CHANGING THE LIVES OF INDIA'S MOST DISADVANTAGED
We as 16-18 year-old students most likely take for granted the fact we are given an education free of charge, and the opportunities said education gives us. English, Maths, Art. You name it, it’s handed to us on a silver platter, yet many children our age are not fortunate enough to receive this kind of endowment as a result of economic and social deprivation. Yet in India, one school, the Shanti Bhavan children’s project, based in Tamil Nadu hopes to challenge this issue. This school provides world-class education to the children of India’s lowest caste: the Dalits, formerly categorised as the ‘untouchables’. If this is new to you, India has what is known as the “caste” system, in which the population of India was separated into five groups, and although officially illegal, it is still practised by many millions of people. The Brahmin, the highest cast were the group of Priests and Academics in ancient time. The Kshatriyas, warriors and kings. The Vaishya, merchants and landowners. The Sudra, ordinary people and peasants and finally, the Dalits, also known as the ‘untouchables’ who are shunned from modern society. These groups were formed three thousand years ago to supposedly maintain order in society in India. However, as we have progressed into modern times, the Dalits have been often discriminated against as a result of their caste. India enforced a law in 1949 abolishing all discrimination based on caste. Unfortunately this law has not been enforced properly and as a result many Indians of lower groupings have been subject to social and economic discrimination. This is why the Shanti Bhavan School was set up; to give opportunities to children of one of the poorest areas in India to ultimately break the cycle of poverty.
BACKGROUND
In August 1997 Dr Abraham George, a noted businessman of American commerce, took it upon himself to set up the George Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to aid the alleviation of poverty, the protection of health care and the environment, and the improvement of governance in one of India’s poorest regions, Tamil Nadu - serving 16,000 people over 17 villages. One of the ways in which he wished to assuage poverty was through the access to education by all children, regardless of their background and wealth - given that most Dalits live on less than $2 per day. And thus, Shanti Bhavan was born. At first two classes of four and five year olds were accepted into the school when it first opened its doors, yet Shanti is now home to more than 300 children and young adults aged 4 – 18.
One child from each family in the surrounding areas of the school is admitted in order to give a wider reach to all families rather than just a few with many children, given that there is a lack of space and resources to fund a larger school. The children are taught Mathematics, History, Geography, Hindi, writing and reading in English, Physics, Chemistry, Business, Accounting and Biology, just to name a few. Older students attend workshops in writing, public speaking, and debate. Students are able to engage in sports such as volleyball, basketball, and football. Finally, students learn the importance of volunteerism, feminism, leadership, and personal/emotional development. At the end of the fourteen years in which the young people are enrolled, they are fluent in English, Hindi and Farsi. This ultimately gives the young people more access to a wider range of fields in study and employment. Graduates from the school have gone on to become authors, such as Shilpa Raj who successfully published her first novel at 22, titled The Elephant Chasers Daughter. She is also has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a masters in psychological counselling. This has enabled her to work with autistic children and give guidance to their families through counselling. Another successful graduate of the school is Vinceya- she graduated from St Joseph’s College of commerce with a bachelor’s degree in business management and now works for Amazon’s production investigations team.
HOW THIS AIDS THOSE IN POVERTY
As India is part of BRICS – an emerging group of fast industrialising countries with rapidly growing economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), many of the population still live in extreme poverty alongside some of the wealthiest people in the world. This means that the wealth and GDP of a certain country is not distributed evenly for a variety of factors. Ultimately it boils down to the ideology of capitalism and the idea that a society built on efficiency cannot be egalitarian and equitable, as it leads to an uneven distribution in commodities and capital (money). The children who gain this kind of education alongside the hardships then endured as a result of their background, growing up in difficult conditions, begin to understand from first-hand experience some of the hardships that over 1.3 billion people in absolute poverty experience throughout their life. Thus giving them a deep understanding of the problems that people face across the globe. Most often, girls in particular, would usually be married by the time they were 16. However, Shanti Bhavan prevents this by educating the girls and giving them the freedom to pursue a career rather than be working in manual labour, which in itself can be life-threatening or a housewife, in which they don’t have much opportunity as the majority of them are illiterate. The students are also taught the importance of feminism, sometimes a concept completely new to them with an emphasis on female rights, and again this gives them an opportunity to view the western world and maybe the world they will move into as they mature and become employed. The young people also become aware of discrimination many people have faced across the globe from the apartheid, to the genocide of Native American peoples from colonial rule. Again, this gives the students a broad knowledge of the world around them, and maybe, in the future, change it.
Overall, the Shanti Bhavan School is pioneering in its work for young people and the future of a country with the second highest population in the world alongside the huge poverty numbers. Through the access to education the opportunities for these young children become boundless, as they have been given the chance to change the course of their lives. Shanti Bhavan is now on track to opening a second school in India, widening the range in which it can reach. Thanks to donations made and Dr Abraham Georges work, these young people can begin to experience life and opportunity as any 16-18 year old would in the UK, 2018.