"I hit her, because she was late for lunch"----Visiting NISHTHA villages in West Bengal #4

During our visit to YGB's "Sister Aid" micro loan recipient mothers in rural villages in West Bengal, we bumped into one recipient yelling something outside of her mud house. First, we did not understand what was going on. Our partner NISHTHA social worker immediately jumped in and she also started arguing with a man standing in front of the house. Our translator explained that this poor woman just like any other women in this region, prepared breakfast, cleaned the house and went to the field to help her husband's work on their Guava field this morning. As she was so busy with her labor, she got a little delayed to return home to prepare their lunch. Tired and hungry, her husband lost patience and hit her on her right cheek, when she returned home, yelling at her. Obviously, this poor wife got very upset about this incident, which apparently has been going on for sometime. She is YGB's micro loan recipient who also put her loan as an investment to help grow her husband's Guava business together. And this was what she got!!

Unfortunately, this is a reality these rural women have to live with on a daily basis. Gender discrimination remains deep rooted in this region, starting with female infanticide. Census 2011 shows decline of girl population in India under the age of seven, with some estimating that eight million female fetuses may have been aborted in the past decade. When it comes to education, women's literacy in India is 65%, compared to men's literacy of 82%. Child marriage, child labor, rape, and domestic violence continue to threaten women's lives into adulthood. When poor women grow old, there is very little care for them and I witness this all the time in these villages. Older women never wear colorful saris, but rather cover themselves with completely ragged clothes only. It is against this sever reality, that I am truly inspired and proud to share with you how YGB's programs are making a real positive impact on these women's lives.

YGB micro loan recipients form a group or 10-20 women in eighteen villages. These groups have become not only a support platform for their new income earning businesses, but very important social support structure where women are free to discuss their domestic issues and get mutual support. I was happy to learn how NISHTHA social workers guide discussion such as domestic violence with these groups once a month.  YGB is the only organization in this region who is investing in women's empowerment with NISHTHA and it is truly an empowering experience to witness how YGB's global community's support is uplifting so many women's lives here. Micro loans do not only give women means to earn income, but more importantly seed fundamental sense of self-worth and dignity in them.

NISHTHA social worker and YGB fund recipients group "Shkti Prava" discussing Domestic Violence

 

Aparna Mondal is a mother of two daughters, who is also a victim of domestic violence. She energetically told me, "If any husband of our group abuses his wife, we go to him as a group and tell him that if he continues such behavior, we will take appropriate measures. We are not silent any more! I do not want my daughters live like me."

"NARI SHAKTI!!"(Women's Power)--Group's determination is echoed in the village after the meeting

"Atithi Devo Bhav" (Guests are Gods)---Visiting NISHTHA villages in West Bengal #3

"Atithi Devo Bhav" is a long lived India's tradition which remains strong in the rural villages in West Bengal. It means "Treating guests as Gods" in Sanskrit.

YGB "Sister Aid" fund recipient mothers welcome us at each village with a traditional puja

As we visit many poor agrarian villages here, we experience this living tradition all the time. Upon arrival to villages where YGB global community is supporting, women welcome us by gently taking our arms into their village. Once we arrive at the village, a lady blows a conch, and NISHTHA staff Shaumana makes her special sound pursing her lips, echoed by all the other women.

Then they shower us with beautiful fresh flower petals and embrace us with oil candle light and incense. Sometimes, we stand on wood platforms which has hand drawn designs, while all this ceremonial process takes place. We are also often offered seasonal sweets and fresh coconut after the ceremony. There is deep sense of respect for guests, and I often feel "Do I really deserve this?". Our local translator Malay explained that this is a beautiful Indian tradition that welcomes even your adversary and expect nothing from it. But it is also fading fast in city lives and growing nuclear family style.

On the surface, these women have very little, but it makes me wonder "who is really richer?"  In the  West or "developed societies",  we are often too busy to take time for such genuine hospitality, not to mention welcoming people you do not like. What a tradition, what a way of life!!! I continue to feel humbled. 

At lunch time, women in the villages always gather and prepare scrumptious lunch course for us, which consists of at least 5 different thali (small dishes), with chapati and rice. It is all about giving and welcoming, nothing else.

During my visit here in India, St Francis' words continues to repeat in my mind, "By giving, you receive". We are offering financial support to these women, but I receive so much spiritual wealth in return that I can not help but share this kind of precious experience with you all and YGB global community who support YGB's mission. 

As we leave each village, women gather around our auto rickshaw and keep saying "Abar dekha hobe", meaning "Please come back" and then stand there till we disappear from their sight. 

"Living my mother's dream"---Visiting NISHTHA in West Bengal #2

During this visit to NISHTHA villages, I wanted to visit one young girl in particular. 10 year old Joyeeta Biswas whose mother suddenly passed away, one month after I filmed a powerful interview with her in her village in November 2012. She was quite pregnant but looked healthy and beautiful. In her interview, she shared how growing guava was starting to make a profit. She also expressed her strong desire to raise her daughter Joyeeta with good education so that she can have much better life than her own. Ranu wanted Joyeeta to become independent. Joyeeta was eight years old then, a bit shy. The cause of Ranu's sudden death remains unclear, all we know is that she could not stop bleeding as she gave birth to a healthy son. She passed away while being carried away in an ambulance.

