Swiss League
‘Housla’ is a Hindi word meaning Encouragement. All of us look for encouragement and support to go ahead in life. In a world where challenges abound, it’s easy for us to feel discouraged.
The thought of giving up is always present in our minds just because there is no one we can turn to for encouragement. Everyone is too busy with their own affairs. This makes us forget our moral obligation to each other being a part of a society. In this run, the poor and the less privileged feels always left alone and put down. After the break of Corona pandemic, the lives of the poor and the less privileged have become more difficult. No one supports them, or if any support announced by the Govt. to get that they have to run pillar to post.
This project emerged as a result of our interaction with the adolescent girls and the community members. Most of them were discouraged and surrendered to their failures in life or accepted everything as their fate. When we deeply understand the situation of the Musahar/ Manjhi community explains their plight for survival. Even today they are treated as bonded laborers. Women and girls are exploited and miss used in very many ways. Though they take active role in the functioning and running of the family and community often they lack skills to earn a decent living. This makes them forcefully turn to brew liquor and sell that to earn their living. Illiteracy and lack of skill enhancement is a serious problem for their well-being.
In the village they have very little opportunities and parents being illiterate the adolescent girls find difficult to pursue their dreams. At times though they are talented and capable lack of opportunities pushes them to the back seats. Manthan through its interventions and interaction with the community devised certain educational models to educate these girls till class 10th. After this most of them register their names in the nearby colleges for class 11 and 12th. This too will not long last because the parents are so much worried to leave the girls at home for works.
So, the easy solution for this problem for them is getting them married. Once they are married, they have to be confined within the four walls of their in laws house. The adolescent girls who have discontinued their studies due to poverty are prone to early marriages, preparation and sale of alcohol in the family. And because of the alcohol there are many cases where the young girls have victims of violence and abuse. We need to accompany them and support them so that they continue to studies and make their future bright.
Housala project proposal aims to bring changes in the adolescent girls aging from 14 to 25 (the Youth group) this is to provide an opportunity to the Musahar adolescent girls to enhance their skills and go ahead in life. It is a felt need, as Manthan works for the wellbeing of the Musahar community, Manthan take special interest to motivate and accompany the adolescent girls of the Musahar community. We believe that by motivating and encouraging them we can bring about changes in their mindset and give a world view that they are equally good and valuable in the society. The proposal is to help the adolescent girls to learn life skills, help them in confidence building, and motivate them to go a step ahead in life. We also hope in the future to provide other vocational skill trainings to these girls in computer, spoken English, embroidery, etc. So that step by step we can capacitate these girls to stand on their own feet.
In our past experience, a hand full of them, whom we have supported are doing extremely good. For example, one girl has completed her MSW who was supported and is working at present in one of our centers. We have two of the students who went through our trainings working with us after finishing their MSW studies. These examples show us that an opportunity can make a difference in the life of a less privileged person.
We feel that if these adolescent girls are given an opportunity in their life, they not only make changes in their life but in their family and community as well. The best example for this is the girls and boys who are studying in Manthan. They are doing extremely well in their studies with constant guidance and support.
Therefore, Husala aims at brining an attitudinal change in the behavior of the Musahar community. We believe that the womenfolk are the crucial agents of changes in the society, particularly in Musahar community. In Musahar community it’s the women who take the responsibilities of the families.
If they are motivated and educated, then it’s easier to work for their development of the community. Hence, we request your support and assistance in our humble efforts to the very backward community in Bihar. The Musahar community will be very grateful to you for your generous help and assistance.