An Appeal for the empowerment of some of the most marginalised people in India.
A small team of volunteers are intending to visit India for up to 3 months in December, to teach English to students who are training to communicate the vision of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar among communities of marginalised people in India. This year, there will be a follow-on from the work of the TESL team of last year. A smaller team will be managed by Aryagita from New Zealand, who has a long-term commitment to provide this service to the trainees of the Nagarjuna Training Institute, Nagpur. Her team includes Sinhendra from Spain, and a number of other trained teachers from the UK and her native New Zealand.
Dr. Ambedkar, the great leader of 'low-caste' (Dalit) people, is seen by them as a liberator, visionary and exemplary role-model. From an 'Untouchable' background, by his own great efforts he became one of the most highly educated men in India, and the architect of the Indian Constitution. Still experiencing discrimination within Hinduism, he embraced Buddhism along with thousands of his followers, as a means of self-development and personal growth free from the shadow of casteism.
The students of the Nagarjuna Training Institute (NTI), Nagpur, are prepared to take his message of freedom, dignity and access to social improvement to thousands of poor people who are Dr. Ambedkar's followers, all over India. The students themselves are from these marginalised communities. At present, the skill which will give these 'barefoot teachers/social workers' a means of self-support, communication anywhere in India, confidence and access to study materials, is fluency in English.
To people who struggle for access to the basic necessities of life, knowledge of English is a high-value skill. It can become a key to unlock the social, economic, and psychological prisons of caste and poverty, for the students themselves and the people they will work with and teach. This is what our volunteer group are aiming to give them, this year and in future years. Although we aim to be self-financing as far as possible, funds are needed to provide teaching materials (books, worksheets, powerpoint projector etc.) and possibly help with travel. The materials will form a resource bank for future years too. Your support will be greatly appreciated, and could transform the lives of thousands of poor and oppressed people.
Giving a donation is very quick and easy - simply click above. Thank you.
With love, Shakyajata
