Project visits

Project visit
Project visits.
Over the last few weeks we have visited 4 of Symbiosis' projects. We are most impressed with what we have seen and learned. Later blogs will break things down a bit more with stories etc... this is sort of background stuff!

Symbiosis works very much at the grass roots empowering the poor and marginalised especially women. Women form groups of twenty and commit to 8 months of literacy classes. These classes are 2 hours/day 6 days/week. Most women reach a literacy level equal to class 4 children in Bangladesh. This group then goes on to become a savings group. Each member sacrifices to be able to contribute the price of about a handful a rice to the group pool. Each group appoints a
chairman, secretary, and cashier from within the group. Members then borrow from the the group for small income generating purposes such as purchase of a goat or cow,establishing a small grocery stall or buying a rickshaw. This loan is repaid, with interest to the group. These groups are the basis for other environmental, social and health awareness raising activities.

We have also visited pre-schools where children are given the necessary training to be able to pass the government entrance exam so that they can access government schools.

I think our most amazing visit so far has been to the sandbar project. These are displaced communities who have no security as the sandbars on which their who lives are built could be washed away in the next flood. The homes, school etc are all demountable and are packed up then a flood is on its way. They are all then rebuilt once it has passed. The members of these groups seemed so keen to learn and do their best for their community. The government provides no infrastructure so the community have requested help from Symbiosis in setting up a school. This is a truly amazing group of people. Unfortunately their funding is not guaranteed!

We are so impressed with so much of what this organisation is doing for the people of this land! ... more to come ...