Seva Mandir

SEVA MANDIR’S PRIMARY SCHOOLS SAVED FROM CLOSURE!

Shantanu Kumar — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 09:39:09 +0000

After being on the verge of having to close down our successful NFE primary schools, we are happy to announce that the Government of India has officially legalized them as Special Training Centers. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, implemented by the Indian Government in 2009, has demonstrated progress in the rights based approach to ensuring education for all. However, under this act, one-size-fits-all criteria were set out for what constitutes a “school” such as, number of classrooms, toilet facilities, and level of teacher qualification. Our primary schools, which do not meet these criterion but deliver a top quality education to over 5,000 of the region’s most impoverished children every year, faced closure.

It took Seva Mandir over 2 years of hard work to save the program and ensure the continued education of the children in our work area. We carried out a study that found that 49% of children are still out of school in the remote areas where Seva Mandir schools operate. We lobbied intensely, arguing that despite the Government’s promise of education for all, Seva Mandir is vital and necessary until the State can deliver on that promise. Finally, just days ago, the Government provided us a chance to prove our work. 4 teams of Government officials conducted random surprise checkups on 11 of our NFE centers. 10 out of 11 were open, and after full day observations the officials concluded that the learning levels in our schools were significantly above those found in Government schools. Furthermore, the officials praised our schools’ efficiency, and recognized the fact that we are doing more than Government with fewer inputs. As a result of their experience on the ground, and after vetting our curriculum and teaching material, the State of Rajasthan has legalized our NFEs by according them the status of Special Training Centers (STCs). In concluding meetings, officials resolved that if society was so accepting of the program then it was important for the government to follow suit. As our NFE schools are now legitimized we can continue to provide the neediest and most marginalized children with a quality education. This is a tremendous achievement for Seva Mandir and all of our wonderful supporters. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this success, and for your continued faith in the good work that Seva Mandir does!

WOMEN, DAL MILL & FACILITIES ON THE RISE

Leo — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:04:38 +0000

Lawyer John Pheasant and Editor Felicia Pheasant hail from UK, they came to Seva Mandir for 2 weeks, which can be seen as a beginning of what we hope will be a long partnership helping Seva Mandir. They held a very well received writing workshop and even spent extensive amount of time in the field. John and Felicia we thank you for your hard work and inspiration, you gave us some living examples of the spirit of voluntarism upon which Seva Mandir was founded and which continues to motivate us. Here’s what they had to say.

We recently spent two weeks with Seva Mandir. Here’s what we experienced in our visit to Kotra, 150km from Udaipur, one of the remotest areas in which Seva Mandir works.

Digging deep

For most of the year, 85% of the land could not be cultivated, irrigation being essential in this semi-arid region. In an area where 90% of the population depends on agriculture to subsist, and where average monthly per capita income is less than Rs. 600 (less than £7.50), being unable to put so much of the land to use is crippling.

With Seva Mandir’s help, the local well was made deeper and a pump installed so water could reach the higher land. In return, farmers give the well owner a quarter of their total production. The well owner then pays for the fuel, contributes 50% of the remainder to the village fund, and uses the rest for maintenance of the well and the machinery. So now, villagers can farm all of their land, more than six times as much land as before.

We had briefly to cross into the neighbouring state of Gujarat and it was striking to see that every isolated house there is connected to the electricity grid thanks to the prosperity of this business-oriented state – very different from poor, rural Rajasthan, and certainly tribal Kotra. Click Here To Read More

Dal, Women and justice…

Farmers grow crops mostly for their own consumption. But lentils are one crop they can grow in sufficient quantity to sell the surplus. Being so far from the major towns, and with no access to transport, farmers used to have no option other than to sell to middlemen and receive a pittance for their lentils. With Seva Mandir’s help, one village has installed a mill which refines the dried lentils to produce dal, a staple of the Indian diet. One customer is the Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur.

