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Natpurwa

Natpurwa. Asha-MIT/Boston Meeting April 6, 2008. History of the project. Natpurwa is a village about 10 kms away from Lalpur (where Sandeep started his work when he returned)

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Natpurwa

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  1. Natpurwa Asha-MIT/Boston Meeting April 6, 2008

  2. History of the project • Natpurwa is a village about 10 kms away from Lalpur (where Sandeep started his work when he returned) • Guddu and Neelkamal, when they heard of Asha, came up to Sandeep and others and wanted to start something in their village • Wanted to give girls alternative options (there is a 300 year history of women who live in Natpurwa, that is from the Nat community, going into prostitution) • Started a school in Guddu’s house, a two room hut • 70-80 children • People from the community taught in the school • Others from the community got involved, like Chandralekha, Hans Raj, Durgesh, etc. • An Asha-MIT/Boston project since 2002

  3. Current Status • Natpurwa part of the RTI, NREGA, Right to Food activities in the area • The team has grown to 6-7 people • Guddu and Neelkamal focus on the RTI, NREGA and other related activities • Hans Raj, Uma, Durgesh, focus on schooling • Chandralekha focuses on community activities like women’s groups • Chandralekha got some publicity, and the group had a good relationship with the DM (District Magistrate) • Managed to get a government school built in Natpurwa • About 160-170 children attend that school • Two government teachers have been appointed, but one did not come because of the stigma associated with the village, other is busy with various government activities • Asha volunteers continue to teach the lower classes • A school activity has been started in the nearby village SukkuKhera

  4. Challenges • We seem to be a long way from providing a real alternative to girls • Women’s groups have not really gone anywhere • Women who don’t want to go into prostitution still do not have a choice • Several of the volunteers are related to Guddu/Neelkamal • Asha’s challenge: measuring and improving quality of education in the school

  5. Budget

  6. Request from Asha-SV for 07-08 • Total budget: Rs 363,600 ($9205, at Rs. 39.5/dollar) • Asha-MIT/Boston funds: $4500 • Request from Asha-SV: $4705 • Last year it was $3700 – this year exchange rate has changed a bit, and some honorariums have gone up • Asha-MIT/Boston approved the entire amount in its Fall 07 meeting, and sent its funds as the first installment. • Asha-SV’s funds would be the second installment

  7. Natpurwa Asha-MIT/Boston Meeting November 8, 2008

  8. Status of 2007-2008 • Based on conversations with Sandeep, Sirish, Neelkamal • Pawan of Asha NYC/NJ has become involved, helps in conversations with project team (he knows Hindi)

  9. Primary School • School: • 181 children (98 girls and 83 boys) • Taught by Durgesh, Sailesh, and a govt. appointed Siksha Mitra who comes about 7-8 times a month (rest of the time busy with various other govt. activities) • Midday meals happening properly, because of active RTI activity there is not much corruption • Books, school uniform provided as well • BSA does not seem happy with Asha teachers, but he should be shown DM letter allowing it

  10. Primary School • Issues: • Not much learning is happening because student/teacher ratio is so bad • Girls are not really doing anything after primary school, just stay home • Questions: (1) are the books Vallabh bhai arranged for being used? (2) how were Sailesh and Durgesh hired? • Appears that the team might not have the exposure to realize that a school is more than distribution of midday meals and uniforms • Next steps: • Fix the quality of education – hire more teachers, send them to training (training is happening for other teachers in the area, will happen for Natpurwa teachers too) • Intermediate college for girls is necessary – that should be our final goal – middle school, high school, college • What happened to the scholarship effort for girls? Can Chandralekha do a survey of parents whose daughters have stopped after primary school?

  11. Nearby Govt. Schools • Sikroriya: Srinivas has started teaching since July 2008 (also involved in other RTI activities) • Jagsiya: 205 children in school, only one Siksha Mitra, Rohitash has started teaching there

  12. Chapter Questions - 1 • What are the different classes and what is taught? • Classes 1 to 5 • Students taught Maths, English, Hindi, Social Studies, Science • Classes 1 and 2 in playful mode • Classes 3, 4, 5 also playful but more serious

  13. Chapter Questions - 2 • Breakdown of students: • Classes are divided into A, B, and C based on their learning level within the class • Helps teacher focus on students who need help • Students from group A help students in groups B and C in their free time • Out of 275 students 75 are in group A, 105 in group B, 95 in group C

  14. Chapter Questions - 3 • Attendance • Attendance register is maintained • 200-225 attend regularly • Currently (when we spoke in mid-October) attendance was down due to fever and cough

  15. Chapter Questions - 4 • How many tests are conducted annually? • 4 exams annually • Other quizzes regularly • Report cards • Report cards are maintained regularly and given to students at the end of the year • What happens after class V? • First batch of students will pass out of class V. Teachers will try to ensure that all of them enroll in junior high school nearby

  16. Chapter Questions - 5 • What are the challenges you face? • Villagers didn't want Asha teachers to teach in the school. Asha teacher had to overcome it • Issue of drunk people entering the school and using abusive language. • Sikhsa Adhikari had some issues initially with asha teachers teaching in the school. • Issue with Mid day Meal quality and corruption by Pradhan. • Class 4-5 boys are more interested in cricket instead of studies. Teachers have been communicating with their parents to change their mind.

  17. RTI work • Work for Sandila and Barawan block folks under NREGA • Public health hearing in Barawan: on sterlization, medicine availability, dog bite injections etc. After hearing some changes are observed in PHC functioning • In Sandila and Barawan on the 5-10th of each month ensure that ration is distributed and there is no black marketing (also ensure that the ration arrives in the store house by 23rd-30th of every month so that people get it on time

  18. RTI Work • Ration license Has been suspended for shops in 8 gram panchayats in these blocks • Education: Midday meals, uniforms, books, teacher’s activities • Dabang people grabbed land from 110 dalits in Jajupur, fighting to get land back, some have received papers • Compensation for people who lost homes in torrential rains • New work in Gondlamoo (third block they have added on, in Sitapur district)

  19. Good Points • A large number of children are coming to the school • Though they overshot the budget in traveling expenses they ended up adjusting somehow – we put our foot down and they accepted it

  20. General Issues • We didn’t make progress on having them have goals, but we are beginning the process • Neelkamal has shared his vision. Goal is awareness and empowerment. Final goal is an MLA from the people’s group they are a part of, who will work for them – good goal! • Hurdles to the goal are corruption, power nexus etc.

  21. General Issues • Chandralekha has not really done much with women. But there are no other women coming forward. It is only with a women that we can build connections with the women in the Nat community. • Thought for the chapter: Maybe we should temporarily drop short-term goals of trying to give the girls an alternative to prostitution • Maybe we should focus on education which will help in the long run (when we have the intermediate college) • Clearly finishing private school is not enough to provide alternatives • And we don’t have the organizational structure on the ground to help with reviving the local economy

  22. Accusations against the team • Accusations that they were involved in landgrabbing – Neelkamal, Jagdish (not funded by us) • Discussed in village and Asha meetings – Neelkamal exonerated, Jagdish expelled • It appears that Neelkamal and Guddu are benefiting from the contacts with the officials they are developing – know the rules well, can get things done, acquire land • Sandeep agrees that we should taper the honorarium going forward, but was not successful in doing that this year

  23. Budget

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