Dear Øystein,
Greetings from Ladli/I-India, Jaipur,
Thanks for your concern for the children of Ladli/ I-India, Jaipur,
We understand that, three weeks time as volunteer with our organization with a "negative attitude" is certainly not enough to understand India, Indian children and intentions of I-India family.
If any body wants to understand I-India/Ladli, he/she needs to be there at least for 1year with positive attitude and objective mind setup and should work sincerely day and night in 48° temperature with big heart.
Thinkers and social workers also say that if any body wants to understand one country's culture, social values and behavior pattern of individuals and groups, they must be borned in that country must live for thirty –forty year then they can understand a part of culture and social system of its Society.
We have personally observed that some of foreigners have been married to Indian man or women, after 30-40 years of their stay in India with Indian partners, they do mistake in understanding the Indian intentions. Unfortunately, you are making comments with three weeks experience with I-India as a volunteers, which is an amatured, dishonest and irresponsible act as we have been clarifying our position face to face so many time. Such acts certainly harm the cause of our mission and ultimately our poor children suffer a lot due to such non serious and immatured acts.
In view of above facts, we thought to change our mind to reply your mail, earlier we decided to ignore your mails due to above mentioned reasons,
Here is reply to your questions however; we are not supposed to explain as we are responsible to our funder's children and our own soul –which appealed us to start this noble cause:
I. Children are being paid 30 Rs. to 200 Rs. per moth as pocket money, not as monthly remuneration.
II. Rest of the remuneration goes to their bank accounts and slum children are being paid in cash every month, Last year, we paid Rs.812949.00 as remuneration to children!!
III. Their bank accounts are being operated by two senior persons of organization on their names as children are not adult. We tell them about balance money, time to time- transparently. Last month three girls went to their homes with money as mentioned against their names:
1. Radha Rs12000.00
2. Neelu Rs.9000.00
3. Sugiya Rs.16000.00
Now, they have utilized this money for getting back their piece of land from money Landers. Now they can grow food for their own family. They also purchased rice for their whole family for a year.
So, you have half knowledge about the payments, it is always dangerous and harmful to target group- God must give you wisdom!!
IV. You are talking about computer knowledge and internet access etc. At present internet is serving blue films, vulgarity, and obscenity etc. Our cultures do not permit this trend as our children are socialized and developed in different social situation than yours. So please don't ask us to do- wrong things!!
That is why; we expressed our unhappiness, when you started e-mail ID for a few girls without our permission when you were in India. A volunteer has to work in his limitations, we expected same form you but you always tried to cross the lines drawn by our organization.
V. As far as computer education is concerned we support it- we have provided computers at our all shelter homes. We have also planned to start Ladli-IT with 10 computers in Ladli, Sodala so that girls/boys can go with latest technological and I.T. development.
At last, we would like to re explain that this charity was started only because of voice of our own soul, not because of suggestions from people like you. Ofcourse, many people are supporting the cause with positive attitude, that makes us to sustain the project.
Hope, you will have courage to forward this mail to all 100 persons, from whom you are claming to gather wrong information and baseless perception.
We pray god to give you right perspective and thought!!
With regards,
Abha & Prabhakar Goswami
I-INDIA
23, Mahatma Gandhi Nagar, D.C.M., Ajmer Road,
Jaipur-302021
Phone No. 91-141-2352576 / 2353317
Fax No. 91-141-2351804
Mobile No. 00 91-94140-48817/ 00 91-98290-11124
E-mail: goswami10@hotmail.com
www.i-indiaonline.com
Saturday, May 9, 2009
August 2008 - Investigation by Arts and Crafts on situation at Ladli.
From Birgit Løitegaard (Arts & Crafts AS) to agent in Arts and Crafts agent in Dheli to investigate Ladli, one of I-Indias vocational centers.
...
I want you to look out for the following:
1. Do the children work long hours ? How long ?
2. Can this be described as exploitation in any way ?
3. What is the childrens idea regarding payment ?
4. Talk to Tulsi, and find abouther situation.
5. Do they use physical punishment at the orphanages
6. What is the staffs attitude to violence
7. Are the children afraid.
8. Do the children really have bankaccounts, can this be verified ?
9. Are the girls in Sodala paid in cash ?
10. What is the attitude towards marriage for the girls ?
11. Do you sence anything critical at all ?
I will need a thorough written report, as I may have to email it to others. If everything is fine, we will share alle the information with the Goswamis and simply strengthen the conficence towards the organisiation. It is always usefull with a second opinion, and one can simply not be carefull enough !Birgit
Sendt: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 3:57 AMTil: Birgit Løitegaard (Arts & Crafts AS)Emne: RE: SV: Room Reservation
Dear Birgit.
The detials of the trip are that I went to LAdli (Same place we visited to gether where the girls work and study) reached at 9am and was told by the supervisor the class and work begins at 10am so waited and chatted with her asked about the chlidren and the work they do etc.
To answer all your questions:
1. The children who dont go to regular school come at 10am (mostly street kids and some hostel kids) school kids come at 1 pm after school they are there till 5pm the street kids are transported back by van and 5.30 pm the hostel kids are transported by van 55 kids in all
2.No this is not exploitation at all but good social work the kids are happy to be there instead of roaming outside on the streets.
3.Kids are fine there are happy with whatever they get it is better than their previous lives..No question of unhappiness.
4. Met Tulsi she is 16 years old staying there with her sibllings (Lucky kid otherwise they would be all scattered) she studies in the 8th Class an average kid has no complains about anyone her sister are academically doing very well so is her brother who also lives in the boys hostel she is proud of them all and they are all hapyy together.She has been there for 6-7 years if she was unhappy she could have left but she is fine.She had no complains I was with her for 3 hours and did not seemd she was under any stress or compulsion she is a normal kid .
5..There has been no case of physical punishment maximum verbally scolded like we do to our kids.
6. No question of voilence I met the teacher the kids call her Maa (Mother) they dont punish only scold .
7. No the children are not afraid they were busy talking and smiling and chatting.
8. Yes the kids have bank accounts on Monday was a festival so everthing was closed after 1 pm but Abhas son was willing to take me for the verification he also told me 3 girls who collected their money released their land in the village and their family were thrilled.
9.The girls are paid 30/= in cash as pocket money yo buy personal things like hairpins etc there are the hostel kids the rest of the money in saved in the bank account the street children are paid daily wages depening on the work roughly 25/- Rs for a neclace if they make more then they are paid accordinly .(this is better than rag picking or begging on the streets.)
10. For marrige the Ladli group cannot do marriage by law the Govt has to decide alot of paper work and then only can it be done no girl is yet of marriage age so this question does not rise of marriage maybe 2or 3 years later but Govt has to intervene Ladli has no authourity on their own by law.
11. No I dont sense any critical problam at all.
RegardsNeema
...
I want you to look out for the following:
1. Do the children work long hours ? How long ?
2. Can this be described as exploitation in any way ?
3. What is the childrens idea regarding payment ?
4. Talk to Tulsi, and find abouther situation.
5. Do they use physical punishment at the orphanages
6. What is the staffs attitude to violence
7. Are the children afraid.
8. Do the children really have bankaccounts, can this be verified ?
9. Are the girls in Sodala paid in cash ?
10. What is the attitude towards marriage for the girls ?
11. Do you sence anything critical at all ?
I will need a thorough written report, as I may have to email it to others. If everything is fine, we will share alle the information with the Goswamis and simply strengthen the conficence towards the organisiation. It is always usefull with a second opinion, and one can simply not be carefull enough !Birgit
Sendt: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 3:57 AMTil: Birgit Løitegaard (Arts & Crafts AS)Emne: RE: SV: Room Reservation
Dear Birgit.
The detials of the trip are that I went to LAdli (Same place we visited to gether where the girls work and study) reached at 9am and was told by the supervisor the class and work begins at 10am so waited and chatted with her asked about the chlidren and the work they do etc.
To answer all your questions:
1. The children who dont go to regular school come at 10am (mostly street kids and some hostel kids) school kids come at 1 pm after school they are there till 5pm the street kids are transported back by van and 5.30 pm the hostel kids are transported by van 55 kids in all
2.No this is not exploitation at all but good social work the kids are happy to be there instead of roaming outside on the streets.
3.Kids are fine there are happy with whatever they get it is better than their previous lives..No question of unhappiness.
4. Met Tulsi she is 16 years old staying there with her sibllings (Lucky kid otherwise they would be all scattered) she studies in the 8th Class an average kid has no complains about anyone her sister are academically doing very well so is her brother who also lives in the boys hostel she is proud of them all and they are all hapyy together.She has been there for 6-7 years if she was unhappy she could have left but she is fine.She had no complains I was with her for 3 hours and did not seemd she was under any stress or compulsion she is a normal kid .
5..There has been no case of physical punishment maximum verbally scolded like we do to our kids.
6. No question of voilence I met the teacher the kids call her Maa (Mother) they dont punish only scold .
7. No the children are not afraid they were busy talking and smiling and chatting.
8. Yes the kids have bank accounts on Monday was a festival so everthing was closed after 1 pm but Abhas son was willing to take me for the verification he also told me 3 girls who collected their money released their land in the village and their family were thrilled.
9.The girls are paid 30/= in cash as pocket money yo buy personal things like hairpins etc there are the hostel kids the rest of the money in saved in the bank account the street children are paid daily wages depening on the work roughly 25/- Rs for a neclace if they make more then they are paid accordinly .(this is better than rag picking or begging on the streets.)
10. For marrige the Ladli group cannot do marriage by law the Govt has to decide alot of paper work and then only can it be done no girl is yet of marriage age so this question does not rise of marriage maybe 2or 3 years later but Govt has to intervene Ladli has no authourity on their own by law.
11. No I dont sense any critical problam at all.
RegardsNeema
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