Notes from Mettupalayam

Latest updates

2010-10-22T15:23:00.004+01:00

Crakehall School is now completed and open. Venkat is now starting the toilet block and then hopes to have the water tower finished so that we have piped water to the toilets and to the school. Our next project is probably going to be a new visitor accommodation block on the school's first floor. We will be putting funds aside to pay for this when possible.

This week, Venkat has paid 40000Rps (£600) to the Agricultural Board and will receive a grant for a further 43000Rps, which will pay for a drip feed irrigation system on a 2 1/2 acre plot. This will then be used for vegetable growing and the irrigation will save around 25% water, very important as the monsoon is again much less than needed.

FOM now on Facebook

2010-07-20T22:16:00.002+01:00

We now have a Facebook group under Friends of Mettupalayam, so you can now receive regular feeds more easily.
Hopefully this will be easier to update with small news items more regularly.

Mari's story- continued

2010-05-14T15:12:00.005+01:00

This is the latest photo of Mari and her daughter, with Gopal, a proud grandfather. We have now heard fom Venkat that Marsi, Mari's husband, is still a bonded labourer, tied to a quarry owner near Kanchipuram. He is now getting into trouble as, understandably, he wishes to spend time with Mari and the baby. Venkat has been told that Marsi hasn't borrowed much money himself from the quarry owner, but has inherited his father's debts when his father died some 5/6 years ago.
FOM have agreed to find 9000 rupees, about £140, to buy Marsi his freedom, on the understanding that he treats Mari and the baby repectfully and properly, and allows the baby to come to Crakehall School when she is old enough. Venkat will find Marsi work on the farm, training him in agricultural techniques and tractor driving etc. We will also pay him a decent wage, as well as providing accommodation and support. There will be one less debt slave in India!

Paid to go to school?

2010-05-05T12:16:00.004+01:00

One of the not-so-obvious ways that IRDT help local people is in accessing their rights and entitlements. This isn't easy when you can't read or write! This photo is of some of the tribal people who have chosen to settle near Mettupalayam as they appreciate the help that they receive. Across India, only around 5% of tribal children attend school and in order to encourage this, the Government have introduced an education grant. Venkat arranged for 24 Mettupalayam school and 4 secondary school pupils to go to the collectors office where each child received 600Rps- around £9, with a slightly higher payment for the older ones. In total, 16000Rps was paid out, around £240, a significant help to the parents.

Mari- a very young mother

2010-05-02T21:44:00.005+01:00

Mari is one of the young children we found breaking rock some 6 years ago near to our farmland. Her parents and relatives were all bonded labourers (debt slaves) and were forced to stay working for the quarry owner despite inadequate wages, no proper housing and no access to healthcare. Following buying all 45 peoples freedom after our return to the UK, Mari was able to start at our Mettupalayam primary school and progressed to secondary school. However, following her mother's tragic suicide, she decided to leave school and was married last year at age 13! On Friday, Gomathi took her to the local clinic where she had a ceasarian birth, a baby daughter. Venkat had to pay for an ambulance to rush her to the government hospital as she was losing blood so badly. Today Venkat says that she is recovering well. I dread to think what would have happened to Mari and her daughter if we weren't around to take her to the clinic, then to hospital. The custom is not to give the baby a name for some time but we will continue to take an extra special interest in both Mari and her daughter.

Changing lives-3

2010-04-20T20:29:00.004+01:00

This is Sabina, who has featured before in my blog. She was diagnosed with severe tonsillitis by Laura and Emily in July last year, but was too weak for an operation. After 6 months of special liquid nutrition (She had been unable to swallow solid food for a long time!) she was strong enough for the operation in December. The first photo was taken in July, at the health check-up camp, and the second one in mid January and, really, it is the same child!
Thank you Laura and Emily, for the diagnosis and for your compassion, thank you Venkat for your patience and support, and thank you to the doctors in the government hospital.

