OSI-India
In the "Janata Vasahat" slum of Pune, as in many parts of India, girls from the lowest levels of society face countless obstacles
to gaining an education. Financial straits force children out of school and into labour at an early age, or in best case
their families cannot afford the necessary classes and educational materials. Lacking an education means the girl is without
prospects. Parents, uneducated themselves, then feel their daughters as a financial burden, meaning that they are married
prematurely, often without choice, becoming virtual slaves to their circumstances, if not to their new 'family', and soon find
themselves mothers to children who will experience the same cycle as themselves.
In the above video interview, Minal Dani describes the barriers that girls in the slums face (video provided by
GSD Network)
In 1993, a local resident of Pune, Minal Dani, co-founded
ASHA (Action for Self-reliance, Hope, and Awareness) to provide legal assistance,
counselling, health care, and general advocacy to change the desperate plight of women in the Pune slums. After many years of
tireless effort, Minal came to realize that these women all had one thing in common, -a lack of education; this factor was the primary reason
for their lack of opportunities, leading to their present plights. Minal realized that the ultimate solution was to work with these women's
daughters, to keep them in school and help them gain an education, as the only means to stop the cycle of despair. But she soon
encountered the same financial barrier that the girls' parents faced. Government schools are free, but also inadequate, and academic
success for all students requires private classes; even school supplies would be an overwhelming cost for the large number of girls. This
is where OSI became involved.
Starting in 2008, OSI sponsorship took Minal's concept a quantum-leap forward by providing a consistent and substantial means of support
for individual girls in the community. OSI sponsors provide the means for each girl to be enrolled in private classes, receive medical care and
counselling, and nutritional supplement. Each OSI sponsor is providing the means for a girl to gain an education, as far as her
capabilities will take her, all the way through college or vocational training, to a career of her own choosing, and control over her own destiny.
In addition, OSI's program site sponsor (see below) provides the means for Minal and the small ASHA staff to work directly with each child and her family on a full-time
basis, providing counselling (to the girl and her parents), coordinating health care, and advocating the girl's education by monitoring each girl's progress
and academic need, liaising with each girl's school/teachers, and coordinating each step of the her educational progress, with expertise on all of the
resources and educational options available in Pune.
Facebook
Visit ASHA's Facebook page...
Commentary
- OSI's president/founder shares some thoughts on the achievement of our remarkable Pune girls, as well as unforeseen benefits
lately being observed in their neighbourhood...
Janata Vasahat
Janata Vasahat is an impoverished slum community located on the slopes of Parvati, -a prominent hill in Pune crowned with an
ancient temple. It is an extensive, sprawling community of shanties, inhabited mostly by migrants from drought-prone rural
areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka states.
The "original" or "legal" homes in the slum are very simple masonry, tin-roofed constructions of one or two
rooms, registered with the Pune Municipality, and provided with a water tap and electricity. However, many homes in Janata
Vasahat are "illegal" shanties, rudimentary constructions of tin or other materials, prone to conflicts with the municipality,
and without the infrastructure benefits of the legal homes. This is the result of a growing number of migrants to the community,
destitute of the means for legal housing.
Janata Vasahat has it's own charity-run hospital as well as private physicians. Conversely, desperation of many residents means
that there are anti-social elements in Janata Vasahat, -gang fighting, gambling, production/selling of black-market liquor, domestic
violence, early marriage, child labour, etc. Alcoholism-, and the domestic abuse that usually accompanies it-, is rampant.
Adults in the community are largely illiterate or with minimal education. Most men in the community work in unskilled jobs
or as labourers, while women work mostly as domestic servants in homes nearby. Employment/income is unstable and minimal, with family incomes
typically ranging between US $80-$200 /month.
Most young children study in the local Marathi language at government schools within walking distance of Janata Vasahat. A few
of our children who have migrated from distant regions study in Urdu language schools and have to travel through the city to reach
these. Beyond elementary school, colleges and higher education institutions are particularly abundant in Pune, and completing
grade school is all that is necessary for our girls to have access to these.
