Garbhanga Forest Villages ( Click here for an interactive google map ) is an area within the Garbhanga Reserve Forest on the border of Assam-Meghalaya (two states in the north-east of India). Garbhanga Forest Villages are collection of more than 15 smaller villages with a population of more than 1000 people. The main occupation of these forest villagers is farming, poultry and daily-wage labor. The Garbhanga Forest Villages are only about 20 kms away from the suburbs of Guwahati ( Read more about the beautiful city of Guwahati here ) and yet very under-developed. It lacks basic infrastructure such as electricity, water, sanitation, school and healthcare.
In Life, we meet stranger all the time and over a period of time, these strangers become our best friends. Our Founder member met the villagers of Garbhanga on a field trip with the kids of Garbhanga studying at Parijat Academy. It was during that visit in 2011 itself that the need for ‘Sneha Karma Foundation’ was conceived. The founder member had decided then itself that Garbhanga would be the first program site of Sneha Karma Foundation as and when it is established.
Why Garbhanga ?
Garbhanga Forest Villages ( Click here for an interactive google map ) is an area within the Garbhanga Reserve Forest on the border of Assam-Meghalaya (two states in the north-east of India). Garbhanga Forest Villages are only about 20 kms away from the suburbs of Guwahati ( Read more about the beautiful city of Guwahati here ) and yet very under-developed. It lacks basic infrastructure such as electricity, water, sanitation, school and healthcare. One of the primary reasons for it to be so under developed is because there is no road connectivity (The closest road is about 16 kms away). Garbhanga Forest Villages are collection of more than 15 smaller villages with a population of more than 1000 people. The main occupation of these forest villagers is farming, poultry and daily-wage labor
There is a name-sake school setup in the Garbhanga Forest Village area, which lacks good teachers and up keeping. The kids from the Garbhanga Forest Villages attend this school on a whenever-they-feel-like basis.
The Reality on the Ground
Most of the Parents prefer for their kids to accompany them on their daily jobs and learn the skills of farming, poultry and other trades to ensure that once they grow up, they will be able earn their livelihood. According to them, formal education is a luxury that they cannot afford and do not even think it is worth the investment because learning how to earn livelihood is more important than anything else.
When it came to the Girls of the Garbhanga Forest Village area, their plight was even worse than that of boys. They were victims of Gender In-Equality, Child Marriage, Exploitation and other Social Challenges. Girls and Woman in these regions do not have a voice of their own and are unaware of their rights. They have continued to stay uneducated and have been exploited for generations.
The Girls in this region did not just need support with education but a platform by which they could be given equal opportunity and the support needed to become independent and self empowered.
A Humble Beginning…
The founder member of Sneha Karma Foundation rolled out the ‘Support-A-Girl’ program at Parijat Academy for the Girls of Garbhanga Forest Village in 2012 itself. To begin with, 4 girls were enrolled in the program.
In 2017, There are 12 Girls in the program. At the begining of 2018, we will be enrolling an additional 12 girls into the program. 2 of the girls in the program will be graduating from college ( equivalent to 15 years of education) in 2019. We are already working on enrolling them in our ‘Skills Development Program’
Plan for 2018 and Beyond…
In 2018, we will be reaching out to corporate’s and small business owners in-and-around Guwahati to explore the possibility of trainee / internship programs for the Girls who will be graduating from college to ensure that they get an equal opportunity at getting a full-time job and can become independent and self-empowered.
Sneha Karma Foundation will also be working with Parijat Academy and other local small business owners to potentially sell the hand-made products by local artisans through Sneha Karma Foundation Social Enterprise ( Planned to go live in 2019/2020). We expect that some of the girls in our Support-A-Girl program might develop skills and decide to start their own business. Our Social Enterprise program will ensure that the products made by these girls have a market place to sell-in and they are able to earn their livelihood.