When we arrived at her home, I did not recognize Joyeeta, now ten years old and 5 inches or more taller! She was carrying her baby brother at her grandparents' home ground.

Since this tragedy happened, YGB has been supporting Joyeeta's education and health care. Today, Joyeeta is a very articulate young girl. She told us that this tragedy should have never happened and a child like her should have never been left behind like this. Despite of this traumatic experience, Joyeeta is doing extremely well at school and English is her most favorite subject. She is determined to become a doctor, because "This is my mother's dream. I want to live my mother's dream", Joyeeta expressed without any hesitation. She also said, "There is nobody who looks after the elderly here. I want to be a doctor for seniors."

Every morning and evening, Joyeeta prays for her mother, "Mother, I hope you are well. I am doing well."

Joyeeta with her grandparents and baby brother

After her mother's death, she has been in the care of her aunt and her grandparents. Recently her father got a better job, so NISHTHA hopes that he will look after Joyeeta's expenses next year. NISHTHA's social worker and village women group continue to monitor and support Joyeeta's well being to make sure that she will continue her education. Too often, girls who lose their mothers can be sent for child marriage or child labor, as they lose their protector in this region. Girls' education is still not a high priority in poor families. NISHTHA is keeping an eye on Joyeeta and YGB will continue to get updates from them. I hope to continue to visit Joyeeta on my visit here and hope YGB global family can help her reach her dreams!!

You can watch late Ranu Biswas' interview from 2010 in this YGB Film "Sister Aid: NISHTHA"

$15 a month is transforming so many lives!!---Visiting NISHTHA programs in West Bengal 1

YGB's last visit is NISHTHA programs in rural villages, South of Kolkotta. Kolkotta was the capital of India during the British Empire and I am amazed to see recent development of the city with new industrial parks, Metro construction, and traffic like Los Angeles! It seems like the economy is booming here at first sight. However, as we go into rural villages, people's lives remain extremely poor. Here, YGB has launched its direct funding program "Sister Aid" in 2010, partnered with a respected local NGO NISHTHA (which means Devotion in Bengali) who has been serving for the poorest women and girls for the last 35 years, reaching out to 300 poor villages in this area, called Baruipur.

  

Three generations of NISHTHA leaders; Priti Lata Das, Mina Das and Manami Das

For the first time, we met 80 year old Ms. Priti Lata Das whom everyone calls "Shawna Ma" (Golden Mother) with deep admiration. As a young bride herself, Priti saw unimaginable abuse against young child brides in her neighbor communities, which led her to found NISHTHA. At her home, she created a room for nine local child brides to gather so that they can share their experiences in a safe environment, as well as sharing her own knowledge of writing, singing and sawing. Priti just could not tolerate how rural women were treated badly in poor agrarian homes by their own husbands and in-laws.

35 years later, her daughter Mina Das runs NISHTHA with her nieces and about 100 staff, supporting total of nearly10,000 poor girls, women and grand mothers in this region, offering services and support from education, health care, vocational training, day care, ecological education and more. Mina's commitment to empower poor women has truly been a revolutionary undertaking. Mina is dedicating her life to this cause, and she does not take any day off for herself. Mina knows very well that tens of thousands of women's lives are at a danger of being abused at any moment.

Today I am very pleased to witness YGB's "Sister Aid" program's real positive impact.  Last four years, YGB global community has grown tremendously and we now support 209 mothers with micro loans and nobody has defaulted yet!!  This program also offers education fee for one daughter per each micro loan recipient mother. Today, 210 young girls are funded to stay in school to avoid child marriage or child labor. It costs only $15 per month for a mother to start an income earning business or a young girl to continue her education at school. Many of us spend $15 for a casual lunch in the West, while the same amount of money can transform these people's lives so fundamentally. Just imagine, if everyone from the world yoga community donates just $15 per month, how many people can be supported for a real transformation out of poverty, reaching their dreams!

This afternoon, I was so happy to bump into two young micro loan recipients carrying "Yoga Gives Back Sister Aid Project" bag to go to a local bank to deposit their savings. These women never even had a chance to go to a bank before the loan started!!! It took a while for them to feel comfortable to interact with bank clerks, but today, they are very confident with smile. 

NISHTHA Director Mina Das says, "This program is so important as this is the only program to help poor rural women with micro loans for them to start their own income earning work, which is not only giving them economic power but most importantly their self confidence. This program is also very innovative as it does not ask interest to the micro loan borrowers, but requires them to save minimum of 50 rupees per month for their daughters' future education. This is a revolutionary program empowering women and girls."

In three days, we have visited 9 villages out of 18 villages YGB now funds. I am truly inspired to encounter so many women's confident smile, who were so frail and shy a few years ago. When I first met Chaya Naskar, she looked very pale and thin, expressing anxiety about her future. Her husband deserted her and her daughter. She was stuck at her in-law's house who were also not very happy about the situation. She did not even have enough food for themselves. Four years alter,  with a micro loan of 3000 Rupees, she sells vegetable on the street and business is growing. Today, she is making enough profit to care her daughter's heart condition as well as her independence. Though still thin, she looked much healthier and her glowing smile conveyed her confidence and positivity in her life and her daughter's future.

Pompa now hires 150 local women to make ornaments. She built concrete home and toilet.

Some women groups decide to work as a group to make more profit with their business