The Right to Information Movement was started in the area as a key feature of better governance. The movement sought to invoke the people’s right to view the accounts of the local pradhans and leaders. The government was sanctioning large sums of money for various developmental activities, but where were the funds disappearing? What happened to the borewell promised a year ago? What happened to the scholarship money that should be coming to the students of the school? Why is there a large discrepancy between the claimed expenditure and the actual money spent on construction of the road? People began meeting with the pradhans to ask these questions. If the pradhans did not oblige, the people started demanding answers. There was strength in coming together and asking to see the accounts. Over the last three years, this has resulted in reducing the corruption in the area. More importantly, it has really inducted a ‘we can do it’ attitude in the villagers, which is empowerment. There is genuine citizen participation in governance.
The work has spread from the Lalpur village (a village 60km from Lucknow) to a 30km radius. The District Magistrates of the districts in the area, Sitapur and Hardoi have been helpful and are supportive of the effort there. Two tangible outcomes of this work have been observed recently. One, corrupt government workers do not want to be posted to this area, because they know Asha volunteers will not allow them to be corrupt. Government teachers are more regular; the public health center (PHC) is open for its regular hours (which is longer than the number of hours it used to be open). Second, in the panchayat elections in the area, it has become essential for candidates to promise to disclose all accounts and hold open meetings that involve the villagers. Candidates without these characteristics would find it difficult to be elected. This is long-lasting change with all-pervasive impact.
More details and updates posted by team can be found at the project site:
http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=22
Also, http://www.ashanet.org/india/lalpur-1.htm and http://www.ashanet.org/india/lalpur-3.htm
Lalpur Ashram Photo 1
Village Meeting
As part of improving the government functioning, the Asha team is trying to understand and address the problems of the government schools in the area. For example, transparency in accounts helped students get their government scholarships in full, instead of 50% with the rest pocketed by the school administration. Action taken by the villagers also resulted in two government school teachers being suspended for poor attendance and corruption. Since the recent protest by 45 children organized by area resident and Asha Samajik Vidyalay school coordinator Guddu, school principal is being investigated for alcoholism, food quality has improved, and another teacher is being requested.
In parallel volunteers run several non-formal educational centers, known as Asha Samajik Vidyalays, in the villages in the Lalpur area and in the Lucknow slums. About 600 children in 9 villages in the Lalpur area – Lalamau mawai, Natpurwa, Lalpur, Meerakheda, Birhana, Tandkheda, Jamunipur, Nariya, and Mulhai kheda, and 300 children in 5 slums in Lucknow – Charbag, Kailash Kunj, Springdale-Indira Nagar, Nadwa and Ring road benefit from these centers. Attention is being given to the curriculum and children learn about their environment and community as well. Extensive teacher training and interaction camps are underway where teachers actively participate in curriculum design and compare learning methods and education materials based on Eklavya and Avehi-Abacus techniques.
Some of these schools are funded and closely monitored by Asha chapters:
Natpurwa village school and village area activities are supported by Asha Boston. Neelkamal and Guddu are co-coordinators.
http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=350
Six education centers in Lucknow slums coordinated by Sonia Singh; most funds are from Asha Arizona
http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=452
Support for 35 children in Lucknow slums for admission to formal school, coordinated by Sonia Singh; funded by Asha DC
http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=624
Most of these schools have involvement of local youth volunteers and receive community support (land and classroom donations etc) and minimum funds have been sought from Asha or elsewhere.
Asha fellowship was recently awarded to Mahesh Pandey, Asha volunteer since 1997. Washington DC chapter supports this. http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=619. Mahesh is fully committed to research and implement innovative learning methods through teachers' interaction and training camps in multiple villages and towns.
Asha Rajtalab center is coordinated by Nandlal and his team and is supported by Asha Chicago: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=124
In addition, Asha team members also support, visit, and guide numerous Asha for Education funded projects in UP. One of these is Asha Shikshan Sansthan, Ballia supported by Austin chapter of Asha. This effort began in 1997 and is now coordinated by area activist and teachers.
http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=398
http://www.ashanet.org/india/balia.htm
“My idea of education is empowerment”
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jul/31inter1.htm
“More than schooling”
http://www.indiatogether.org/opinions/pandey.htm
2004 Write-up on Asha Wide explaining approach
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/asha-wide/message/5512
Right to Information movement receives legitimacy in Hardoi (July 2005)
Hindustan Times Article: “Asha Ashram: Hope for a village” (July 2002)
“Community Empowerment, Governance and Education” (September, 2005)
http://www.ashanet.org/pandey/
http://www.indiatogether.org/people/pandey.htm
http://www.ashanet.org/chicago/publicity/films/Brimful_of_Asha2.wmv
http://photos.yahoo.com/annam38
http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/000466.html - Overall trip coordination, includes peace march and Coke activities in detail as well.
www.ashanet.org/canada/sandeeppandey/ - Canada visit
www.ashanet.org/pandey/visit2005 - US visit listing Asha talks