The mill is run by men, but alongside the sacks of dal gathered a number of women, members of the local Women’s Resource Centre set up by Seva Mandir. One woman was clearly a spokesperson for her group and, together with her colleagues from the Centre, she has been trained by Seva Mandir in family counselling. If a husband is accused of beating his wife, the couple is asked to come and meet this team of women to explain the situation. If they uphold the wife’s complaint, the man is asked to promise to mend his ways. Does it work? Quite often it does, as the shame of the whole village knowing what he has done makes him want to avoid future embarrassment.

We asked if they brought up their sons to treat women better than is often the case. The women left us under no illusion that it would be a brave son who would mistreat a woman in the presence of these feisty mothers.

This tribal area has its own customs for dealing with crimes and disputes and tends not to involve the local police. With Seva Mandir’s help, the team of women have learned about the police and the court system and are able to investigate suspected crimes. In one case recently, a second wife was found to have attempted to poison her husband and his first wife. The women’s team found her guilty and made her promise not to try again. Once more, the public shame has been enough to resolve the situation.

We asked one of the women what the greatest achievement of their team had been. ‘Before, no one knew who I was when I walked down the street with my veil over my face. Now they know I’m a force to be reckoned with.’ Click here to read more

Time for the loo

In Kotra, houses have no running water, no sanitation and no drainage. Toilet facilities are non-existent, and fields are used. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to assault at these times. One solution is Ecosan toilets that Seva Mandir is helping to install.

Imagine two Indian-style floor-level loos side by side. The system requires liquid and solid waste to be kept separate: the liquid is filtered and then used in the fields; the section for solid waste is ‘flushed’ with ash, and the dry mixture is stored in a chamber below the toilet.

The first loo is used until the storage chamber is full, and then this is sealed and the second unit used. By the time the second chamber is full, the solid waste in the first has turned into odourless manure, which is taken out and spread on the fields and gardens, and the loo is once again ready for use. Click here to read more

Curing a Stigma

Leo — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:30:34 +0000

Munna is a village woman living in rural Rajasthan. During her pregnancy in 2010, she had experienced pain in her hands and feet. She sought medical help, but nothing was revealed. She must have felt worried, especially because she even took precautions, a tetanus shot and nutrient supplements, to make sure her baby will be healthy. A few weeks later, Munna gave birth to her daughter Kalpana in a government hospital. At 1.5 kg, Kalpana was considerably under-weight, but the doctors cleared her to leave the hospital, and Munna returned home with her new daughter.

It turned out that Kaplana was born with anorectal fistula, a defect in which a hole develops in the outer layer of the rectal tissue, thus creating an abnormal passageway between the rectal area and (typically) the skin. This results in abnormal and uncontrollable discharges of feces and pus through an opening other than the anus. At the time of Kalpana’s birth, the pediatric doctor did not inform Munna about the defect. She was left to discover the defect herself. Kalpana’s parents travelled to Udaipur city and the nearby state of Gujarat for medical consultations, to find out what they can do. Unfortunately, the family could not afford any of the treatment options, and Kalpana’s parents returned home feeling hopeless.

The most serious risk of fistula is infection, but typically this condition is not life threatening. It can, however, be considerably painful and cause major irritation. But aside from the physical symptoms, fistula is like a stigma. Typically, fistula happens to women during childbirth. There are anywhere from 30,000 – 50,000 cases a year, most often in Africa and South Asia. But to be born with it is less common. The social stigma attached to this disorder is perhaps the most damaging of all. Women are often neglected and cast out from their homes, left to fend for themselves. Children become socially excluded, and often experience an isolated childhood.

Three years have passed since the discovery of Kalpana’s illness. Munna, who has to work during the day, leaves her daughter a local pre-school run by Seva Mandir. In October 2012, the teacher at the pre-school informed Munna about the bi-weekly Maternal and Child Health camps run at Kojawara Referral Health Center (RHC), also run by Seva Mandir. At the RHC Kalpana was examined by the medical officer, Dr. Salvi, who referred her to a medical college in Udaipur. On November 1^st, 2012, Dr. Manish Pathak, a pediatric surgeon, examined Kalpana and told her parents that the treatment will include three operations. On her next visit to the health camp, Munna was persuaded to go ahead with the first operation, which was paid for by Seva Mandir.

