Concern India Foundation

ANNUAL REPORT 2006 - 2007

Case Studies

Education

“We learn...10% of what we read ; 20% of what we hear; 30% of what we see; 50% of what we both hear and see; 70% of what is discussed; 80% of what we experience personally; 95% of what we teach to someone else.” – William Glasser
A yearn to learn Nadeem, a bright 17 year old lad, like many children from slum areas ,was forced to drop out of school due to lack of resources. Nadeem comes from an impoverished family with three younger sisters. His mother works as a domestic help and is the sole earning member of the family. Earlier his relatives had supported his education financially, but when Nadeem started attending high school, his relatives stopped support and he was forced to discontinue his studies. When Nadeem found about a Concern India Foundation supported programme which provided library and education material, he immediately got himself enrolled. He also encouraged his sisters to get admitted. Nadeem is now studying in standard XII and hopes to appear for Higher Secondary Exams.
	Studying for a brighter future Arti, was in class I when her father expired and her mother could not afford her schooling expenses. Through a Concern India Foundation supported programme, Arti’s mother was convinced to let her continue with her studies and her fees were also waived off. She completed her Xth standard with 77.8% marks and is now pursuing a B.Com degree through a correspondence course from a University. Arti is also now working as a primary teacher.
Learning in your own gali Dilawar, a 5 year old boy, lives with his parents and 6 siblings in a resettlement colony. The children were not enrolled for any education, due to the ignorance of the parents and lack of financial means as the father is a daily wage earner. During a community visit, a ‘Gali School’ educator (a programme supported by Concern India Foundation) met Dilawar and his father. The educator explained to the father the importance of education and informed him about the Gali School programme. Dilawar, a bright child has been securing first position at the center and is now being mainstreamed to a primary school in the neighborhood. John goes to school John is 8 years old in a family of 7 people. The father is an alcoholic and unemployed. John’s elder sister and brother are dropouts and work as a loader and cleaner along with the mother to support the family. The mother is keen that her younger children do not face the same hardship and future like her elder two children. Through a Concern India Foundation supported programme she got her children admitted in a welfare centre and a transit school. John is now enrolled in a formal school.
	Widening horizons Lingaraju was home bound for nearly seven years because of his severe disability. His life changed when he attended a wheel chair distribution programme organized by a Concern India Foundation supported programme. He also found out that the project offers training in spoken English and computers. He enrolled himself for the same and stayed at the residential facility offered by the programme. He is now working in a mill and is independent and self sufficient.
A ray of hope Prashant’s father expired 14 years ago and his mother left him and his two elder sisters with his grandfather and shifted to her native place. To supplement the small income of the grand father, the two sisters also worked as house maids. The family income was exhausted even before the month was over. Prashant though a very bright child, missed the required parental attention and love and his education suffered. Prashant came in touch with a Concern India Foundation supported programme and started participating in its many activities. Encouraged by the programme he also secured 67% in his SSC exams but was uncertain about further studies because of financial constraints. Admission in a boarding school was arranged so that he could complete standard XI and XII. Regular follow up is being done to gauge the progress of Prashant, who desires to become an Engineer like his deceased father.

Health

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” - World Health Organization, 1948
Calm after the storm Reva, a 3 year old, is an autistic child. She was hyperactive and restless in her behavior and could not move independently. She had a very small attention span and made absolutely no eye contact. A programme supported by Concern India Foundation enabled her treatment of sensory stimulation along with physiotherapy. The sessions began with tactile, vestibular, olfactory and visual stimulation. Responding best to tactile stimulation, she has now started maintaining eye contact for 5-10 seconds. She is touching walls (coarse texture) and walking independently. She is a changed person, a lot less hyperactive and restless, and has joined a play school nearby. Seeing the world with new eyes Manju, 25 years, lost her vision in both eyes. A Concern India Foundation supported programme, referred her for a complete eye check up. A medical examination revealed that though nothing could be done to restore the sight of her left eye, there was, however, some hope for her right eye. She was successfully operated upon and can now see with her right eye. Her vision though feeble is enough for her to carry out her daily activities and take care of her children.
	Dignity of age Kottayamma, a 67 year old widow, lived with her younger son but was forsaken by him and his family. Suffering from high blood pressure, body aches and blindness, Kottayamma was feeling depressed and dejected when a programme supported by Concern India Foundation stepped in. She was then successfully operated upon. Having regained her eyesight, Kottayamma has resumed her earlier occupation of selling eatables near schools, thus earning her own livelihood.
A crushing blow For the past 2-3 years, 12 year old Dharmesh, along with his parents, worked in a stone crusher. He got affected by Tuberculosis (TB). A Concern India Foundation supported programme came in touch with him and arranged for his medical treatment. They also counselled his parents on child labour and Dharmesh’s future and got him enrolled him in a local, non formal education and welfare centre. For the forthcoming academic year Dharmesh will be admitted to a formal school. Agni pariksha Rita was orphaned when she was very young and had to start fending for herself. Innocent and naive, she met a man, fell in love and married him, in the hope that he will take care of her. Alas, the possessive husband turned out to be an alcoholic and a womanizer. Rita, a mother of 3 children by then, was subjected to constant torture and brutality. Unable to cope with life, she set herself on fire and sustained a fair amount of burns and disfigurement. A Concern India Foundation supported programme encouraged her to join a self help group and meet others with a similar fate and their fight for survival. She was referred for reconstruction surgery and physiotherapy. The programme also arranged for her children to be counselled as they felt repulsed by her deformity and also suffered from their own insecurities. She is also now put in a training centre.
	An aid to hear Shamita, 11 years old suffers from profound hearing loss. Her father is a teacher in a small town government school. To provide her with special auditory training and speech therapy by qualified staff at a special school, the mother moved to a large city. The mother is a teacher at the same special school. The income of the parents is not sufficient to support the family as well as provide for the special training of Shamita. With help from a Concern India Foundation supported programme, Shamita now has a good hearing aid, and can communicate with her peers. A science student, she loves dancing and sports. She participated in the ‘Abilities Mela’ and ‘Bandhan 2007’programmes organized for children with special needs.

