Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Breaking the cycle of poverty and exploitation of which
the tribals (adivasis) in India
are victims, teaching them to use the resources available to them and
preserving their dignity and integrity. This
is the mission of Janhit Vikas Trust
(JVT, "being of people"), a Jesuit center of social activity working since
1992 in
20 villages of Raigad district (Maharashtra) with Katkari, nomadic tribal
people, very poor and not recognized by State Government. To
survive, they work as laborers in the monsoon season, and then migrate to work
in coal mines and brick factories. Among
the Katkari sexual the exploitation of women is widespread.
"Our
goal - explains Fr. Diago D'Souza, director of the JVT to AsiaNews - is help them to know and claim their rights, without abandoning
their culture." Therefore,
the JVT activities is formulated many ways: to generate and develop funding
programs, health projects, work training courses, lessons on human rights, micro-credit
and self-help groups, basic and legal education.
Being
a nomadic people, the Katkari are dedicated only to seasonal work, which lead
to exploitation and low and irregular wages. When
both husband and wife (often the most committed) work the family can count on
about 350-400 rupees. But
their status as migrants causes an even more serious problem: illiteracy. Moving
along with the family in fact, children can not go to school, feeding a growing
illiterate and defenseless population. To
change this situation, JVT activists collect the children from the slums and
bring them to school, where teachers paid by the Jesuit Centre teach them
English and mathematics.
Education
is also given to the woman in the Kaktari villages, often the victim of abuse
and domestic violence: over time, courses and seminars that teach women their
rights, and laws have increased.
Another
problem that plagues these Adivasis is alcoholism. While
living in extreme poverty, there are periods of the year in which work is more available.
However,
the extra money is not spent to fix the their huts or buy food, but alcohol. Through
JVT seminars, some tribal households have responded to this issue. In
some cases, volunteers have helped the population to form self-help groups, to
fit into their cultural context, without alienating them from their identity.
Finally,
a worthwhile initiative is linked to health care. Hospitals
and sanatoriums in fact are few and far between, and a call to a doctor costs
more than 50 rupees. Thus,
the Jesuit center teaches the tribal to harness the capabilities of healing
herbs and plants found in nature, to create salves, teas, infusions and
preparations to solve less serious illnesses, like colds, diarrhea, scabies,
and fever.