Four days later, on March 17^th, Kalpana was operated on for Vestibular Fistula. She has responded well to the surgery, but requires further operative care and the Seva Mandir staff will regularly follow up her case until the treatment is completed. In an area where nature and society can seem so unforgiving, the services and funds provided by Seva Mandir fight to improve the quality of life for people like Kalpana.

In the period Oct 2012 to March 2013, the Kojawara RHC operated 50 camps. A total of 1,531 female patients were provided Antenatal care and Gynecological services and 699 children under the age of five were examined and treated.

Building Faith in Health Care

Leo — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:00:44 +0000

India graduates nearly 30,000 doctors a year. Yet, somehow, the country stands 67^th among 113 developing countries on the availability of doctors. In Rajasthan, doctor absenteeism is about 50% in public health facilities. Private practitioners provide nearly half of all health care in Udaipur district, while government health facilities and traditional healers each account for a quarter. Together, these figures reflect what is already widely known throughout India: the state of health care for the rural poor is abysmal. Doctors are notorious for abandoning their public practice, and setting up a more expensive private practice right next door*. Despite recent measures made to stop them, quacks are still running rampant in Rajasthan, giving out injections and tablets like kulfi on a summer day. Here, faith in the health care system is at a low.

But the staff at Seva Mandir is working hard to change things. Seva Mandir runs a maternal and child health camp at the Kojawara Referral Health Center (RHC), 83 km outside of Udaipur. The main goals of the camp are to provide quality and affordable maternal and child health care, and also to increase the accessibility of medical facilities to women. Critical to the success of these camps are the health workers trained by Seva Mandir: Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) who provide complete antenatal and post natal care as well as facilitate safe delivery, and Bal Sakhis, who provide home-based neonatal and infant advice to the caregivers. By establishing a close relationship with the women they care for, the TBAs and Bal Sakhis are able to accompany the women to public and private health facilities such as the Kojawara RHC, and ensure that women and their children are receiving quality health care.

One such woman is Lalita Bai, a 25-year-old mother of five from Khetiyala village. During her third pregnancy, a Bal Sakhi brought Lalita Baia to the Kojawara RHC for an antenatal checkup, which included blood pressure, weight, urine and hemoglobin tests. Dhola Bai, her Bal Sakhi, found it easy to convince Lalita to come to the RHC since travel and medicinal expenses were covered by Seva Mandir. When it was time for Lalita to give birth, a TBA accompanied her to a private health facility located 20 km away from Lalita’s village. The delivery was successful and Lalita gave birth to a healthy daughter.

A few months later, Lalita showed up at the Kojawara RHC. This time she came on her own accord. Her newborn, Reena, had a fever and, like any mother would, Lalita sought help from a place she could trust.

If Lalita had never known about the Kojawara RHC, where would she have received care? How much would she have spent? Would Reena be here today? Would she be less healthy without the careful attention of Dhola Bai, the Bal Sakhi? Would she, or her mother, ever have survived a home delivery? One may find it difficult to speculate on all these questions, but this story shows that one thing is certain: with careful attention and interventions, the health care system in India can be made to work for the rural poor. Faith in the system can be restored.

* Check out how one NGO is using mobile phones to check up on health workers’ attendance.

Photo auction in NYC brings in $13,000

Leo — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:36:40 +0000

On March 27, 2013, Friends of Seva Mandir held its second annual photo-exhibition and auction, “Images of India”, once again in the heart of New York City. The event coincided with the colorful Indian festival of Holi. The event was a resounding success, both in terms of the donation of breathtaking art, and the enthusiasm and patronage of the attendees.

Held at the DFB sales showroom at 14 E 38^th Street, the space presented itself beautifully as a gallery ablaze with the vivid colors of India in its many moods. There were 44 pieces in all, including 25 from professional photographers and 19 by ‘travelers’.