Excursions
All is not struggle and study! Truly one of the most important things we do is to provide fun and educational excursions for our
Janata Vasahat children as frequently as possible. Their poverty means their childhoods are largely devoid of happy and fun memories,
and the kindness of OSI donors helps us to compensate for that. Getting these girls away from their studies, out of their slum
environment and out of the city... we often see a completely different side of their personalities, or rather their real personalities
shine through, as they are free for a day to just be children. Below are links to excursions that we have provided for our Pune children.
Orchard Resort
OSI-India (Pune)
19 January 2020
Pre-exam excursion to an amusement and waterpark...
Hotel Conrad Career Tour
OSI-India (Pune)
13 July 2019
Informational tour on career opportunities in the hotel industry...
Seema Farms
OSI-India (Pune)
6 January 2019
New year countryside excursion...
Shantivan
OSI-India (Pune)
4 February 2018
Pre-exam day-trip to lakeside Shantivan leisure park...
Morachi Chincholi
OSI-India (Pune)
22 January 2017
Another rural excursion with lots of fun activities...
Orchard Resort
OSI-India (Pune)
14 April 2016
Fun day trip to an amusement and water park...
Lonavala
OSI-India (Pune)
25 April 2015
Scenic, fun, and educational day trip...
Konkan Kanya
OSI-India (Pune)
18 January 2015
A day on the farm...
Mahabaleshwar
OSI-India (Pune)
27 January 2013
Fun and educational excursion to scenic Mahabaleshwar region...
Chincholi Morachi
OSI-India (Pune)
14 October 2012
Educational and pastoral excursion to rural Chincholi Morachi...
Sankranti
OSI-India (Pune)
15 January 2012
Our children enjoyed a day-trip to Saras Baug park to celebrate Sankranti...
Mumbai
OSI-India (Pune)
23 April 2011
Excursion to Mumbai...
Saras Baug Park
OSI-India (Pune)
27 February 2011
Recreation and picnic in one of Pune's most beautiful parks...
Niwara Elder's Home
OSI-India (Pune)
30 January 2011
Social Awareness visit to Niwara Elder's Home, followed by a traditional Maharashtrian lunch...
Sinhagad
OSI-India (Pune)
13 November 2010
A fun hike to an important historical site...
Pune Educational Excursion
OSI-India (Pune)
24 April 2010
Educational day-trip to site of Gandhi's imprisonment and burial, and other historical sites in Pune...
Sanskruti Culture Park
OSI-India (Pune)
21 February 2010
Fun and educational day-trip to Sanskruti Culture Park...
Pune Christmas
OSI-India (Pune)
25 December 2009
Cinema, restaurant, and a walk in the park...
Personnel
Program Liaison
Nick M. Hindman
Resident in nearby Sri Lanka, OSI president/founder Nick M. Hindman also serves as voluntary communicative liaison for our India program.
Program Site Sponsor
Alok Pandya (USA)
Alok is a successful young entrepeneur who early in his career felt a desire to use his business
success to impact the lives of disadvantaged children.
"It's the lives you impact and
make better that really matters in this world." -Alok OSI and our children are fortunate
that Alok has chosen to make this difference with us.
Program Manager
Minal Dani and ASHA (India)
Minal is voluntary Founder and Director of "ASHA", an effort to address violence and injustice against women in Pune.
Minal and the ASHA staff work tirelessly, full time on the ground to achieve our mutual goals for our Pune children.
Geography
Pune (pronounced poo-nay) is located about 160 km southeast of Mumbai, in Maharashtra state. With a population of
nearly 6 million, Pune is the 7th most populous city in India. Pune's nine universities and many more academic institutes
provide an education that feeds the city's growing industrial and IT sectors. Pune is important culturally as well, and
many temples and structures outline Pune's important historical role, from ancient times to the British Raj to Gandhi's residence
and the struggle for Indian independence. At an elevation of 560 meters, Pune has a mild climate year-round.
Pune
- Wikipedia has a particularly excellent, accurate, and comprehensive article on Pune in general...
Time & Weather in Pune
Farenheit
Celsius
Other OSI Program Sites