Community Development
"The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." – William Wordsworth
Lotus in the mud pond Durga was forced to become a commercial sex worker on the death of her husband. Fearing the safety of her 3 children, especially her eldest, 5 year old daughter Anima, in the red light district environment, she came in touch with a Concern India Foundation supported programme. Anima has now been enrolled in a care centre and also attends a formal school. Haven for sunset years Just like children, the aged too are most often vulnerable. Concern India Foundation also supports a Home for aged women from 60 to 90 years of age who are devoid of any financial or psychological support from their immediate family. One of the beneficiaries is Bala, now 80 years, who has been a resident of the Old Age Home for many years. Bala was childless and widowed at a young age. With no support from either parents or in–laws, Bala somehow managed to fend for herself. Her younger unmarried sister had a paralytic stroke and Bala sold off everything she had to take care of her. Unable to pay the rent of a house, she was guided to the Old Age Home. Bala, now considers it a safe haven with compassionate mates.
	Learning the art of business Chikkatayamma & Eramma, two tribal women, were dependent on forest produce and irregular agricultural income for family survival. A Concern India Foundation supported community programme, got them initiated into a self help group. Chikkatayamma and Eramma, along with 25 other women, were each given a loan of Rs 500/- and necessary training and understanding for poultry farming. The two women started off with three hens and a cock . They reared the birds well and soon the brood had multiplied to be valued at Rs 1500/- . They sold some of their birds and re- paid the loan. The eggs are used for sale. They feel far more confident and are now also considering other micro enterprises.
Changing life tracks Benjamin an orphan, was admitted to the special rehabilitation school by his uncle because of his delinquent behavior. The school was able to give him adequate training and support. A few years later the school enrolled him for a book binding course. However, he was not able to cope and dropped out of the course. A Concern India Foundation supported programme got him re-admitted for vocational training. With counseling and motivation, Benjamin was more than willing to learn. He is able to now do various types of binding like Calico, Leather and Spiral. From rags to savings Mobin is a 35 years old, rag picker with whom Concern India Foundation has been associated for the last 4 years. His is a unique case of how a person can find his way in a large metro city even while dealing in garbage. Mobin hails from a respectable family in a small town. Not interested in studies, he ran off from his home and came to Mumbai. Living on station platforms he survived and earned a livelihood by collecting dry garbage. He came in contact with a Concern India Foundation supported programme which was working with the rag pickers in that area. The programme helped him in getting an authorized ID-card. He also attended some training course on understanding and segregating dry and wet garbage, which helped him to streamline his work and increase his income. The next step was to motivate him to start saving on a daily basis. Mobin has a good amount of savings and is an active member of the registered cooperative of the rag pickers. The trendsetter

Environment
“If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age.” Jacques Barzun, The House of Intellect, 1959
The trendsetter Most of the villagers in a small village in the Alwar district are ignorant and uncaring about the importance of hygiene. Not a single househad a toilet. Through a Concern India Foundation supported programme, Satish was convinced about the need for hygienic living and was provided material and the know- how to build a toilet. Satish’s mother is happy with the new facility. “We, especially women of the house, used to find it difficult to go to toilet during late evenings and in the monsoon”.
	Smoking (even passive) is injurious to health Sravanthi completed her SSC in 2004 with good marks ,but much against her own wish had to drop out from school for lack of funds. Her father had to move to another district for work and Sravanthi with her mother and other siblings moved into her grand parents house. As was the custom in the area, most girls had to get into the occupation of beedi rolling. The more beedis a girl rolled and earned better money the better her chances of finding a suitor. Never mind the fact that she would continue to do the occupation even after marriage and spoil her health with passive tobacco intake. Of course, many would also succumb to the vice of beedi smoking. Sravanthi too was sent by the family to a beedi karkhana and earned about Rs 500/- per month. Through a counselling programme, Sravanthi learnt about the hazards of beedi rolling on health and environment damage and was keen on finding an alternate occupation. She enrolled for a one year course on a tailoring programme.

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