WHAT we do
We believe that a person's birthplace should not determine his or her future and that children as well as women deserve a world in which equality is taken for granted. That is why we have been investing for 8 years in the future of disadvantaged children and their mothers on a remote island in an underdeveloped area of India. Regardless of religion or gender, we provide access to education, vocational training and health promotion.
Through long-term and sustainably planned aid, we support people to live a self-determined life free from poverty, discrimination and violence. Our help is clearly aimed at improving the living conditions of those affected and supporting them in taking the step towards independence.
Sustainable, long-term and effective.
HOW we work
Eine vollumfassende Schulbildung ist die Grundlage für den Schritt aus der Armut und genau hier setzt The India School Project an:
Wir geben Kindern die Möglichkeit einer soliden Schulbildung und klären zeitgleich die Eltern über deren Wichtigkeit auf. Durch Workshops ermöglichen wir zudem Frauen das Erlernen neuer Fähigkeiten, unterstützen Sie beim Schritt in die Unabhängigkeit und verbessern somit ihre Lebensumstände.
WHAT we do
We believe that a person's birthplace should not determine his or her future and that children as well as women deserve a world in which equality is taken for granted. That is why we have been investing for 8 years in the future of disadvantaged children and their mothers on a remote island in an underdeveloped area of India. Regardless of religion or gender, we provide access to education, vocational training and health promotion.
Through long-term and sustainably planned aid, we support people to live a self-determined life free from poverty, discrimination and violence. Our help is clearly aimed at improving the living conditions of those affected and supporting them in taking the step towards independence.
Sustainable, long-term and effective.
HOW we work
A full school education is the basis for the step out of poverty and this is where The India School Project comes in:
We give children the possibility of a solid education and at the same time we inform their parents about its importance. Through workshops, we also enable women to learn new skills, support them in taking the step to independence and thus improve their living conditions.
the BACKGROUND
It is a great challenge to break the vicious circle of poverty.
We learned that the vicious circle has its roots in the rural areas, far away from the well-known slums of the big cities. The poor living conditions cause people to hope for a better life in the cities and they move away from the countryside. Yet hardly anyone succeeds. In the metropolises, which are already bursting at the seams, most of the emigrants end up in miserable slums and are forced to continue their lives begging. My support, therefore, had to be based in the rural areas, so that help can be offered where it is needed the most, while simultaneously easing the burden on the overcrowded urban slums.
Project Region
About 100 kilometres south of Calcutta, the Sunderban Islands can be found. At 300 square kilometres, Sagar Island is the largest of this group. 43 villages are spread across the island, which include Chakfuldubi and Madirtala – the first two villages that are supported by the India School Project.
Almost three quarters of the local population earn less than 2 US dollars a day and a third live below the poverty line of 1.25 dollars a day. The men try to support their families through farming, fishing or the collection of shrimp eggs. Women and children share in the work as needed, so that at least one meal a day can be ensured.
A family income averages 21 to 37 US dollars a month, which is barely enough to survive on.
Poverty in India
Whilst I had a right to education as a child, this cannot be taken for granted in West Bengal in India. Only about 45 out of a total of 5200 children in the region of the project attend secondary school.
Cast system
The cast system (a hierarchical structure of societal groups) also plays a major role, whereby more than 50% of all village residents belong to the “backward classes”. The resulting negative effects, such as exploitation, child labour and poor earning potential, contribute to the increasing poverty of the subsequent generation.
Poor quality of schools
A further weighty factor in diminishing the children’s opportunity of having a humane future is the poor quality of the schools.Both teaching staff and teaching materials are lacking. Teachers often fail to turn up for their lessons and therefore many parents cannot see the point in sending their children to school. After all, the devastating poverty means that they depend on as many family members as possible working to contribute towards their sustenance.