The list of professional photographers who participated was indeed a who’s who of celebrated, extremely talented artists including Hannes Schmid, Susan Meiselas, Sanjit Das and Alexandra Bergman among other notable names (please see the program for the complete list). All their pieces were available for a bid as a part of a silent auction. The travelers’ photographs were equally appealing and presented at a fixed price. All of the presented artwork was the result of a stringent, systematic process of selection and jurying. Out of a total of 150 submissions by travelers, 19 were selected.

The results of the careful and collaborative planning were evident on the day of the event: 160 people attended the event, over 45 pieces were sold, and we raised $13,000! The event renewed our faith in the support of our patrons, the great dedication of our volunteers, the generosity of our benefit committee, and the leadership of our planning committee. We have definitely raised the bar high for the third annual fundraiser next year!

Learning Camp Ending Ceremony

Alex — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 10:14:56 +0000

On the 15th on March, a ceremony was held in Kaya to celebrate the ending of one of our learning camps. The camp started the 28th of January and ended the 16th of March, where 103 children, 51 girls and 52 boys, attended on three different levels. One of our great donors, the general manager of Hotel Lake Palace, Mr. Shyam Kaikini, attended the ceremony and handed out diplomas to the children. Miss Priyanka Singh was also present and held a speech where she said that every year she visits the camp she can see improvements, but that it is very sad that due to lack of funding we have to reduce the intake of children. Thankfully we have friends like Mr. Shyam Kaikini, and hard working staff so that we can make the most of the education for the children that are attending.

Two girls, Chagni and Jamuna, both held speeches where they talked about their stories, both very similar; they had grown up doing household work and was never allowed to go to school, this learning camp was their first learning experience. They were now motivated to continue their studies and planned to attend to Government Schools. A boy, Kheli Ram, also held a speech were he shared his story about how he had been going to a Government school, but that the teacher was beating him so badly that he dropped out. He stayed home for three months before he went to the learning camp, which he now enjoyed so much that he doesn’t want to go back home.

The children also performed a play about the importance of educating girls, and there were two groups and one solo performance of dancing. They only had a few days to practice – but impressed with their skills and joyful execution.

Presentators and audio technician

Excited about the show

Diplomas handed out to the students at the end of the ceremony

Kanku Bai – Red Rickshaw Revolution

Alex — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:31:02 +0000

The Red Rickshaw Revolution is an initiative taken by Vodafone to support the achievements of extraordinary women around India. Three women drove from Delhi to Mumbai in a Rickshaw, and on their journey the stopped at the Kojawara hospital in Kelwara block where a health camp was held. Vodafone had readthe case study of Kanku Bai, a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) trained by Seva Mandir, and thought that her story should be shared to inspire other women around the country. They spoke to the women who attended the health camp about how Seva Mandir has helped to empower women in the rural areas, and also about the importance of the training of the TBAs. Many of the TBAs have daughters that wants to become TBAs as well, as they are well respected in the villages and their work holds a great importance to the women and children.

As Kanku Bai puts it:

“I feel honoured that my work as a traditional birth attendant gives me an opportunity to help save the lives of both women and newborns. The respect I have earned in my community has allowed me to motivate other mothers to care for their daughters.”

Read more about her story here, and watch the interview with her here.

Sunita Chaudhary, the driver of the Red Rickshaw also spoke the group, and shared her story about her struggles as the first female rickshaw driver in Delhi. The women were impressed by the story about her work in an urban city, to hear how different it can be, but could also relate to the many barriers women from all parts of India face. The event was a very inspirational meeting, and a chance for women with different backgrounds to come together and share their stories and encourage each other to keep reaching for their goals.

Dr.Kusum Mathur caught a ride with the rickshaw!

International Women’s day

Alex — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:59:10 +0000

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Seva Mandir hosted an event held over two days, 7-8^th of March, in the Badgaon block office. Around 200 women attended and listened to speeches and participated in group discussions regarding women’s situation in the work areas of Seva Mandir.