Changing lives-2

2010-03-30T18:45:00.004+01:00

I would like to introduce you to Patchyammal. I met her first about 6 years ago, living in a very desperate situation, on the edge of starvation and although only 3 year's old, working at breaking rock with her slave parents. The family didn't earn enough money to buy food and had to resort to trying to trap rats to eat! When we returned to England, we managed, with the help of Sadeh Lok, to free all of the 14 family groups by paying off their debts. Most of the families chose to leave the area, but some remained. Regrettably, Patchyammal's parents split up but Sagar, her father, later remarried and now looks after Patchyammal, her sister Magaisse and her younger step siblings. Their income has improved considerably and the family have now returned to Mettupalayam, living with the other former debt slaves and working on the farm. Patchyammal is now coming to school each day, working hard and learning. Her health has improved although she will always suffer from those first 3 years of malnutrition. Hopefully, she will go on to secondary school- probably the first person in her family to achieve this. All this has been achieved with Venkat and Gomathi's dedication and commitment and the support of Friends in the UK. We are really making a difference to the lives and futures for these people.

Crakehall School update

2010-03-23T21:31:00.003Z

Venkat has today had a meeting with the assistant engineer and agreed a timetable for the completion of our new Crakehall School building. With the Government School Building inspector due any day, it is important that we have the work completed speedily. We still hope and expect to be starting the new school year on the 1st June in the new school.

It will be a red letter day when we can finally say that the school is open for business!

Sakthi- a special story

2010-03-18T15:12:00.004Z

Sakthi is a former IRDT worker who wanted to be a police lady. She studied hard and Venkat saved all her salary for 2 years until she had passed her police entrance exam and physical test. She has now been a police lady for about 2 years and is a true role model. She refuses to take any bribes and is very honest. This week she has been guarding prisoners between jail and court and she noticed that one of the women prisoners had a small baby which was both under-nourished and showing mosquito bites. Sakthi returned to the jail with a mosquito net, some food and biscuits and also gave the woman 400 rupees (about £6). The warder at the jail was so moved that he wrote a letter of commendation to the Police Superintendant and this has now been printed with Sakthi's picture in the local papers. We are very proud of our daughter and very special friend Sakthi.

Meena returns for leprosy treatment

2010-03-11T07:56:00.003Z

I am delighted to confirm that Meena has now been found and has returned to Mettupalayam. She has been to the clinic who have confirmed early stages of leprosy and prescribed 1 months treatment with antibiotics. She will then return for a second examination to determine whether further treatment is necessary. Normally 6 months of antibiotics will halt the spread of the disease.

Meena is to stay at Mettupalayam with her relations and attend Mettupalayam School.

Thank you Venkat, Gopal and Patchyamman for taking such efforts to help this young girl.

An elephant blessing

2010-02-14T11:51:00.003Z

Temple elephants are a regular feature of the bigger temples in South India. For a small donation, the elephant will give you a blessing. This is Jean, up front and personal with her elephant and receiving a blessing!

I found it quite scary being so close to such a large animal, particularly as you do hear stories of elephant rage! However, it is worth it, to be able to tell the story to friends and family when you return home.

2010-02-12T15:01:00.002Z

Sometimes life is so hard in India. Meena is from the quarry community who were freed from debt slavery by IRDT some 5 years ago. Her family have moved to Karpakkam and only visit their friends and relatives near Mettupalayam on feast days. When we were there last month, we noticed that she was showing classic signs of leprosy and had hoped to arrange for her to visit the government hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately she has returned home before this could be arranged. Venkat is now going to send one of our farm workers, either Patchyamman or Gopal, on the bus to try to find her and talk to her parents about treatment. Ideally we would like her to stay in Mettupalayam for 6 months so that we can make sure she takes the antibiotics which will stop the disease from spreading and doing further damage. I hope to be able to confirm this later.

Billy Bear in India

2010-02-02T20:14:00.003Z

The children at Leeming and Londonderry School, N Yorks very kindly agreed that Billy Bear could accompany us on our annual visit to the project. He really enjoyed his visit, meeting all the children at Mettupalayam School and he returned to school on Monday with his companions to tell all the children about his adventures! At Mettupalayam School, Billy was a star attraction, only in Tamil he is known as Billy Bommai!

On a serious note, Billy has provided many opportunities to explain to our children about life in another culture, in a different part of the world and he enables us to build very strong links, developing cohesion and understanding.

School trip

2010-01-31T22:08:00.004Z

Hugo and Jean kindly paid to hire a coach to take some of the children, teachers and staff to visit Pondicherry today. On the way, they stopped at Auroville and this photo shows the Matrimandir in the background. It is a real treat for the children to go on school trips which are only able to be organised occasionally due to the cost. Thank you Hugo and Jean!

I have been wanting to visit Pondicherry for some time- perhaps on my next visit?

