Posts Tagged ‘Vini Bhansali’
The following was written by Suzanne York, IDEX friend and blogger at Taming the Tiger, a blog on India, Climate Change and Human Rights.
We need to hear more about the numerous heroes and heroines in our midst, along with successful grassroots projects, and less about partisan politics and the like. Read the rest of this entry »
IDEX is both pleased and humbled to announce that it has recently been chosen as one of two grantees to receive grants of both time and money from the Full Circle Fund.
The Full Circle Fund is a philanthropy organization whose mission is towards cultivating the next generation of community leaders and creating social change in the Bay Area and internationally. Full Circle Fund recruits top leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and empowers them to leverage their experience, connections, and financial resources to benefit outstanding community organizations.
IDEX’s community was sad to learn that one of its esteemed supporters passed away in March at the age of 70. IDEX will be forever grateful to John Arthur Shaub (Jack) who added immense value in helping expand our grantmaking in India.
May
27Indigenous Communities on Frontlines of Climate Change Share Learnings at Conference
2011
Posted by IDEX
IDEX Executive Director Vini Bhansali reports from the 10th Annual Conference of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) currently wrapping up in Haudenosaunee territory in upstate New York. IFIP creates a bridge where the philanthropic and Indigenous worlds meet to understand and collaborate with each other. Vini is there with Heera Lal Sharma from IDEX Partner Sahyog Sansthan in India.
Happy Earth Day! We are excited to announce that in the next few months not one but two outstanding grassroots environmental leaders – both IDEX partners – will be visiting the US. Watch your mailboxes for invitations to events where you can meet them and learn more about their environmental justice work. Read the rest of this entry »
This is part 8 in a series written by IDEX Executive Director, Rajasvini (Vini) Bhansali, on her recent trip to Northeastern states of India – where IDEX has recently expanded – to meet with potential catalyst grantees.
Geographically isolated from mainland India and socioeconomically neglected by development agencies and the government, the Northeastern states are experiencing tremendous crises rooted in militarization, land distribution, climate change, migration, displacement, political differences and violence. These states are some of the poorest in India, but they also have many communities working on sustainable livelihood development, women’s empowerment and environmental resource management.
Working with police to stop trafficking
Today I’m at the offices of Impulse, where team leader Hasina is very proud to show me simplified police handbook on trafficking that is now being used by most of the state police training academies. Compared to the text-heavy documents filled with legalese that were previously the norm, this handbook simplifies the information that a police officer must know in order to be effective in his/her role in curbing trafficking.
Breaking Free- A video highlighting Impulse Network’s work to end trafficking
Impulse has trained more than 200 police officers on how to respond to trafficking, and the group currently also collaborates formally with the police. Because of the group’s reputation for effectively restoring trafficked children and women to their families, Impulse is allowed access to border security camps and other regions typically off limits to CBOs and NGOs in the Northeast.
While showing me the database that they’ve developed to better track each trafficking case, Hasina shares some of the unaddressed challenges that the team continues to face. Not only is there an inadequate number of shelters to serve trafficking survivors, there is a huge need for programs that support rehabilitation and enhance livelihoods. Read the rest of this entry »
This is part 6 in a series written by IDEX Executive Director, Rajasvini (Vini) Bhansali, on her recent trip to Northeastern states of India – where IDEX has recently expanded – to meet with potential catalyst grantees.
Geographically isolated from mainland India and socioeconomically neglected by development agencies and the government, the Northeastern states are experiencing tremendous crises rooted in militarization, land distribution, climate change, migration, displacement, political differences and violence. These states are some of the poorest in India, but they also have many communities working on sustainable livelihood development, women’s empowerment and environmental resource management.
The Action Northeast Trust (ANT) has engaged in women’s empowerment through Jagruti dals, literally translated as “consciousness raising collectives,” and technically operated as self-help groups. Through these women’s groups, the ANT’s members have taken collective action against domestic violence, run an innovative bicycle bank for women to increase women’s mobility, and promoted micro enterprises among women entrepreneurs.
“Watch the ANT founding member Jennifer Liang discuss women’s empowerment.”
I had never heard of a bicycle bank before so I pressed Jennifer to tell me more. With a glint in her eyes she invited me to a quarterly “bicycle camp” after lunch. I was intrigued.
Shortly after, we found ourselves in the middle the one of the most extraordinary and moving experiences in my adult feminist life. At the bicycle camp and race, Muslim women from a nearby village had gathered for their favorite event. To belong to the bicycle club, a woman must both learn to ride and become a member of a women’s self-help or joint liability group. Each woman that learns to ride and contributes a 500 Rupee down payment gets to “own” her bike for a monthly fee.
