The monsoon is in full swing now...both our forays outside the hostel and our village visits have slowed down due to the rains and flooded streets, with water above the knee in some areas. Many Musahar families live in mud huts, and every monsoon season brings both hope and despair: hope for the opportunity of steady agricultural labor for the season, instead of the average 10 days per month of work for the rest of the year; despair due to the heavy, unceasing rains that literally wash away their homes, forcing them to rebuild their houses every year.
Nicole and I have begun compiling the data from our village visits in order to write up our report. The average wage for 10-11 hours of agricultural labor for a Dalit woman is about Rs. 30 per day, or $0.75, while her husband makes double that. Less than 1% of the women are literate, but hopefully with Nari Gunjan centers in the villages, their daughters will radically change those statistics. The girls attend the centers until they get married, at around 14 years of age (though the legal age in India is 18 for girls). We've also begun speaking with the women about child marriage laws, as well as domestic violence laws, in the third round. We know we won't be able to change everything overnight, but at least we can try...Here are some photos from our village visits:
1 comment:
Myra,
I have been following your blog and find it most itneresting. I can't image being knee high in contaminated water. I know my daughter had that experience in Jamiaca and described it as gross. Need I say more. Give Sudha my best and tell her I have been trying to make contact with her.
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