July 20th

OK, so the blog has been a bit too mild the last few days, so here is one about nutrition, which hopefully will provoke some thought (and feedback please!)

A man from the US, who is originally from India, visited the centre today as he would like to run some kind of nutrition program to feed the poor - a task that many have tried and failed to do over the years. I talked with Anou about this and it really is a very complex issue. The Project itself have tried in the past to push forward such a program of feeding the poor, however as with many issues that I have discussed, it really is the mentality here that needs to change before any sustained improvements can be made.

When you try to directly feed the poor, as you may expect, you get mobbed by the masses because of the extent of the poverty in the city. In addition to this, once they get used to the food being given out they are more prone to complain or say they want something else because they take it for granted. By just giving them food, I personally feel that this is tackling a symptom as opposed to the cause of the problem itself. What we really need to identify is what is causing the hunger and malnutrition that leads to 5000 children dieing every day in India. Although there are 1.2 billion people in India, there is enough food to feed everyone, but so many people cannot even afford 3 meals a day - so why is this the case?

Well there are several factors that need discussing, two of which are education and mentality (towards food but also towards material goods)

The mentality in the slums seems to be that they need to show to others that they have 'made it' and therefore want instant gratification. They buy TVs etc whilst they struggle to buy enough food for their families. Also it seems that they think that, as a sign that they have 'made it', they should waste food. You would not believe the amount of food that is wasted that you see thrown on the floor. This mentality is dangerous as it is not conducive to reducing the malnutrition problem. This mentality needs to change. How do you change such a mentality? Well the first obvious suggestion would be education. These people are mostly illiterate with very little basic education under their belts - they need to be advised on the importance of not wasting food and how to make changes to reduce wastage. Projects that aim to feed the poor directly will not be able to continue to feed them forever so they need to learn how to overcome the issue themselves.

Education can also be important to inform people of their rights and help them stand up for their rights and make politicians accountable for their actions. It has been shown in many studies, and seems to be common sense, that illiterate people will be less aware of their rights and less able to form some sort of union and act collectively - they would not know where to start or how to go about it. Education programs need to be used to inform people of the schemes that are available from government, such as one fund set up by Rajiv Gandhi in his time in office, which involves children being weighed regularly and being provided with extra nutrition if they are underweight. The money is there for this program, but it is not being carried out by officials - possibly because it is impossible to make money out of such a scheme...I am sure that many of the slum families are not aware that such funds are available for their families, so education is important to inform them of their rights.

Once they have been informed of their rights, the education can also tackle the lack of enforcement and pressure on government from the poor masses. Many of the people are still fearful of their politicians, and who can blame them when you see how the slums are being destroyed left right and centre for these CW games? Even if they know what programs are available, they will not complain in fear of a backlash to their detriment. They just remain quiet. People need to be informed that this is a democratic government after all, and the money that is being wasted is the peoples' money, so it should be used for the people. At present, there is no pressure on officials to look out for the poor and enforce the programs aimed at the poor, so this lack of accountability is restricting any progress with social indicators.

Another possible benefit of wider education for poor people, especially children, is that future generations in the family are more likely to gain employment and be able to support their families, reducing the issue of malnutrition. It is also widely accepted that educated parents are less likely to have a high number of children, again reducing the food problem with fewer hungry mouths to feed. By providing education, you can empower people to feed themselves and to stand up for support that they are entitled to, which is much more sustainable than attempting to go around the slums giving out food each day.

What I have realised is that with development work, it is often the case that people have a grand idea in their heads about how much they can do, but it actually has to be a gradual process - if the right action is taken, slowly there will be change, but it is impossible to waltz in and solve a long lasting issue over night.

How can you change mentalities and attitudes overnight? The answer is you cannot - it takes time. Mentalities and attitudes towards food and material goods need to change before aid can have its maximum effect, whether it be from local government or foreign sources. In the current climate this is even more important, for example the UK has reduced its aid to India, and so money that is around needs to be used wisely - not on small unsustainable programs with the aim of "feeding the poor." We need to address the cause, not the symptoms, and the causes are clearly deeply ingrained in society, which of course will take time to change.

Right, well I hope there is some feedback on this issue as it is clearly such an important one!

Something else that I want to share with everyone is something I read in one of the 5th class girl's book (12 years old). It was a letter to request leave from school, and I thought it really illustrated how ridiculous the teaching of English here really is.

Here it is - I think it speaks for itself.

"Madam,
Respectfully, I beg to say that I have an urgent piece of work at home so I cannot attend the school. Kindly grant me leave for one day only and oblige.
Thanking you,
Yours obediently,
Jyoti"