Source: Designpublic.in

Women and children are a key component of home finances.  In many villages around the world, they often join their fathers and spouses in the fields, working long hours, and performing laborious –yet underpaid- tasks in hopes to help their families.  Unfortunately, poverty and the need to survive day-by-day makes people focus on the immediate need of securing food and shelter; the long-term goals that could be achieved through education go untouched. These same challenges are faced by families in many Indian villages, where parents often discourage their children from attending school because they need them to stay home and work.

Education and training are at the core of upward mobility.  In 2009, Indian lawmakers took note of this reality, and the parliament passed a bill to provide compulsory free education to all children between the ages of six and fourteen.  The bill was propelled by reports that Indian illiteracy rates were at a staggering 35%.  Most disturbingly, the findings showed that more than 50% of the female population could not read, and more than 50% of children did not attend school, or dropped out by 5th grade.

Child labor and female lower-wages are a world concern.  The Indian government’s efforts to make education both accessible to children and affordable to parents are making a great difference in their nation’s socio-economic makeup.  In fact, only two years after the educational bill’s implementation the literacy level showed a 9% improvement.  Fortunately, Profugo’s project is located in the village of Prashanthagiri, where education is free and all children go to school. However, our community still suffers the disadvantages of school attrition, with few people seeking the benefits of continued education beyond the 8th grade.  In order to reverse this problem, the villagers have to embrace the long-term perks of education.

Profugo’s vision is to engage the community as a whole, including women and children.  We strive to change people’s lives by providing them with the training and tools necessary to achieve financial independence through agriculture and tailoring programs.  But most importantly, the participants get an education on how to run their businesses, and how to become entrepreneurial.  Our organization provides a holistic system designed to inspire the community reach for goals other than daily survival.  We want to help our communities dream of the future.

Profugo’s field fellows and team members work tirelessly finding ways to enhance their programs and to promote the community’s growth.  By doing so, more women and men can become self-sufficient, and as the community grows, we hope more families will enjoy the benefits of renewable financial security.  Hopefully, this will encourage parents to keep their children in school; learning, dreaming, and developing their own means to a financially secure future.

 

Resources:

1) The Telegraph. India Makes Education Compulsory and Free through Landmark Law. March 2009.

2)  Literacy Rate in India. Indianonlinepages.com

3)  Profugo. Mission statement.

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