this year. The fifteen students, all women, meet three evenings a week in the home of their teacher, a young girl named Sadhana who attends NGP’s tailoring training. Sadhana was so grateful for the training she was receiving that she decided she also wanted to help others. She has chosen to do this by sharing her knowledge of reading and writing with the women of her community.

The majority of the literacy students are older, married women. When asked why they never attended school, one woman replied that when she was a child, her family did not understand how important education was. Another woman shared that her family was too poor to pay for books and other required materials, and as a result her teachers punished her for coming to class unprepared; to save herself this humiliation and suffering, she chose to discontinue her education.

Now adults with children of their own, many of whom attend the local DFN school, these women understand what a gift education is. They have made the courageous decision to learn despite manifest obstacles that still remain in their lives. They understand that even this little bit of education will empower them and improve their lives, as well as the lives of their children. The women are extremely grateful to DFN for their commitment not only to change children’s futures, but also to help entire families.

Click Here for more information and stories of Dalit women.

April 19, 2010

As the CEO in an industry that accesses contact information and data on every person in America for security and fraud services; and, data for telco/address services so no person is unable to be reached if there were a health crisis; including, to support education, finance and non-profit services with correct information about their clientele . . . Garth Froese understands that each person needs to be recognized, not exploited. The Technology Industry has not changed the personal needs of people that Garth used to focus on when he worked for 14 years as a pastor. In his corporate career for the past 15 years, the time spent working with people in China, Korea, Latin America and throughout North America have only accentuated the vision to be a part of the solution for each person in the world. Garth will say that the masses are not historical collateral; they are Individuals representing potential breakthroughs. This is where Dalit Freedom Network opens up a tremendous opportunity by a formula for impact that Garth uses to calculate the value of a cause:

Children (Future Generations)
+ Education (Learning to Learn)
+ Strategic Focus (Integrity & Planning)
= Solution of Significant Impact

Garth says, “DFN has an eternal purpose by providing a child with a new beginning”.

Click Here to read how Garth is “Surprised by Joy” for Dalit Freedom.

April 12, 2010

India is likely to clash with London over a new Equality Bill that outlaws caste discrimination in Britain and calls it a form of racism.

The bill was welcomed by campaigners for India’s Dalits or “untouchables,” a caste that suffers violence and persecution, but it was condemned by the Indian government.

There are more than 250 million Dalits in India, many of whom are denied water, access to schools and, in some cases, the right to pass through villages by upper caste Hindus who believe their presence pollutes them. Some Dalits still work as “night soil carriers” — transporting human waste from latrines. One prominent campaigner had his arms and legs amputated because he refused to withdraw a police complaint against higher caste men who raped his daughter.

Ministers in London have become increasingly concerned about discrimination against lower caste Indians in Britain after a report last year, which claimed that thousands had been ill-treated. Until now, victims of caste discrimination in Britain had no recourse to law. India also has legislation outlawing caste discrimination but is strongly opposed to any comparison with racism.

The Indian government made its views known to British delegations at the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva and at a European Union-India human rights dialogue last month.

“India’s position on this issue has been clear and consistent. Caste and race discrimination are two separate issues and there is no case to equate the two. We are opposed to attempts at international forums to equate the issues,” said an official source.

India’s leading campaigner for Dalit rights, Udit Raj, welcomed the bill and said it would increase pressure for the UN to recognize caste discrimination as a form of racism

“The United Kingdom has done the right thing,” he said.

(Click Here to view the Vancouver Sun article)

March 29, 2010

This month was the second graduation of the Good Shepherd Schools. Again this was a emotionally charged event with the children, the parents, the graduates, staffs and some of our partners present. For me it was a fresh reminder of how quickly the time has gone in the Dalit Freedom Movement and now the graduates are coming out of our schools. The school management brought in the 3 top students of last year ( two girls and one boy) all in colleges now and no one would have believed that these young kids with jeans, t-shirts and sneakers and their great confidence were children of slums and poverty ridden areas and so called outcastes and untouchables. One of our girls is in junior college preparing to go into medical school and wants to come back and serve her own people with us.

This new school year we will be into our 100th school. I just can’t believe it. We will have more than 20,000 children rescued, cared for, empowered and educated along with the spiritual and social empowerment of their families and communities.

Joseph

Click Here to read Joseph’s full letter and to see pictures & videos.

March 22, 2010

International Women’s Day is a significant event in India, and was celebrated in many locations this year. On March 11 more than 400 women from local villages gathered at THN school for a program which included speeches from DFN Economic Development workers and DFN Canada’s own Suzi Livingstone. Women arrived wearing matching sarees to represent their membership in particular self-help groups. The program concluded with the distribution of twenty micro-loans to individuals who will use the money to start small businesses and lift their families out of poverty.

The following day saw a similar program take place in nearby Pondicherry, where over 2500 women gathered to celebrate. In addition to the many speeches there was also the awarding of certificates to tailoring graduates, distribution of saplings to village representatives, and dramas performed by very confident women. On March 13, 30 of these women were presented with their own loans.

In both programs, many women testified to how their membership in DFN’s self-help groups has transformed their lives; not only are they now economically empowered, they are also reminded that they are not alone. Women across India are learning that when they stand together, they are powerful. Together, they are fighting for their rights, as well as the freedom of their daughters and granddaughters.

Click Here for more information and stories on Dalit women.

March 15, 2010

Dr. Greg Hislop is a Research Scientist who made his first trip to India in 2003. Little did he know that this trip would be so life-changing and would lead to further involvement in India. In fact, he was compelled to establish the Canadian organization, Dalit Freedom Network, and serves as Board Chairman of DFN. Dr. Hislop has returned to India six times and each trip has deepened his commitment to help free the Dalits from their caste bondage and provide them with human dignity and freedom.

Over the next four weeks, Dr. Greg shares his experiences and concerns for the untouchable Dalits and their children. Click Here to journey with him as he writes weekly updates on his Champion page.

March 8, 2009

This Good Shepherd School is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.The school has classes from Lower Kinder Garten to the 1st standard.

This school recently launched an innovative savings scheme for the school children and named the scheme as ‘Children’s Bank’. The main reason for starting this programme was to encourage the students to save their pocket money for a rainy day.

So all the students from Lower Kinder Garten to the 1st standard have started to save their pocket money and have invested their money in a ‘personal savings bank account’.

February 22, 2010

Title: Imagining India – The Idea of a Renewed Nation
Author: Nandan Nilekani
Category: Non Fiction 2009 528 pages

This book is a collection of essays which create a framework of political ideas for the transformation of India’s infrastructure. It is written in an unpretentious style, by a man of integrity, who is committed to India.

With a median age of 23 and a population of 1 billion, India is projected to surpass the population of China in the next decades. Economically though, India lags far behind. Nandan gives the reader practical socio-political strategies for future economic growth.

The book is divided into four sections. The first explores ideas which have been tried and have left a mark and a root system. The second examines the changing reality of Indian life, a desperate need for schools, a necessity which cannot be underestimated. The third, taking decisive action ; ideologies to adopt, policy issues to be reformed, how to sustain jobs created as new markets emerge. Section four projects future ideas ; reformation of courts of law , breaking political barriers, Security At Home, and financial markets.

Imagining India presents a vision for hope and change with real strategies for the historic emergence of a new society.

” Nandan Nilekani’s ideas definitely have created a pathway and that is the greatest achievement of Imagining India” (Rajdeep Sardesai)

*CLICK HERE to see more book reviews by Barbara Carmichael.