Yesterday we
left Jodhpur for the night and traveled over 100 km to spend the night in an
Indian village, with a population of about 500 people. This was a great way to
experience rural India.
Before my
family and I arrived in the village, we visited a school run by the Sambhali
Trust charity. There we met some of the students attending, varying in ages
from 6 to 14 years old. It was there that I got firsthand experience with the
education system of India. Although the school we visited was “private,” it is
run by the charity so it doesn’t cost the children anything to attend. There
were two different programs there. Some children were part of a program called
the Peacock group, which consisted of those who already attend school, but
who need to get more education, especially in English and Hindi. Another
program is called the Butterfly group, which is aimed towards children who don’t
attend school at all. Some of the subjects that the school focuses on are basic
hygiene, English, teaching girls some basic sewing, as well as singing songs
and playing games.
Most of the
teachers are volunteers from around the world, who stay in the local village
for a month. The main teacher was originally a student at the school, but graduated
and now oversees all of the programs. Something I did notice when I visited the
school was that even though the children were very young, there was a vast
majority of boys, and few girls attending. I had already read about this being
very common in India and other countries as well, but it was interesting to see
it firsthand.
Once we
arrived at the village, we were invited into one of the clay huts to watch our
food being made. All of the cooking was done by one of the women, who kept her
veil on the entire time and didn’t speak much. We learned later that it was for
modesty purposes.
Walking
through the village was very interesting. It seemed as though everything I had
predicted about rural areas was true to my research. I noticed that men and
women always seemed to be separated from each other in public. From getting water,
to attending worship, I got the feeling that oppression was subtle, but was
literally not more than footsteps away from me.
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteSome of my fondest memories during my travels in Africa were visiting the schools, especially those in rural areas. It's amazing how little it takes to make these children smile. They often understand that Education for children means advancement in society and employment opportunities. Enjoy. RSL