BCT - Post May not Fit This Forum - But Please Read!!

Veluri, Rao (rveluri@SMTPGATE.ANL.GOV)
Mon, 19 Feb 96 13:06:00 CST



Dear friends:

This may not be the right forum for this post! Please do not
kill. Have patience and read! Afterall, I may get lucky in
convincing a few more people to become volunteers!
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A brief report on Literacy and Rural Development Activities at
the Bhagavatula Charitable Trust(BCT)
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If you plan for one year, sow rice;
If you plan for ten years, plant tress, and
If you plan for hundred years, educate mankind.

- Chinese quote from Kuan Tzu


It was always a pleasure to visit the Haripuram Farm of the
Bhagavatula Charitable Trust(BCT). After a couple of years of
hiatus, Dr. S R Ponamgi, from Ewing, New Jersey, and I had the
opportunity to visit BCT during the first week of January 1996,
and spend a few days with the volunteers teachers and
neo-literates. Each time we go, we learn something new in 101
Rural Development! For now, I will touch upon three of the BCT
activities.

Non-Formal Education Program:

BCT is currently in charge of running 700 centers across the
entire Visakhapatnam district, for the Non - Formal Education
program. Some of you might remember that BCT started the
non-formal education for school age children that do not have the
luxury of formal schooling due to economic constraints, and
particularly for the benefit of the drop outs in the villages.
It is sad to note that over 33% of children entering the
primary schools drop out. BCT started off with 100 centers in
Rambilli mandal, the core area of BCT operations. Now, in
collaboration with 25 other non-governmental voluntary
organizations, BCT imparts education to over 17,000 children in
the age group of 6 to 14, at these 700 NFE centers. It is worth
noting that BCT is the only organization that was entrusted with
700 centers in the country. The children attending these centers
are trained for a period of two and a half years such that they
reach fifth grade level, and in another two years they are
expected to reach the seventh grade level and take public
examination. Successful candidates will be routed to formal high
schools in the district.

BCT coordinators monitor the progress at these centers on a
regular basis. One of the best features of the program is that
the teachers for the NFE centers are trained at BCT. The
curriculum for them includes a component that trains them as
village motivators. This program run by BCT has been adjudged as
the most innovative program by the Ministry of Human Resources
Development of the Government of India.

Child Labor Eradication Program/Child Literacy and Training
Program:

In January 1993, again Dr. Ponamgi and I were at BCT. Dr.
Parameswara Rao, in passing, mentioned to us the International
Labor Organization (ILO) and its interest in a program to
eradicate child labor in India. He was going through their
program features and the funding structure and felt a little
uncomfortable, since most tailor-made programs elsewhere did not
click in Indian villages. Who could be a better judge than
Parameswara Rao on this score? He wanted to run a program that
suits the pace of the villagers in the BCT area. We have grabbed
on the cue, and suggested that the India Literacy Project ( I
happened to be the National Convenor for ILP at that time) would
fund a pilot program with not more than forty children. BCT
agreed and we have participated in the inauguration with 36
children.

By May 1993, BCT launched the full-fledged program with 400
selected children. ILO funded this segment. This is a
residential program in which, 30% of the time is devoted to
accelerated literacy skills, 30% to vocational skills, 30% to
moral and ethical training, and the remaining 10% to health
education. In conjunction with the Rishi Valley Rural Education
Program, BCT developed a 12 - 18 month curriculum to educate
kids to fifth grade level. Parameswara Rao admits that there
were drop outs from this program also, just as in the formal
school program. But, the redeeming feature is that 90% of those
who finished the program went to continue their formal education
in the local schools.

In the second phase, this program is now in progress with 4000
children; with 2000 in the 5 - 7 age group and the other 2000 in
the 8 -12 age group. ILO has agreed to continue funding this
program.

A further feather in the cap for BCT goes for its bold and an
innovative venture! They were not satisfied with the on going
child labor prevention program. From the first 400 children,
they have selected 37 brightest of the bright kids, and started
what they call the "BCT School." This program, literally floored
us. In one word, it is tops!! We spent a whole afternoon with
this class, comprised of "former buffalo-herders"; nineteen boys
and eighteen girls, mostly twelve to thirteen year olds! These
children go through a 320 day schooling.

The program for them is divided into three parts. First: the
normal curriculum during the mornings leading them from sixth to
tenth grade. Second: each child will get training in one
particular skill of his or her choice, tailoring, bicycle repair,
toy making, nursery and home garden development, etc. Third: each
boy or girl will be trained to function as a village motivator, a
developmental volunteer.

The school starts at 7 a.m. with an assembly and prayer. One of
the students will speak to the assembly for a few minutes. They
disperse out, and after breakfast, they start the rigorous class
room studies.This continues during the morning, and after lunch
they go for vocational training. By late afternoon it is work
in the farm. The are paid for their work in the BCT farm, and
they pay back toward the school, not a whole lot, but a part of
their expenses! They wear uniforms prepared by them in their
tailoring classes, highly motivated and were eager to answer all
questions. They were more eager to ask, and ask sharp questions!
We have no answer when one of the sweet girls asked us the
embarrassing question, 'why did we go to America?' and another
sharp one queried, ' when will we be back?' BCT is sending a
subtle message that quality need not be expensive! This
program is in dire need for financial help!

Rehabilitation Program for the Disabled:

Srimati Susila Kambhampati of Austin, Texas, is now 'almost' a
permanent volunteer at BCT. She runs with the help of several
rehabilitation volunteers and the village coordinators, a
rehabilitation program for the physically disabled. This
program, which got started off at BCT with the help of Ms. Daisy
Mottier of Switzerland and Sri Goutham Chowdhury of Calcutta,
has now over 400 people from 39 villages. Individual programs
are developed based on the disability and need. It is a
painstaking, challenging, and certainly a very rewarding program,
as Srimati Susila puts it.

Why not? If you can imagine two deaf and dumb boys dressed in
tiger costumes and trained to perform the traditional tiger
dance to the tune of the drum beats! And, if you can also
imagine a Gopi-Krishna dance performed by four deaf, dumb and
polio-stricken girls!! All this is possible through tremendous
patience and innovative training program nurtured by Susila and
her volunteers! Hats off to them!! This program can certainly use
a good deal of monetary help!

Interested in BCT or ILP? Please e:mail to me at
rveluri@smtpgate.anl.gov , and we can work together!

With best regards,

-- Venkateswara Rao Veluri