leadership in global community.
Shammi David (IF'08, India) on February 10th, 2011Lovings greetings from Shammi.
Trust you are all keeping fine with this New year and I wish that this year brings you all good health and cheers in your daily life.
Below is a report for the children’s education program done unders CORD in which your kind support and solidarity has contributed a lot to continue our activities. I on behalf of Cord, chidlren and adivasi community thank each and every one for all the support and wishes extended to us. I hope this support and solidarity will continue in the coming days.
Activity report of Coorg Organisation for Rural development
(CORD) for the period January2010- December 2010
Children’s formal Education program was made compulsory. The adivasi children are from soliga and Jenukuruba community. The adivasi parents take their children for work in the nearby coffee estates and halt for few days. The parents are not bothered to leave back their children in the hadies so that it helps them to go back to their respective schools. In many tribal villages the children are not gone back to school. Hence it is made compulsory to rejoin the adivasi children to the schools.
In Dongri gerasia tribal community, children are made compulsory to join the schools. Around 24 children are placed in different boarding/ashram schools and rests of 31 children are in the community. In this 8 boys (Ravi, Inderjeeth, Bharath, Sundara, Guru, Ananda, Mohana, Kaliram,) are going to university and 8 are in pre-university. The pre university students are Vichu mulekar, Sudha, Ramje pandit, Shankara, Ragu, Ravi, Mangal, Prakasha,
New Admission to Boarding schools: 9 fresh children from Dongrie Gerasia community joined boarding schools from June 4th for the present academic period. The main purpose of sending these children to different boarding schools is to give them better education in a good learning atmosphere. These children come from Gypsy community in which their job is rag picking. During the days the parents force their children to go for rag picking. They get Rs.50/- or 60/- per day. This will tempt the children to earn the money. Parents are not worried whether their children are going to school or not. They go for work in the morning and come back in the evening and they will be drunk with alcohol. This atmosphere de routes the children’s going from schools and college. Hence we make sure that these children from the Dongrie Gerasia community will be placed properly.
Sandhya, Lavanya, Deepa and Asha from Jenukuruba tribal community joined Mulki boarding for this period. This is the first time in Jenukuruba community that children are place in different place. The reasons behind putting these children to boarding schools are, they are semi orphans and economically below poverty line. Though the government run ashram / residential schools for jenukuruba children which is near to their villages, these children are tempted to run back home and do not feel comfortable staying in the ashram school. Hence there was a strong request from their parents to place these children to far place so that they stick on to the schools. This helps them to continue their studies without any disturbances.
Ms.Sudha completed her 10th standard examination this year with 1st class marks of 78%. She belongs to Boovi scheduled caste and comes from Koppa rag picking community. 5 years back she was a school dropout. Now she has joined pre University at Vijaya College in Mulki and she wants to continue her studies and achieve high in medical field.
Higher education – Kaveri and Leelavathy completed their BSW and joining for MSW in this academic year. Kaveri belongs to Yarava community and Leelavathy from Malekudiya community. This year Kaveri is finding seat for her MSW post graduation course in Mangalore. Manjula will be completing her general nursing course in Madikeri Government hospital this October. Other than this, from Jenukuruba community students are helped to continue their collegiate education and technical training.
During 2010-11 6 tribal students are selected from ITDP to continue their education in English medium at Periyapatna
Pre Primary Center: 5 units of pre primary centers are running in Banavara, Kattehadi, Kakkabbe, Bendebetta, Herror tribal hadies. Mid day meal is provided to the children in the center. Children are taken care in the center up to 3.30. p.m. till their mothers return from the work. Volunteers provide toys, colour pencils, snack etc during their visits.
Volunteers visit to CORD: Ms. Kathy Froede from Burke, USA, visited CORD during January 2010. She was a volunteer in Asian Rural Institute, Nishinosuno, Japan and after her term in Japan she planned to visit the old graduates of ARI in south India. Her visit to CORD was enriching in giving the current information on ARI. By visiting Cord she understood the work being done by Cord and knows the situations of Tribals in Coorg district of Karnataka state in India.
Ms Monika MacGaffie from Village Volunteers, Seattle visited CORD from 1st April- 14th April 2010. Her plans during her visit were to be with the children and teach them Yoga and do the workshop on Children’s journal. In this workshop they were able to bring journals of the children, and able to learn taking photos.
Children’s summer camp-25 children from Gerasia tribal community were participated in the childrens summer camp. Ms.Monica Mac Gaffe conducted the program in bringing out the journals from the children. Yoga, Photography was part of the program.
Women’s awareness program – SHG’s training and women leadership training was conducted in Ranigate and celebrated International Womens day.
Environment program- agro forestry and herbal medicinal plants nursery was promoted in Ranigate, Avaregunda, Basavanahalli and Madikeri tribal women’s. The main objective is to get more agro forestry and fruit yielding plants for the distribution in the community.
Training programs attended by the Adivasi leaders –
Mr. Joyappa of Ranigate attended the training program which was held at H.D.kote on Implementation of Forest Rights Act
Basappa, Ramu and Vasanth participated in Para legal workshop conducted by SIAN at Bangalore
Effects of climate change Seminar was organized by INSAF-Karnataka 20tribals from their movement BKS and CORD staff were present in the seminar held at Kushalangar
Mr.J.P.Raju a tribal leader and Ms.Manjula CORD staff attend a workshop “on improving the Tribal Ashram schools in Karnataka” at Fireflies, Kanakapura, Bangalore.
Child right meeting – was held at Ashirwad Bangalore in which Mr. Vasanth, and Mr. J.P.Raju were present.
Forest Rights: The dialogue between Government officials, Tribals and NGO’s was held at Mysore on Implementation of Forest Rights Act for two days and this program was organized by – Atree, Bangalore. The tribal leaders, Ngo officials and government officials were part of the program.
World Environmental day. Demonstration / Dharana were held at Madikeri –district headquarters – condemning the government delay in implementing FRA. Around 70-80 adivasi leaders participated in the Dharana and memorandum was given to District Commissioner.
Adivasis’s of Coorg district sent Protest letters to government authorities to condemn the selection of non-adivasi in adivasi rights committee in Kodagu district. Forest Rights committee was formed by government in which No adivasi leader has been taken in the forest rights committee formed by the government.
Family survey is in the process to update the information’s in the tribal village. It’s a practice that once in 3 or 5 years the family details of adivasis has to be updated and 26 village family surveys are completed.
Cultural program- In the month of 24th and 25th of May, every year adivasis from Kodagu gathers together and worships ‘Ammale’. On these days they also celebrate their traditional Kunde habba which is much known in Kodagu district. In this festival the tribals dress in different costumes and start abusing the landlords, their work owners and estate people in bad words. Only on these two days they have full liberty to abuse the others, this abuse is done through songs, poems and they use old drums, plastic bottles and buckets as their instruments. In the last they go to Devarakadu temple, worship God the nature and disburse to their homes.
Acknowledgements to our Supporters for Education program:
Mrs & Mr. Christopher Johnson and family, UK
Ms.Catherine Johnson, UK
Mr.Bob Ness . M/s Peg & Rick foundation, USA
Dr.Britt Yamamoto iLEAP, USA
Ms. Kathy Froede , Burke, USA
Ms.Monika MacGaffie, Seattle, USA
Tags: 2008, CORD, India, Interational Fellowship, shammi