Women with all different kinds of roles – a traditional birth attendant, a WRC leader, a Panchayat leader, pre school teacher, a woman from the short stay home, and a youth leader – all shared their stories about struggles they have and how they continue to overcome this, through their own motivation and strength but also with the support from Seva Mandir their community. They emphasised on how important it is with sharing personal stories with one another to raise awareness and encouraged each other to work together to create a happier and safer environment for everyone.

Main issues that were mentioned:

Women are not being allowed to work outside of home
Domestic violence, and the inability to speak up against it
Men don’t want women to leave the house or to speak to other males outside the household. If they do, they are perceived as unfaithful.
Families not supportive of studies and working outside household
Males still have extra marital affairs – up to 3 partners
Alcohol addiction amongst men
Female foeticide
Hierarchy still exist between women and men
Women are afraid for their personal safety
Access to health care and hospitals
No response from judicial systems and law enforcement
Difficulties to join women’s groups

Seva Mandir’s role in empowerment

Women are given opportunity to work outside home and feel confident about working outside home
Women linked with government organisations and working in them i.e. Panchayats
Women have a better understanding for government schemes such as girl education
A general increase of confidence amongst women
Increased awareness of health – access to service, healthy eating, vaccinations and family planning methods
Child marriages have decreased
Women are more engaged in work around the villages – i.e. Dal Mill, Balwadis, teaching etc.

There are still many issues, and Seva Mandir is trying to create platforms for women to come together and solve their problems and motivate each other, and also by creating spaces for women to apply their knowledge and skills. Seva Mandir is also trying to fill the gap in between that our society is not getting the proper response and the judicial system.

There is also a need to help women who work outside of the home, with balancing the workload as they are doing both their job duties and family duties, which causes a large amount a stress.

The two days ended with a large party where all the women rejoiced and danced together!

Rashu Jindel helped raise incredible Rs 2.2 lakh during Mo-vember

Alex — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:20:30 +0000

By not shaving for a month, Rashu Jindel created awareness of Seva Mandir’s work and helped raise a remarkable donation. A little about his experience, in his own words:

“Working for Seva Mandir has always given me intense satisfaction. From 2011 through the end of of 2012, I had made 4 trips there, and their work in the field of childrens’ education struck an instant chord with me. However, as time progressed, it got difficult to visit Seva regularly, given that I live in Singapore. I thought of creative ways to raise funds for them and spread awareness of the amazing work that they were doing. Something that struck me as easy, fun and innovative was “Mo-vember” – this is a worldwide initiative during the month of November. Men commit to not shave during this period, and in return gather donations for causes dear to their heart. The concept originally revolves around spreading awareness on Prostrate Cancer, but any charity is good charity!

Throughout November, I did not shave and whenever asked my reason for not doing so, I used it as a chance to spread awareness on Seva. I showed my colleagues, friends and even my boss what Seva does. The good news is – at the end, I had gathered a total of S$ 4800 (Approximately Rs 2.2 lakh)!

I hope these funds go towards helping Seva continue doing the amazing work that they’ve been doing for so long.”

Thank you Rashu for this amazing contribution!

Read more about Rashu’s charity work on Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/small.impacts

Case Study Of Kapila

Alex — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:48:12 +0000

Kokila lives in Kozawada village of Kherwara block. Her husband is working with farming and stitching. Together they have three daughters and two sons. Kokila always wished to do something to support her family economically, so she decided to learn stitching work.

Seva Mandir organized a series of trainings for women on tailoring during 2010-12. Kokila attended two of these, and learned to stitch both ladies blouses and skirts as well as children’s shorts and shirts. After the training, she bought a sewing machine and started to work with stitching. As a result of the increased income, she could also purchase a cow of good breed and started to sell milk to a dairy in Himmatnagar. At present, she earns Rs. 100 to 200 from stitching work and Rs. 100 to 200 from the sales of milk.

Kokila’s earning has improved the economical conditions of her family, and she has also helped her husband to pay off debts. She is very happy with her new role and wants her children to be highly educated. Her two daughters are currently studying in 11^th and 9^th grade and one of her sons is studying in 5^th grade.