Sabina

2010-01-28T18:54:00.004Z

From the recent blog, you will know about Sabina, a young girl at our Mettupalayam School. She was diagnosed as suffering from acute tonsillitis which had been affecting her for some years. Incredibly underweight, the hospital doctor said that she was too ill to have the operation, so we have been providing her with liquid food supplements to build up her weight and strength. She went into hospital on the 21st December and has had her tonsils removed. When we were in India two weeks ago, she had just restarted school. Pictured with her grateful father, it is thanks to Laura and Emily that she was diagnosed, thanks to IRDT and Venkat for the food supplements and not least, thanks to the Government Hospital doctors for the free operation.

Self Help Groups

2010-01-18T10:25:00.004Z

One of the most important activities organised by IRDT in both project areas is the foundation and support for self help groups or Sanghams. Gomathi now works with over 185 groups, in excess of 3500 people, mainly women but with some male farmers clubs. All but two of these are being run successfully, repaying their Indian Bank loans and developing their small enterprises. Whilst at the project we attended a meeting with the only group having real problems where the leader and deputy had taken funds from the other members and used them for personal expenditure. To see Gomathi and Venkat, with the support of the majority of the group, taking these women to task was an awesome sight! Having changed leaders, we were told that the money would be repaid to the group over the coming month.

These groups are effective, not just in improving the local economy but also helping their members effect real social change.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T15:10:00.005Z

One of the highlights for the children at Mettupalayam School has been the increasing ability to arrange school trips this year. The most recent trip pictured was for the older children to visit the famous sea temples of Mamallapuram, close to our Nambikki project. Until recently, many children hadn't seen the sea, so this is a real treat for them! A big thank you to Ashfield Infants School, Workington who recently raised funds for us which paid for these school trips.

This post also gives everyone here in the UK the chance to wish all our Friends where ever you may be, a very Happy New Year.

Hurray for the rain!

2009-12-30T14:31:00.005Z

Venkat is busy planting crops at our small farm in Mettupalayam following the monsoon rains. He says that we have had around 80% of a normal monsoon, a big improvement on recent, very droughty years. So far he has planted around 13 acres, mostly rice with some ground nuts (peanuts). He also plans to plant over 2 acres of trees, both mango and teak- these are partly for cropping purposes, but also to help offset the project's small but still significant carbon footprint. In our area, over recent years, the Indian Government, with help from Japan, have planted over 200 acres of trees.

Pictured is Patchyamman, one of the former bonded slaves, who now works full time on our farm- a big improvement on breaking rocks for a living!

Well done, Jon! A magnificent marathon effort.

2009-12-13T21:51:00.005Z

Update on my recent blog- Jon ran the Riviera Marathon and raised a magnificent sum in excess of £1300! Thank you Jon and also a big thank you to all your friends, colleagues and family for their support.
Jon has asked if we will spend this money on helping to buy equipment and resources for our new Crakehall School. I have just sent another bank draft to Venkat which includes this money and will hopefully feature the opening of the school in our next newsletter.

Sabina

2009-12-01T17:35:00.003Z

Laura and Emily, two trainee doctors who spent their elective in Mettupalayam in July, held a general health camp in the village. During the camp they saw that Sabina, a 9 year old girl at Mettupalayam School, was suffering from malnutrition. This had been caused by long term tonsilitis, confirmed at the Government hospital. Sadly, at only 10kgs weight, she was far too underweight to have an operation, so we have been providing her parents with money each month to buy liquid food supplements. Venkat has now confirmed that Sabina has put on enough weight to have the operation which is now scheduled for the 21st December. This will be life changing for her, as we will be providing a good balanced diet at the school. This is just one of the local people who have been helped by Laura and Emily- thank you girls.

Doctor in charge

2009-11-08T15:26:00.005Z

Many local people now help Venkat and IRDT. This is our very good Friend Dr Paramasivam who runs a weekly clinic at Mettupalayam on Friday afternoons. This clinic is open to all local people and whilst there is a small charge for any prescriptions, the consultation is free.

Not only do local people benefit, but Rosie was diagnosed with high blood pressure there last year- thank you my friend.

Becky teaching English

2009-11-05T08:40:00.003Z

We have long been aware that the children's understanding of spoken English is very poor and that they may have a good vocabulary, but are unable to use it very well. We are therefore very lucky that Becky Bell, having decided to take a gap year before university, wanted to go to India to teach for 6 months. Through a contact with a very good Friend, Becky travelled out with me in early October and she is now spending her days working at Mettupalayam School.

