Project History and Mission

Mallarpur Uthnau was established in 1996 as an NGO dedicated to "uthnau" (upliftment) of the Santhali people and sustainable development of the region with the primary goal: to stop the exploitation of the Santhals by the local stone quarries. While for centuries the Santhals sustained themselves as sedentary farmers, they are currently being forced to work under hazardous conditions in the stone quarries that have emerging in this area. Men, women and children are being ill treated as laborers in the stone quarries, being made to work for below the established hourly minimum wage, exposing them to harmful chemicals, and denying them access to health care.

The goal of this project is to delegate strength among those marginalized children in the community. Towards this goal, this project has focused on running pre-primary schools, non-formal education (NFE) centers and vocational centers to impart basic literacy among them. The Uthnau schools have strength of about 90 children with 3-4 teachers who have been focusing on early childhood education, cultural and vocational activities along with basic literacy.
The main purpose of this project is:

• To get the Santhali children interested in education by teaching in their language.
• To provide health care and awareness.
• To provide alternative means of livelihood thru vocational training.
• To raise awareness on the ill effects of quarrying and sustainable development of the area.

WAH Budget Proposal

More on Uthnau

The students in these schools come from the Santhali community who are largely marginalised from the mainstream society. The primary livelihood of these areas are agriculture and daily wage labor in stone quarries and literacy rate in this community is abysmally low (~ 10%).
The centers involved in this projects are:

1) MachAwrah - (Location - Garia) - Vocational center
2) Non-Formal Education (NFE) Centers:
   i) Dholkata
   ii) Duyarpahari
   iii) Jetkepara
   iv) Jethiya
   v) Joyalbhanga
   vi) Barmeshia

The MachAwrah vocational school focuses on just basic linguistic training (bengali/english) and basic math operations. Here, less emphasis is given on grammer and children are emphasized to express themselves through writing. Apart from that, vocational and cultural training are also imparted here.

The non-formal centers are focused on imparting basic education in the local dialect through joyful learning in order to improve teacher student interactions. Parents have shown tremendous support for these activities and participate regularly by cooking part of their mid-day meal. As part of health awareness program, regular health check-ups are orgarnized and hygiene awareness programs are being conducted.

One of the key limitations for these schools has been the lack of actual training and absence of teachers in these schools. The proposed WAH budget will largely help in funding the teacher salaries and encourage them to provide quality education to these children who would otherwise remain largely marginalized and underdeveloped in this present world.

Relevant Resources: