A gap in the world

The last month has been hectic. Students who have completed their 10th would like to study further. Parents do not approve. They'd rather have them get to work.

A tribal researcher employed with a prominent research organisation contacted me requesting support for five students who have completed schooling. Their village has no college and the nearest government college is at least 100 km away. Private colleges (which are closer) charge a few thousand rupees as fees. Do we try for admission in the government college? Or do we join the private college?

If we get admission in the government college (which is not at all assured), what about hostel facilities? What about food? Who will bear all these expenses? If we get admission to the private college, then the fees is a few thousand rupees. Bus fare to and from school (about 25-30 km), books, clothes, and all that. Too much, said the parents, who earned between Rs 40-70 as a day's wages.

One of the boys passed his 10th with a first class. He made his choice quickly. He preferred to work, because for the first time in their area wages were up to Rs 84 per day! The men were only paid Rs 60-70 per day otherwise. Why are the wages up? Because the NREGA is being implemented in their area! Life is like that only.

Today, another lady contacted me. She has studied theology and works with a social service organisation in a small village in Kanakapura. Would I be able to help students from her area? she asked. They come from very poor families. Some of them are bright and need support for higher education. Can we? I do not know.

Till now, we have not turned anyone away. I do not know what the future has in store. But I am spending more and more of my time in fund-raising. That leaves less time for mentoring... Not an equation I like. We need to work out some long-term solution to this existing void.

Vision, mission, etc

What is your mission, vision, etc?
As of now, we have no mission. We do have visions, but we'd rather call them dreams. We dream that these students will complete their studies, find jobs, and then come back to support other children. We dream that a few years from now, we will not have to seek funds from the city-based friends-and-colleagues network. That the alumni will support the next set of students.

We at Kanasu Trust believe that having a mission will only restrict us and take us away from our raison d'être - the need felt by our kids. I understand that I should call them target group... but somehow they remain our kids!

So our mission could be:
- To fulfill needs felt strongly and expressed in the field of education and livelihood training.
- To mentor first-generation learners for a career in the world outside.
- To prepare the children of marginal farmers and landless labourers for life as equals in society.

This is so dynamic, and it will change. But, this is what we have been doing for the past three years, only the last one year is official!

Q1 finances

Income this quarter has been sufficient for the students in need.

MBR: 2,500
SV: 1,000
P: 5,000
GPS: 5,000
ACL: 6,000
DrB: 5,000
PN: 5,000
VM: 2,000
AC: 2,000
SBB: 1,000
AS: 9,000
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Total: 43,500
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This was used for food (hostel messes are closed for the summer), exam fees, admission fees, and some last minute purchase of guides and photocopying. Some students have also been admitted to schools and colleges for further studies.

Computer centre

I visited a village of Tamilians in Karnataka, and was most impressed by their desire to get ahead. The entire village presented a united front -- about 20 men got together to request me for some support.

They do have a government school in the village, but the teacher is not too good. There is also a private school, but only for primary school. There are almost 500 families in the village spread over a vast area as they tend to live in their farms. They are small and medium farmers with land ranging from 2 acres to 6 acres.

Their wish list:
1. English medium school
2. Computer classes
3. Spoken English classes
4. High school in the village
5. Additional coaching for students.

I told them that we need permission from about 19 different government departments and this is just not in our capacity.

We could set up a computer centre for their little kids, I suggested, provided the community cooperated and it was a community run centre. They have agreed to donate a room for a year for centre. They have also agreed that minimal fees should be charged - Rs 20-30 per student was suggested.

So, here's what we need:

1. 6 tables
2. 6 chairs
3. 6 computers (2 promised)
4. UPS system
5. 1 teacher (any volunteers among the Tamil/Kannada speaking population?)

Basically, I am excited about this as I will be helping people who want to help themselves.

Married at 15?

Married at 15, first child at 16, another at 17, drunk husband, cranky children, tired and anaemic mother, scraping by on a daily wage when work is available, living on credit when that is available... A hard life - drudgery, worries, endless hunger. That's what Thimmamma has. She is barely 30.

Fifteen-year-old Ratna is getting married on 11 June. A bright student, she dropped out of school five years ago to take care of her younger brother, while her mother went to earn a living. Her life is all set to follow the same pattern as her mother's. At 30, Rathna will be the thin, tired mother and wife, that her mother is today.

Her sister Radha is just a year younger. Will her future be any different? We, at Kanasu Trust, hope so. We have pulled her away from home and placed her in a hostel. She now misses her home so much that she bursts into tears at the slightest provocation. Not for her the carefree song and dance of the other hostel girls. Not for her the secrets, giggles, and happy hours in the evening.

We hope that being in the hostel will keep her away from the social pressures of marriage. Her mother has agreed that she will not be forced into marriage as long as she studies. "If she is here, then I can't reject the proposals all the time. I will be forced to marry her off. As long as she is studying somewhere else, she will be safe," said Thimmamma. Our only hope of keeping the child off the marriage market, is to keep her in school.

What does it cost? Not much. Bus fares, clothes, and fees all put together come to just Rs 2,000 per year!

Any donors?

P.S. Thank you CDS for your support for her.

Need support for 2009-10

N N is a Lambani boy from a family of casual labourers settled in Kollegal district. He wants to study further and works hard. But his family wants him to start earning immediately. They do not support his efforts to study at all. In fact, they ask him to send them money every now and then! He was working in a garment factory in Tirupur in 2007-08 for almost a year before he returned to study last year.

He is pursuing his Diploma in Mechanical engineering in Mysore. He stays in the college hostel. We supported his education last year and need to raise money for him this year as well. To be frank, he is not a very smart student, just a hard working one, who wants to study despite the odds.

College fees: Rs 1600
Uniform and shoes: Rs 300
Books, tools: Rs 1550
Project: Rs 1100
Hostel fees: Rs 2300 (per year)
Food: Rs 900 per month x 10 months = Rs 9000
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Total: 15,850
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P.S. AS from Delhi has paid his fees!
Need money for his monthly mess bill: Rs 900 x 10 months = Rs 9,000

N.N. (diploma)

On April 16, 2009 (just last week), N.N. went without breakfast. Nothing special about it, except that he is one of the kids who is being supported by Kanasu Trust. The missed breakfast brings with it a huge sense of failure that far outweighs the couple of hundred calories a "rice-bath" would have brought him.

The point of starting the trust, was to ensure that kids like him and N.V. (who is studying law) do not have to study on an empty stomach. Read N.V.'s account (in this blog) of gatecrashing a wedding to fill that troublesome stomach!

N.N. needs Rs 45 per day for three meals. I need to raise money for 50 days until his exams are done. Hostel mess is closed as the college is closed for study hols. Exams are only from end-May to June 4. Till then, he has to feed himself. Going home is not an option as there is no electricity and no food at home. As there is no work in the fields during the summer, food is a serious problem in all their homes.

I am now trying to raise Rs 45 x 50 days (April 16 - June 5) = Rs 2,250

Any helpers? Pls write in!

Course: Mechanical
Place: Mysore
Support: Fees, uniform, books, mess bill...
His family needed money for hospital bills and he worked during the vacations and evenings to send money home.

May 5: Managed to raise Rs 2,000 for NN and transferred it to him too.