In the picture, she is teaching one of the larger classes- I know that the children will pick up spoken English very quickly and look forward to being able to speak more meaningfully with them when I next visit in January.

Thank you Becky- you're a star!

Jon's marathon effort

2009-10-27T21:34:00.003Z

On the 8th November, our very good Friend, Jonathan Power is running the Riviera marathon to raise funds for Friends of Mettupalayam. Jon stayed in Mettupalayam for a while some 2 years ago and was very impressed and touched by the work of Venkat and his team. Jon has decided to raise £1000 by running this, his very first, marathon!

You can support his fundraising efforts at www/justgiving.com/jonathanpower/

I will post a blog update when I know the total raised. Thank you and Good Luck Jon

Putting a lid on it part 2

2009-10-04T08:15:00.003+01:00

Apologies, the photo didn't attach to thelast blog!

Putting a lid on it!

2009-10-04T08:05:00.003+01:00

At long last, the roof is now being added to the new Crakehall School. The engineer is using a new system of construction which is speeding things along nicely. The roof will be strong enough to become the floor for new visitor and staff accommodation when money allows.
It is particularly nice to think of the students being able to admire the view from the windows- much better than the old school buildings!

Cloth from waste

2009-09-22T08:09:00.005+01:00

Organising and supporting womens self help groups (Sanghams) forms a very important part of IRDT's rural development and poverty relief work. A prime example are the groups who have bought cotton waste processing machines and who turn the offcuts from cotton clothing manufacture into re-usable cotton thread. Purchasing the specialist machines with the help of a government grant and a loan from the Indian Bank, this provides the women with a sound weekly income, and employment which they can fit in around their family responsibilities. The photo shows some members of one group at an exhibition in Chennai, explaining and promoting the scheme. IRDT were instrumental in linking the various participants together- the cotton clothing manufacturers, the machine manufacturers, transport, and government and bank officials.

Growing panes!

2009-09-05T21:39:00.004+01:00

Following repairs to IRDT's computer, we are now receiving very regular updates on the new Crakehall School building, together with photos. The new form of construction means that the walls are now going up very quickly, with panels being made from concrete poured into formers. Venkat has also been advised that the roof for the whole school will only take 6 days to make, compared to around 20 days using the old methods! Over 30 people are now being employed on site, and the engineer is paying a daily rate of 300 rupees making a significant impact on the cashflow for the villagers.

Opening the new school is scheduled for mid October- there still seems much to be done by then!

Crakehall School, Mettupalayam progress

2009-08-17T08:34:00.002+01:00

At long last, we have received some updated pictures from Mettupalayam. The new school is really starting to take shape and the walls are now being built between the supporting pillars. This is a new form of construction to us, with concrete walls being built within shuttering, supervised very closely by our excellent engineer and his team. We now hope to open the building during the early to middle of October. I have in fact booked my flights out for the 8th October so the engineer is aware of the time deadline for the opening ceremony!

Building progress

2009-07-15T09:16:00.003+01:00

Now that the foundations are in place, the brickwork is starting to show real progress. Because of severe water shortages following the failure of the South West monsoon, we are having to buy in water. Every day, the building work is using 1000's of litres for concrete.

We are still on target to open the school in October and hope to have both trustee and donor representation at the event.

The wages that we are paying to the workmen and women will have a very real impact in the community- in a poor, rural area, little money comes in from outside the local economy and any additional money circulates around many times, benefiting many people.

local support

2009-07-13T10:16:00.003+01:00

For many years, IRDT has been working below the radar of local businesses, being situated in a very rural village, off the main road. However, this has now changed, undoubtedly helped by Venkat's membership of the local Rotary and Lions clubs. His profile has also increased through strong links to the Indian Bank through SHG loans schemes, and also working with UNICEF and the Tamil Government on a village latrine programme.

This last week-end, a local pawnbroker has very kindly donated a whole set of school uniforms, some books and other items to Mettupalayam School- a total of Rps22000 worth (£280). This is a very significant sum in Indian terms, equivalent to a donation in the UK of around £2800!

The local Tamil community do seem to have a strong service ethic, and a strong regard for helping others less fortunate than themselves.

