India Community Development - Tearfund New Zealand

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  • 8/7/2019 India Community Development - Tearfund New Zealand

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    india

    ABOUT INDIAThe vast and diverse Indian subcontinent has long been fought over. From Aryan,

    Afgahn and Persian invasions to the British Raj, India has been under foreign rule

    from the ear ly 1800s until its independence in 1947. The subsequent division of

    the subcontinent into Pakistan and India has not been an easy one. Three wars

    over disputed territories have marred an otherwise successful bid for freedom

    from colonialism.

    India has a romance that is all together beautiful and terr ible. Bollywood success,

    majestic buildings, a large skilled workforce, economic reform and courtship by the

    worlds superpowers India seems to be on the rise. On the other side of the coin,

    extreme poverty haunts the land as the worlds largest slums continue to spread.

    Communal, caste and regional tensions also mar Indian culture. Like new wealth thatlands next door to the most desperate of human circumstances, India struggles with

    unimaginable poverty amidst the countrys economic success.

    TEAR FUND IN INDIA AshA hEAlTh PROjEcT

    Eleven slums housing approximately 2,500 poor families are perched precariously

    across a thin strip of land between rail tracks and a car junk yard in West Delhi.

    The Mayapuri Slum Health and Development Project, funded by TEAR Fund and

    run by long-term partner ASHA, is a beacon of hope in this wasteland.

    Where many women and children die from disease, poor hygiene and reproductive

    health issues, TEAR Fund seeks to br ing about a solution. ASHAs project focuseson building community awareness of reproductive and sexual health issues through

    workshops, STI, TB and HIV/AIDS screening and family planning services.

    ASHA is improving care for pregnant women by providing antenatal clinics, birth

    kits and midwifery training for Traditional Bir th Assistants. In the past year, signicant

    reduction in infant and maternal mortality has been observed due to these

    precautionary measures.

    Increasing access to basic quality health care ser vices for approximately 10,000

    people is another goal. Womens empowerment groups and childrens clubs teaching

    health education round out ASHAs approach to taking lives back from poverty.

    This is a NZAID match funded project. The funding is provided on 4:1 matchmeaning the NZAID provides 80% while TEAR NZ matches 20% of the total funding

    of the project each year.

    Call to donate: 0800 800 777 or visit www.tearfund.org.nz

    QUIcK FAcTsFu name:

    Republic of India

    Popuation:1.1 billion (UN, 2005)

    capita:New Delhi

    Mot-popuated ity:Mumbai (Bombay)

    Area:3.1 million sq km (1.2 million sq miles),excluding Indian-administered

    Kashmir(100,569 sq km/38,830 sq miles)

    Maor anguage:Hindi, English and at least

    16 other ofcial languagesMaor reigion:Hinduism, Islam, Christianity,

    Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism

    life expetany:62 years (men), 65 years (women)

    (UN)

    Monetary unit:1 Indian Rupee = 100 paiseMain export:Agricultural products, textile goods,

    gems and jewellery, software services

    and technology, engineering goods,

    chemicals, leather products

    GNI per apita:

    US $720 (World Bank, 2006)

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    Peer educators are active members of Bal Mandals

    (childrens groups) in Mayapuri. Two gir ls, Poonam and Jaymala,

    had launched themselves into all the Bal Mandals activities

    with great enthusiasm and dedication. After attending Asha

    workshops and sessions on adolescent health and social

    development, they were chosen and trained as peer educators

    to teach other young people about issues that are relevantto them.

    In a country where many of these topics are the subject of

    much confusion and are often taboo, these girls have taken a

    brave step by volunteering to tell their peers the facts about

    sexual health, changes that people should expect during

    adolescence and problems that people might encounter as

    they grow up.

    Poonam and Jaymala explained how children and young people

    between the ages of 10 and 18 are usually happy to speak to

    them and learn from them, as they are often confused or have

    been misinformed, and are not willing to approach their elders

    with any questions.

    Three boys have been equally active in their roles as male

    peer educators. In addition to educating their peers and

    dispelling many myths, theyd got many children admitted to

    school and spent a lot of time with a teenager, Mananjam,

    who had been visiting prostitutes and using drugs. They talked

    to him about the dangers of his behaviour and encouraged

    him to get tested for HIV and various STDs.

    The boys tests were all negative, but he was relieved to be

    safe and started spending a lot of time at the Asha centre to

    avoid temptation. Mananjam attended many classes while at

    the centre and learnt enough to be a peer educator himself.

    He can now spot teenagers with the problems he experienced,

    and he is a very valuable member of the team.

    PEER EDUcATORs TAcKlE IGNORANcE AMONG MAYAPURIs YOUNG PEOPlE

    National Ofce:

    PO Box 8315, Symonds St,

    Auckland 1150

    New Zealand

    Freephone: 0800 800 777

    Facsimile: (09) 629 1050

    Email: [email protected]

    Website: www.tearfund.org.nz

    CONTACTS:

    PROjEcT PROFIlEs

    TEAR Fund community development works by empowering poor communities to nd

    their own solutions to issues. This signicantly reduces overheads by operating through

    local staff. We work directly with the poorest allowing us to identify and address the root

    causes of poverty not just the symptoms.

    TEAR Fund partners with indigenous Christian organisations who carry out the work

    themselves. Assistance is given regardless of beliefs.

    Tear Fund takes an holistic approach to all of its projects which takes the local community

    on a journey of transformation through improved physical, social and economic

    circumstances, and often on an individual level, spiritual change.

    How community development transforms

    Physical meets targeted need such as health

    Social unites and empowers

    Economic often creates opportunities for income generation

    cOMMUNITY DEVElOPMENT

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