Nithari shot into fame when the bones of children were discovered buried in the backyard of a house. The owner of the house and his servant were arrested. While the owner walked out free, the servant was held guilty and death sentence was imposed. That sentence has been stayed by the court. In the aftermath of the Nithari incident, the Joint Women's Program initiated set of measures in the Nithari village. The village is mainly populated by Gujjars and migrant workers, most of them illiterate. Their children do not go to school as education is not considered a priority. The girls are especially at risk as they can be kidnapped for selling into prostitution. It is with this at risk population JWP started their Mera Sahara program. The program offers formal education up to class V and along with girls, it was heartening to note, many boys too had enrolled. The program does try to mainstream the children by admitting them into government schools. I was told today that the education that they imparted to their children was so successful that they were admitted into higher classes in the government. Thus, a class III child was admitted into class V.
The driving force behind the JWP is Dr. Jyotsna Chatterjee, who must be in her late sixties or may be in her early seventies. But she is enthusiastic, dynamic personality with whom it is a pleasure to interact with. Today she told me that she is still recovering from a hip replacement operation but now she has kicked off the walking stick and is able to walk by herself.
Today I also noted many positive points about the project. One, they have moved into a big house that can easily accommodate 100 odd children, a skill training center, and a sewing center. The house has enough toilets (though the village itself has only open drains and when it rains, the waters enters into the houses) and they can lock the main gate keeping the children (especially the girls) safe within their premises. This was especially a problem in their old premise which had no main gate. The other thing is that the children really are learning. A class IV/V child was reading English sentences written on the blackboard. After she had finished reading, I asked her to explain it in Hindi. She was able to do it, which is really encouraging. The teachers, I was told, had been given training and since I visit it every year, I was able to note that this time the teaching quality has improved. I was very happy to note that.
It is difficult for many NGOs to find good teachers or to retain them since we cannot afford very high salaries. So when I see a good teacher at an NGO I am very happy.
The driving force behind the JWP is Dr. Jyotsna Chatterjee, who must be in her late sixties or may be in her early seventies. But she is enthusiastic, dynamic personality with whom it is a pleasure to interact with. Today she told me that she is still recovering from a hip replacement operation but now she has kicked off the walking stick and is able to walk by herself.
Today I also noted many positive points about the project. One, they have moved into a big house that can easily accommodate 100 odd children, a skill training center, and a sewing center. The house has enough toilets (though the village itself has only open drains and when it rains, the waters enters into the houses) and they can lock the main gate keeping the children (especially the girls) safe within their premises. This was especially a problem in their old premise which had no main gate. The other thing is that the children really are learning. A class IV/V child was reading English sentences written on the blackboard. After she had finished reading, I asked her to explain it in Hindi. She was able to do it, which is really encouraging. The teachers, I was told, had been given training and since I visit it every year, I was able to note that this time the teaching quality has improved. I was very happy to note that.
It is difficult for many NGOs to find good teachers or to retain them since we cannot afford very high salaries. So when I see a good teacher at an NGO I am very happy.
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