The scene that ensued is best described as incredible, moving and jubilant. First-time bicycle riders were taught by “old hands” to a lot of encouraging cheers. The neighborhood girls’ hostel let out young women early to the large field where women in sarees were learning to ride their very first bike. One woman, Aisha, got on the bike. After a few minutes of encouragement and some handholding, she was off pedaling fast.
The pioneers of the bicycle camp comprise a group of brave, older women who were motivated by the job-hunting advantages and increased mobility a bicycle could afford. Instead of depending on their husbands for transportation, women could enjoy greater freedom of movement. All of the women were stopped, many even physically abused by the men in their families, who also took the bikes away. To avoid detection, some women even sneaked off at night to practice.
It took three years of sustained effort on the ANT’s part for change to begin to occur. By educating their communities, leading bike rallies through the villages, and talking to men and women about human rights, the ANT’s efforts resulted in a shifting of attitudes. Now, some husbands even come to help women learn to ride for the first time. Jennifer spoke of an especially proud moment during which one husband accompanied his wife to obtain her bike loan.
Men have also begun to fear the wrath of the self-help group, which may show up at their home and hold them accountable should they hurt their wife or daughter for her cycling efforts. I watched teary, as woman after woman boarded her bike and completed her first lap with a smile and newfound confidence.
While the status of women in the Northeast is better than in other parts of India—especially relating to inheritance, property rights and access to education—Jennifer warned that the inequalities are less obvious. She said that even when women begin to gain increased control over their daily lives—including greater mobility and financial independence—more work will be required to promote women’s leadership in public life.
This is part 5 in a series written by IDEX Executive Director, Rajasvini (Vini) Bhansali, on her recent trip to Northeastern states of India – where IDEX has recently expanded – to meet with potential catalyst grantees.
Geographically isolated from mainland India and socioeconomically neglected by development agencies and the government, the Northeastern states are experiencing tremendous crises rooted in militarization, land distribution, climate change, migration, displacement, political differences and violence. These states are some of the poorest in India, but they also have many communities working on sustainable livelihood development, women’s empowerment and environmental resource management.
Along the way to the village of Kanthalguri, I experience one of the most adventurous journeys on a site visit while crossing the rushing red Aie River that connects Lower Assam to Bhutan. In addition to the Action Northeast Trust (ANT) staff member Kaushik Starkar and myself, about 20 fishermen, four motorcycles and six bicycles pile onto the open handcrafted boat. I am the only woman on the boat, and the passengers make space for me to sit in a steady spot at the far end. As the boatman rows us over to the other side of the river, we navigate an intense current and try not to move so as not to capsize the boat.
We reach the other side only to find that the current is too strong for our flimsy boat to withstand. Kaushik and the boat “captain” have us disembark and swim or wade to the shore. I am fully clothed in trousers, shoes and a long kurta—hardly swimming attire! But we roll up our trousers and wade to the shore anyway. Once Kaushik’s motorcycle is unloaded, we have to check to make sure it will still function after being soaked in water. Despite the thick mud around us, the motorcycle revs up just fine.
We have been riding along for about 20 minutes without any further adventures, when Kaushik announces that we have yet another river to cross. The exact scenario repeats itself. Except this time the sun is beating down on us and the air is heavy with moisture. Once again, I disembark and wade to shore.
Although I am soaked to the skin with sweat and water, I realize how alive I feel, how completely immersed in this moment I am. However, I am also outraged for my fellow passengers. For them, this is not an occasional inconvenience, but something they must endure every day in order to make a living. If they don’t cross the rivers, their families go without a meal. And if the rivers flood, which they often do, then the families lose a regular means of livelihood.
It is for this reason in particular that the ANT has chosen to work in the more remote tribal villages, where access to livelihoods is severely limited by infrastructure, seasonal rains and poverty. A core area of work for the ANT involves organizing farmers to promote sustainable agriculture and the practice of animal husbandry. The ANT’s work to organize farmers via farmer resource centers has paid off. Thanks to their efforts, more than 500 farmers have teamed up to promote organic and pesticide-free farming practices and animal husbandry.
We finally reach the village just in time for the conclusion of an exciting public hearing on farmers’ experience with the national health mission’s rural health services. The ANT has also helped highlight the need for greater mental health services in the region, as incidences of suicides, PTSD, schizophrenia, manic depression and epilepsy continue to grow.
Since there’s so much to talk about with the community health workers and the farmers, Kaushik and I do not make our way back until after dark. Bumping along behind him on the long journey, I grin to myself thinking that at least the way back doesn’t involve anymore river crossings. As we rattle along in the humid evening, I am filled with awe and gratitude for the most adventurous of site visit days I have ever had.