Sunday Lunch

2009-07-08T17:26:00.006+01:00

For some time now, we have been able to provide a mid day meal on schooldays to all the old age people in our Mettupalayam area. We are now paying the cook for an extra day each week, buying in additional food and providing a mid day meal on Sundays as well. Gomathi, pictured, is serving the first meals last week. This will cost about an extra £30 each month- a small price to pay to ensure that everyone will be fed. We are also looking at the level of protein that is provided, we may need to supplement this with eggs.

Crakehall School, Mettupalayam Update

2009-05-31T16:50:00.002+01:00

One month after my last update, it is appears that little progress has been made, however the site is now fully marked out, the foundation trenches have been completed and building of the first support pillars has started. We have an expression "Indian time" to describe how things tend to take much longer than anticipated, but it is easy at a distance to forget all the practical difficulties that Venkat faces- not least organising construction work in temperatues well in excess of 100 degreesF!
Venakt and Ramya are taking a well earned short break and visiting Agra and the Taj Mahal- something that Venkat has been promising Ramya for many years. Whilst I would also like to visit the Taj Mahal, I'm not sure I could cope with two 26 hour train journeys in 4 days!

Exam success

2009-05-27T08:39:00.004+01:00

We have been supporting Nadhia's family for many years, and her younger sister Lakshmi has featured in our school resource material published by Tiger Moon. Nadhia recently completed her Higher Secondary School examinations, gaining a very good pass mark of 782 out of 1200. This is a very high score for students in this rural area, and reflects all Nadhia's hard work and dedication over the last two years.

Venkat is talking to Nadhia about her future and we are offering her a full time staff position at our project, as understudy to Gomathi. She may wish to continue her studies towards gaining a teaching qualification and we will look to continue to encourage her to continue her studies if at all possible.

Crakehall School, Mettupalayam

2009-04-30T07:48:00.004+01:00

At long last, the foundation work for the new Crakehall School has started. This building will replace the three old buildings which have been erected over the years, providing a modern, purpose built set of classrooms, suitable for the next generation of pupils. We will also be able to accept pupils with disabilities, particularly wheelchairs, in the new building. With larger doors and windows, a nice balcony for shade, and much larger rooms, the improvement will be marvellous to see.

Subject to any unforseen delays, we hope to complete the building stage within 3 months. Regular updates will appear on this blog, together with photos as available.

Thank you again to Guy and family for donating all the money to enable Venkat to realise his dream.

Taken for a ride?

2009-04-01T09:24:00.003+01:00

It may be April 1st, but this is no joke! Our recently born calf suddenly started to sicken, so Venkat took it down to the vet's in the jeep. A quick examination and injection later, and all is well.

Our small herd of dairy cows is very important to the local economy, as it forms part of a larger cooperative with the cows owned by the women in Mettupalayam. By collecting all the milk together each day, we are able to sell direct to the dairy, receiving a much better price.

Over the years, various groups and schools have bought individual cows to add to the herd, helping to establish this valuable business opportunity for all the Mettupalayam villagers.

Rice harvest

2009-03-25T14:10:00.005Z

Our second crop of rice has just been harvested. Venkat is pleased that around 2 tonnes of rice is now bagged up and ready for sale to the Government Regulating Market. As we won't have enough well water for irrigation for another crop, Venkat is planning to plant watermelons as a short term cash crop.

Our farm not only provides good quality food, we are also able to show other local farmers how to grow crops in an environmentally friendly way, using minimal chemicals and maximising sales income. Yet another of our rural development activities.

Open Day 8th March

2009-03-09T13:46:00.002Z

As usual after returning from our annual trip to the project, yesterday we held an open afternoon. On display were the 5th and 4th class booklets which we brought back, and also the necklaces and bracelets. Whilst not primarily held for fund-raising, as always, our Friends were very generous and we had a total of over £250 donated to help the project. Pride of place in our displays were the plans for the new Crakehall School which we expect to start this week. I hope to be able to share the progress of this work with you all via photos from our project director, Venkat.

First rank students

2009-03-04T11:10:00.006Z

Through our bursary scheme, we continue to support Mettupalayam school students when they move on to government secondary school. This may be by way of fees, uniforms, school books or simply by recognizing their achievements. This is especially important for the gypsy children who now all continue on with their education rather than dropping out. This month, two of the gypsy children received awards for being first ranked in the exams- Chinnapunna who was in our top year last year, and is therefore in year 6, and Tamilarasan who is now in year 9.

He has been so sucessful in achieving top rank all through his secondary schooling so far that both he and his parents were featured in a full page article in the Indian Times. When he completes his schooling, Tamilarasan wants to be a Government officer so that he can help his people.

Nationally, less than 1% of gypsy children take up education- in our catchment area, we estimate that around 50% come to Mettupalayam school and we continue to encourage and educate parents in the benefits for both themselves and their children. The official description of the gypsy races is Most Backward Class, and there are significant Government payments for those who reach 10th standard and pass their exams. There are also marriage payments for gypsy girls who sucessfully complete 10th standard.

Another days training in Mettupalayam

2008-12-10T20:29:00.004Z

Much of the work of IRDT happens without fuss. Today our social worker Gomathy has been running a days training workshop for 75 self help group (Sanhgam) members. This has been sponsored by the NABARD Bank, a government bank which sponsors agricultural and rural development training. The women have learnt about administration, basic accountancy, group dynamics and leadership. This training will be disseminated to other group members, meaning that many more will benefit.

Sanghams are vital for both economic and social development and are a powerful method of bringing women together and promoting social cohesion.

UK News

2008-11-14T10:48:00.004Z

Friends of Mettupalayam not only raise funds to support rural development work in Tamil Nadu, South India, we also work in our local community helping to promote understanding and build links. This is illustrated by the work we have recently been doing with the Forest School in Knaresborough. This is a school for children with special learning needs, and following an initial contact, we have helped a Young Enterprise Group to design and implement a small business, packing and selling our tribal necklaces and bracelets to raise funds. We have also been into two other classes with our powerpoint presentation about life for a child in our village.

This is only one example from many of how we are able to tell a real story to children who sometimes have little initial understanding of life in a developing country. So often we are amazed at how the children's imagination is stimulated and the quality of the questions that we are asked.

Helping hand

2008-10-29T16:54:00.002Z

This is Anusuya, a 14 year old schoolgirl who lives near Mettupalayam. About 3 years ago, she had a cycle accident, and had to have her hand amputated. IRDT have paid for her to travel to APD in Bangalore to have an artificial hand fitted. This has cost some 4000 rupees (about £50), we have paid 1500 rupees (about £19) with APD paying the remainder.

Our cooperation with APD makes a very significant contribution to the amount of help we can give to the 530+ disabled adults and children in our two project areas. We are also very grateful to all our UK supporters whose donations allow us to expand this work. We are planning a major expansion in our disability project in 2009 and are already training extra physiotherapists, selecting suitable girls from among the villagers.

Turning waste into wipes

2008-10-22T09:54:00.004+01:00

It is impractical to inform our supporters of the many small enterprises that we organise through our 150 or so womens self help groups (sanghams). However, having been part of the negotiations last year in Kancheepuram, I was delighted to have received this picture of one of the groups with some cotton waste processing machines. The groups have entered into a contract to receive cotton waste from a manufacturer, and turn it into useful cotton cloths for resale. The machines cost 32000 rupees (c£400) which the women borrow on a special, low interest scheme, repaying at a rate of 50 rupees/day. Depending upon their effort, each woman can then earn a minimum net 150 rupees/day- much more than the daily agricultural labourers rate they receive. The Indian Bank have paid for the womens training and the scheme is sponsored by the District Development Agency, enabling the machines to be bought at cost price.

In addition to the income, this scheme also empowers the women and increases their status and self esteem.

Old age peoples day 8th October

2008-10-11T20:03:00.002+01:00

In Mettupalayam and in Bedale, old people share a special meal and celebrate their lives. Thanks to the owners of The Millings Residential Home in Bedale, 150 elderly people in Mettupalayam are presented with a new set of clothes and enjoy a special meal together. In Bedale, the residents of The Millings celebrate with an Indian style meal of chicken curry, poppodums and pickles and special Indian sweets, followed by a slide show talk about the similarities and differences in their lives. The whole world over, we recognise the contribution that our parents, and grandparents have made, and continue to make in enriching and enhancing the lives that we lead.

Teacher training

2008-10-02T17:36:00.002+01:00

This current academic year, which started in India on the 1st June, we have 5 new teachers at our Mettupalayam School. I am delighted that we currently have 3 male teachers, as often in the past we have mainly employed female teachers. All 5 new teachers are Government trained, but for various reasons, have been unable to get a post in a Government school. Venkat will train them and provide experience and at some stage in the future they will move on, earning a much higher salary than we can pay. At first sight, this high teacher turnover may seem wasteful and inefficient, but as Venkat explains, many of these newly qualified teachers are either of the wrong caste or are unable to pay a bribe to get into a Government school, and we are able to give them an opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable, and it doesn't affect the quality of the education provided- just the opposite in fact, as they are very motivated.
Student numbers have increased to 148 on the role, with a regular daily attendance of around 125.

Disability work in action

2008-09-22T14:11:00.003+01:00

Firstly, to all my readers, sorry for the long gap in blog postings whilst I have been on holiday!
Venkat continues to expand the disability work of IRDT in both our project areas and always has a story to tell every time I phone. Today he has been telling me about two 9th standard schoolgirls who are studying at the high school in RN Kandigai, close to Mettupalayam. One was born without a hand, the other had a bicycle accident, and because her parents lacked sufficient knowledge about hygiene, she developed gangrene and had to have her hand amputated. The girls have both been taken to APD in Bangalore for measurement and assessment and their artificial hands are now ready. Venkat hopes to be able to take them back to Bangalore for fitting next week. Total cost for both hands is 4500 Rupees, of which we will have to pay 1500 Rps, APD and the manufacturers subsidising the remainder. I hope to have photos shortly which I will post here.
The sterling equivalent of 1500 Rps is about £19, so for to our donors, thank you- this is typical of the way that your money is making significant improvements and helping some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in India.

Demonstrations

2008-08-06T13:56:00.004+01:00

One of the women's groups main ways of instigating change is to demonstrate. Individually, they have litte influence, but when they demonstrate as a group, people take notice. Here, Gomathi, our main social worker (and much more besides!) leads a group demonstrating outside the police station against illegal arak dealers. Many poor people use arak to drown their sorrows and to gain respite through oblivion. However, arak leads to many problems, not least taking what little cash is available and which should have been spent on food or other essentials. A significant contributing factor in Valli's suicide was depression compounded by arak. Her friends are able to channel their grief and anger as a group, hopefully encouraging the police to take a firmer line with the criminals who make and sell arak.

Sonja- our Tamil/English rose

2008-07-15T11:13:00.004+01:00

I am delighted that Sonja is still able to study at Mettupalayam School. She arrived in January with her family who are staying in the Mettupalayam area. She is an albino girl, whose parents and sister are very typical Tamils. According to our doctor, Paramasivam, albinism is more comon in India than here, and brings with it a host of problems. The most obvious is that, without skin pigmentation, Sonja must stay out of the sun, so studying at school can be quite difficult. We are arranging to send out sunblock, which is impossible to find in our rural area, and also some sunhats.
It is very surreal for us to see Sonja with her family and to hear her speaking Tamil. She looks just like a beautiful English rose!

Obituary

2008-07-10T14:41:00.002+01:00

Valli, a tribal woman from the Mettupalayam Quarry community, wife to Gopal, mother to Canaan and Mari. I know very little about Valli's life before we first found this small group of people during our visit to Mettupalayam in August 2004. At that time there were 14 families working as bonded labour (slaves) to a quarry owner next to our farm. Thanks to the generosity of Sadeh Lok Housing Group, Huddersfield, we managed to buy out all their debts, freeing them to find alternative employment. Some of the families left, however, 6 families stayed behind and we built houses for them, employing them in a communal quarry at much higher wages, provided good food and employment on the farm when quarrying was not possible due to the weather, and of course, took all 4 of the children into our Mettupalayam Primary School. We have also given them access to medical care.
Just last month, Mari graduated to the High School, a marvellous achievement for her and for her teachers.
This week was the 10th anniversary of Valli's father's death. He hanged himself from a tree near to the quarry settlement. We believe that Valli had been depressed and drinking. At the weekend she was found hanging from the same branch.
Life for Valli has been profoundly difficult, as it is for the vast majority of India's tribal people (dalits, untouchables). Our hope is for the next generation and we will continue to support Gopal Canaan and Mari.
Gopal Valli and Mari are pictured in the previous blog.

Mari at the High School!

