The Beacon

Newsletter of the India Literacy Project

March-April 2005 Vol 12 Issue 9-10

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Dear Beacon Readers,

These are exciting times around ILP. Following the transition of the CA chapter to a new leadership team, a new National Coordinating Committee (NCC) is poised to take over leadership of ILP-US under the able stewardship of Padmini Ranganathan. You will be seeing more details in the upcoming issues of the newsletter.

We would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Sumita Jayaraman, outgoing National Co-Convenor (2001-2004). Sumita was instrumental in sustaining the organization through challenging times, triggered by the economic downturn in the US, which saw high volunteer turnover and lowered fundraising. It was Sumita’s single-minded devotion and determination that helped to weather the storm and keep the flame glowing. Her passion for the cause continues to inspire us all. She will continue to be intimately involved with ILP in an advisory role to the NCC.

In this issue, you will find a column authored by Sumita Jayaraman, giving her views on the progress made by ILP over the years and what challenges lie ahead. Having our ears attuned to the ground realities is the first and foremost step in evolving the strategy and meeting the challenges. The ILP Partner’s meet, organized by ILP-India on a biannual basis, is such a forum that provides us an opportunity to hear from as well as facilitate knowledge sharing amongst our NGO partners.

In the projects section, we focus on CFSARD, which provides a fundamental platform for sustainable income generation and a practical application of the skills acquired by neo-literates. ILP volunteers contribute more ways than one. ILP-Bangalore volunteers lead the way in coming up with innovative ways to channel their energy to support novel education initiatives.

Several positive & exciting organizational developments, reported in this space over the past few issues, including several new chapter interests in the US, influx of new leadership and fresh energy and ideas at the chapter as well as the national level help to galvanize ILP’s volunteer base to work towards “A 100% literate India”. Your continued support will help achieve this noble goal in our lifetime!

Thanks for your continued support.

Regards,
Editor

ILP Partners Meet, Feb 4-5, 2005 – A Report. By Aditi Ghosh

With a distinct vision of achieving the goal of universalization of elementary education, effective action plan with regular updates of different ILP partner’s activity is indispensable. In order to facilitate this, a face-to-face forum with 25 active ILP partners from eight states and dedicated ILP supporters and volunteers, the ILP Partners Meet was held in Bangalore on 4^th and 5th Feb 2005 at Indian Social Institute, Bangalore. The event served as the informative platform for sharing knowledge of ILP ’s activities with special emphasis on past, present and future functioning of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Continuing Education Programme (CEP), with a focus to identify NGOs intervention needs along with vital training needs of partners. SSA and CEP are the two significant centrally sponsored education schemes of the Government of India, launched to inculcate a positive change in the education status of our society. The interactive session on SSA and CEP was enlightened by the inspiring words of experience from eminent speakers Dr. Madhav Chavan (Member, NAC), Sri. Chandrashekhariah (Joint Director Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Karnataka), Dr. Nagambika Devi, Shri. Lingadevaru Hallemane and Shri Sheena Shetty. Although the 2 day meet gave an insight to the realities and constraints faced by partner NGOs such as political interference, lack of proper guidelines, etc, it undoubtedly helped all to chalk out the future strategies, paving a smooth way for accomplishment of ILP ‘s dream, a 100% literate India. To view the complete proceedings of the meet, please visit, http://www.ilpnet.org/news/PartnersMeet2005/

Chapter/Organization News

Do you think it is too expensive to involve highly educated students of elite schools into the mainstream of ILP volunteerism? No, in fact, for only four hours a week, they can help attract more youth to higher education. The ILP Bangalore volunteers at the Indian Institute of Science and Chitrakala Parishad have already started and are eager to show us how too!

In the months of Feb and March, 15 student volunteers from these reputed institutes visited 32 government and municipal corporation high schools in the North Block of Bangalore. Under the competent leadership of R. Sastry, a Research student in Management Studies volunteers spread awareness to high school students about the 'Prathibha Poshaka,' a 5 yr old juvenile program that provides financial support to meritorious children who complete their 10th standard from the Karnataka State Board. Pratibha Poshaka is a program facilitating a better future for children from economically under-privileged sections of community through the medium of education. In a short time, this program has garnered active patronage from major institutional donors like Infosys Foundation in Bangalore and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust in Mumbai, which helped it to further support 150 children in Urban Bangalore for their 11th standard education in the next academic year.

Enthusiastic youth volunteers Vivek and Yadav from Chitrakala Parishad were confident that they could mobilize their friends from 'V-Giv' - a volunteer group started by the Chitrakala Parishad students to provide current inputs to the selected students in the area of fine arts. Led by R. Sastry, the ILP-IISC volunteers conducted a workshop (on March 25) for Pratibha Poshaka science students where a study session has been planned for them every Sunday.
With the aid of ILP, Sri. Pramod Kulkarni, from Prerana is on his way to creating a learning center for students in IISc with mentors as he feels "Funding is not a problem for us, but we need more volunteer help like this."

Project Focus– Chetana Foundation for Social Awareness Research and Development (West Bengal)

By Aditya R. Das

Chetana Foundation for Social Awareness Research and Development was founded in 1993 and began on a small scale by considering Vocational Training as a fundamental platform for sustainable income generation and a practical application of the skills acquired by neo-literates. Some of the highlights and areas of focus are detailed below:

Womens’ Entrepreneurship Development (WED) Program:

CFSARD’s WED program has been in existence for the past ten years. The object of their efforts is to develop entrepreneurial skills among rural women, to eliminate middlemen and to allow the women to develop an independently supported platform for growth. The results have directly led to an increased contribution to their family incomes, and some have helped to repay old debts and/or support an unemployed husband and minor children.

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India Literacy Project
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CA 95035-9998

Donate for a cause - Support literacy programs
ILP is registered as a non-profit organization in the USA (Tax ID# 36-3779020). 100% of the funds collected by ILP USA are sent to India. All administrative costs in the USA are absorbed by volunteers.

To donate in the USA, make a tax deductible check or draw Money order in favour of "India Literacy Project" and mail to India Literacy Project, P. O. Box 361143, Milpitas, CA 95035-9998.

ILP is registered as a trust in India. Donors can claim tax deduction under section 80G of the Income-Tax Act. To donate in India, make cheques payable to "India Literacy Project" and mail them to India Literacy Project, 5/1 Bore Bank Road, Benson Town, Bangalore - 560046.

In 1999, the program was extended to include neo literate women who wanted to immediately apply their new found skills in the areas of Business Development. Their interests were based on locally focused ongoing home based businesses in Gabberia and Dakshin Kashipur (District: South 24 Parganas) such as puffed rice manufacture, poultry farming and tailoring. In addition, CFSARD’s bee-keeping and honey production projects were launched in Bakreshwar, District Birbhum, West Bengal.

The women are trained by experts from the Narendrapur unit of the Ramakrishna Mission Lok Shiksha Parishad who translate complex business ideas into simple and understandable terms, such as the benefits of long term growth, interest earnings (through the micro credit schemes that are concurrently generated) and the general welfare and independence of their family unit.

This Business Development course has been so successful at Dakshin Kashipur, that it is conducted annually by CFSARD and is structured to guide and motivate neo literate rural women as a complementary facet of their learning experience. A two day Business Development Course has also been initiated at the Bakreshwar Centre. This in turn attracted 30 neo literate women from the area who are keen to start home based businesses-this movement has been in direct response to local demands.

Micro Credit Programme:

The Micro Credit programme was introduced to two groups of six women each as a pilot project in Dakshin Kashipur during the financial year 2001-’02. The project is run with the help of local volunteers and staff who collect regular repayments of the loans and encourage the women to save in Jeevan Deep a small savings scheme.

The two groups are headed by Group Leaders, one for each group, both neo literates from CFSARD’s Literacy Projects. A two day refresher course was organized to assess the performance of the beneficiaries, the problems faced by them, possible solutions and the impact of the program on the lives of individual beneficiaries and the community as a whole. This was followed by another post training interactive review workshop held in March 2004 to discuss measures to make micro-credit more effective.

The success of this and CFSARD’s Business Development Course may be measured by the fact that around 20 women who underwent CFSARD’s Literacy and micro-credit program have now organized themselves into groups to take advantage of a Government sponsored scheme which links these groups to the formal banking system to improve outreach of credit to the rural poor. These women have taken the first steps to secure independent loans from the local public sector bank to develop their home based businesses.

Adult Literacy Programme.

CFSARD’s Adult Literacy Programme for women completed five years since its inception in 1999. In March 2004 the six centers in Birbhum District and two in South 24 Parganas completed their Adult Literacy Course for their new batches of a total of 150 women.

Quarterly evaluations are held at all the centers. 30 women at Dakshin Kashipur, South 24 Parganas and 40 women belonging to two centers in Birbhum District have joined a second year of Continuing Education. A new center has been opened in nearby Ekkabarpur where a Government sponsored Literacy programme was shut down after three months. CFSARD’s objective is to spread literacy among the entire female population of the Dubrajpur Block in Birbhum District where they have been working for the past three years. For this purpose CFSARD plans to put forward a proposal involving training and recruitment of itinerant teachers, each responsible for a cluster of villages, to promote the concept of Adult Literacy more effectively at grass roots level among various communities.

The Road to Literacy

Sumita Jayaraman

National Co-Convener (2001-2004)

As India Literacy Project enters its 15^th year of operation we have come a long way from the ‘good intentions and good projects’ started on a small scale we started with in 1991. ILP has had the honor of working with numerous project partners and in the process learnt a lot of the realities on the ground. With this has a come deeper understanding of the issue at large and the emergence of a broader vision of the impact of literacy on society. More importantly, there has been a progressive realization of what constitutes literacy – not just the three Rs of reading writing and arithmetic, but social and economic empowerment that leads to an understanding of the rights and roles of a person in a democratic society.

We have targeted programs and projects that include these principles as part of their goals. We have supported projects that move children from labor to schools, and have gone one step further in sustaining the enrolment by providing a support structure. We have encouraged programs that strengthen mainstream education in order to decrease the reliance on a parallel system; not sustainable on a large scale or for a long period of time. We have expanded adult literacy requirements to include vocational training and self-help initiatives as the demand for a visible economic impact of education is critical for that segment of the population. We have strengthened our role as a resource center for the NGO network to provide access information, funds, training and other support.

As we enter the next phase of our own growth, we are charting the pathways of our progress and identifying key areas of intervention. A strong case for public policy with respect to fundamental right to education and the campaign against child labor are called for. Even more important is the implementation and enforcement at the state level that requires collaborative effort with the local governments. Some of the tribal and migrant labor populations that fall through the cracks need to be targeted. Life-skills initiatives, designed to enable a literate person define his rightful role in society, is a critical part of the empowerment process in order to avoid disillusionment and alienation of the neo-literate group. ILP has a new National team in place that has started working on streamlining various aspects of our work to achieve the maximum impact. I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this organization for the past few years and very thrilled to have new leaders in place who are dedicated to the cause of education and poised for the future growth of ILP. We are immensely grateful to all our supporters and well-wishers who believe in the cause of empowerment and change through literacy. Sometimes, when problem seems too large and then we say – ‘Dare to dream big, for large problems require just that!’

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