Nov
2Beyond Tea, Oil & Conflict – The ANT and the Other Side of Northeast India
2010
Posted by IDEX
This is part 4 in a series written by IDEX Executive Director, Rajasvini (Vini) Bhansali, on her recent trip to Northeastern states of India – where IDEX has recently expanded – to meet with potential catalyst grantees.
Geographically isolated from mainland India and socioeconomically neglected by development agencies and the government, the Northeastern states are experiencing tremendous crises rooted in militarization, land distribution, climate change, migration, displacement, political differences and violence. These states are some of the poorest in India, but they also have many communities working on sustainable livelihood development, women’s empowerment and environmental resource management.
Upon landing at Guwahati airport in Assam, I was immediately struck by the heavy military presence. Assam is a state in India bordering Bhutan and Bangladesh and it’s capitol city is contained within Guwahati itself. Guwahati is a large city in northeast India that produces one quarter of the world’s tea and more than half of India’s. Guwahati is also home to 40 percent of India’s water and 30 percent of its oil. Unfortunately, Assam is also known for internal conflicts and insurgencies that have been raging for more than 30 years. I felt both excited and a little nervous, all the while realizing that it is natural to experience trepidation when visiting completely unknown territory. Mostly I was looking forward to meeting with the Action Northeast Trust (ANT)—a potential IDEX catalyst grantee.
Watch the ANT founding members discuss human rights and civil society.
Based in Rowmari in the Chirang District of Bodoland, Lower Assam, the ANT has a twofold aim to engage in sustainable and holistic development with rural and poor voiceless communities, and to build the capacity of the “voluntary” sector in the region. Since its inception in 2000, ANT has followed a practical and thoughtful program strategy that includes women’s empowerment, organizing farmers, child rights and development, community health, rights promotion, and networking and advocacy. The ANT is cited as a successful, grassroots initiative with dynamic leadership and a large membership base, and I was both impressed and moved to see that ANT works in around 120 village hamlets in Chirang District with a diverse group of more than 2,500 people. Among the communities benefiting from ANT’s activities are Bodos, Bengali Muslims, Santhalis and Koch Rajbongshis.
In an environment tainted by state and non-state violence, organizations like the ANT take a sustainable, non-violent approach to working with rural communities. As the ANT’s founding member Jennifer Liang put it, in order to combat the one-sided publicity of the Northeast’s conflicts, the ANT attempts to “show the real Northeast beyond the violence, floods, terrorism and militarization.” Instead, the ANT opts to share the positive stories that demonstrate strong communities composed of gentle and loving people who are committed to encouraging non-violent change.
As I bumped along the long road from Guwahati airport to Bangaigaon where the ANT headquarters are located, I was struck by the numerous potholes dotting what was supposedly a main road. Infrastructure appears to be neglected in this part of the country. And as we drove along lush paddy fields with men and women harvesting the rice crops in standing water up to their knees, I wondered how many people in the area suffered from malaria. I had been traveling since 4 a.m., and it was close to noon when I finally arrived in Rowmari.
I was greeted warmly by founding member and managing trustee of the ANT, Jennifer Liang. Her larger than life laugh and infectious enthusiasm for this work was palpable. After introducing me to introduced me to her husband, Sunil Kaul, also an ANT founding member, Jennifer, Sunil, and their daughter gave me an overview of the ANT’s work over a delicious, home-cooked lunch.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the IDEX Staff, I am pleased and honored to announce the appointment of our new Executive Director, Rajasvini (“Vini”) Bhansali. Vini has served as IDEX’s Interim Executive Director since early December and was a Program Officer at IDEX for the past year.
Vini takes on the role from Pete Stanga who left IDEX in December after 6 years as Executive Director for a new opportunity in his career. While the organization will miss Pete, we have every reason to look forward to a bright future in the years ahead.
Vini is taking leadership of a competent and highly tenured staff. She enters this role at a time when IDEX is even better positioned, to serve our partners and communities. This is as a direct result of key accomplishments, such as, the completion of the website and strategic planning process, and our expanded grantmaking – accomplishments that serves the organization well now and as we move forward.
Vini bring to IDEX a wealth of management experience. She has previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of Juma Ventures, a youth development social enterprise program in San Francisco, and she currently holds board membership at the Canadian volunteering organization, CUSO-VSO. While Vini hails from Rajasthan, India, one of the six countries where IDEX has partners, much of her career in international development has been in Africa.
Staff and Board alike are thrilled that she has accepted the position after participating in a competitive recruitment and hiring process. We ask that you join with us in extending to her our warmest welcome.
We invite you to contact us and explore our website to find out more about our new leader, our staff, the work we do and the communities we serve.
Kenneth James
Chair, IDEX Board of Directors
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