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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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