2008-07-02T12:16:00.006+01:00

Three years ago, Mari was working all day with her bonded labour parents, breaking granite for a pittance. She was suffering from long term problems due to inadequate food and little or no healthcare. After we paid off the family debts ( Thanks to the generosity of the directors and staff at Sadeh Lok Housing Group Ltd, Huddersfield)Mari started studying at our Mettupalayam Primary School. In the 3 years since, she has worked very hard and recently passed her High School entrance exams. IRDT have paid her annual school subs (about £4!), paid for her uniform and bought her a bike to travel to school. I dream that one day she may go to college!
In 2006 when she passed through puberty, her parents arranged a marriage for her with a 17 year old boy in the same tribal group. However, he very sadly died shortly before the wedding and so Mari was able to stay on at school. We have encouraged Mari's parents to delay any further arrangements for marriage whilst she is studying and continue to provide them with well paid work and healthcare support.

What goes around, comes around

2008-06-17T19:37:00.004+01:00

We see many examples of the way in which our primary school education forms the foundation of future lives. On our visit in 2006, we attended the pre wedding ceremony of one of the teachers, Indumathi. She had been a Mettupalayam pupil, went off to secondary, and higher secondary school, completed her basic teaching qualification, and returned to work at the school. On marriage, she left, as is the custom, and now has 2 young children. Today she visited Venkatachalam to ask about the possibility of attending college to study for a BA Ed degree! We will encourage and support her- it is rare for a married women in our rural area to have the opportunity and the support from her husband to do this. She may possibly return to teach again at Mettupalayam School- a great example of the wheel turning full circle.

Weddings

2008-06-11T11:16:00.005+01:00

Weddings always cause much excitement, and Vernkat's extended family in Dharmapuri are preparing for one! Our very good Friend Kahli (far right) is to marry in August, with the betrothal ceremony due to take place tomorrow (12th June). Kahli and her sister Sakthi have worked at IRDT Mettupalayam for a long time, Venkat helped them to finish their college education, and also helped Sakthi study for the police entrance exams. Kahli has been working at the Mettupalayam School and helping with the accounts. She will be very difficult to replace when she goes up to Dharmapuri to live with her new husband. Sakthi has been staying with Venkat for the last few weeks whilst he recovers from the operation on his spine but is now back working with the police in Chennai.

Kahli has looked after everyone who has visited Mettupalayam over the last two years, cooking delicious food and making them feel comfortable. We will be thinking of her and wishing her all the best for the future.

New school year starts in Mettupalayam

2008-06-05T14:15:00.004+01:00

Ist June is the official start date for the new school year in Tamil Nadu. At Mettupalayam School, we have an initial enrolment of 105 children, but will undoubtedly find another 20 to 40 children joining later. There are 17 children moving on to the Government secondary school. Tomorrow Venkat will be going to pay the fees for the gypsy children- 12 at 300Rps each (about £45 in total). Mari, the tribal former bonded child labourer, has passed her entrance exams for the secondary school and starts later this week. We have given her and her family a lot of support over the past 3 1/2 years, and it is wonderful to see the results.

Nambikki School still awaits the official licence, and is restricted in numbers but we continue to press for it to be issued, knowing that at least 100 children are expected to come.

Welcome to our new blog!

2008-06-04T13:37:00.000+01:00

This is your new source for regular updates on the IRDT Mettupalayam project in Tamil Nadu!

We hope you enjoy reading it and sharing in the excitement of the project. Please visit our website at http://www.irdt.co.uk/ for further information.

Notes from Mettupalayam

Latest updates

FOM now on Facebook

Mari's story- continued

Paid to go to school?

Mari- a very young mother

Changing lives-3

Changing lives-2

Crakehall School update

Sakthi- a special story

Meena returns for leprosy treatment

An elephant blessing

Billy Bear in India

School trip

Sabina

Self Help Groups

Happy New Year

Hurray for the rain!

Well done, Jon! A magnificent marathon effort.

Sabina

Doctor in charge

Becky teaching English

Jon's marathon effort

Putting a lid on it part 2

Putting a lid on it!

Cloth from waste

Growing panes!

Crakehall School, Mettupalayam progress

Building progress

local support

Sunday Lunch

Crakehall School, Mettupalayam Update

Exam success

Crakehall School, Mettupalayam

Taken for a ride?

Rice harvest

Sponsored run/walk

Open Day 8th March

First rank students

Another days training in Mettupalayam

UK News

Helping hand

Turning waste into wipes

Old age peoples day 8th October

Teacher training

Disability work in action

Demonstrations

Sonja- our Tamil/English rose

Obituary

Mari at the High School!

What goes around, comes around

Weddings

New school year starts in Mettupalayam

Welcome to our new blog!