One of the ironies of India’s economic growth is that it has led to prosperity for a relatively small section of society while not being able to lift masses out of poverty. What aggravates this state of affairs further is that this growth has not been able to integrate the masses into the organised sector of theIndian economy. According to an Indian labour report by TeamLease Services India is grappling with the problems of low college enrollment, an employability crisis of unskilled labor and lack of flexibility of the education sector. The report goes on to say that the issue [Continue Reading...]

Click on http://web5.uottawa.ca/ssms/blogs/international/2012/02/learning-through-teaching/ to view how I have been “learning through teaching” at ETASHA. Hope you enjoy! -Kristina  

On Monday, February 6 and Tuesday, February 7, 2012, I was able to visit and teach at the second satellite office, Madanpur Khader. Saurab (a photographer), Florent (a new French volunteer), and I were able to visit the community guided by Community Mobilizer Tauqueer. It takes about an hour to get from GK (Greater Kailash) to MPK, and it is very difficult to find an auto to bring you there. Most drivers flat out refuse to travel to the area, claiming that they will not get any fare coming back from the colony. Still others hike up the prices. It [Continue Reading...]

Friday, January 13th, 2012 was my first day of work at ETASHA. Here were my initial thoughts, which I wrote about on January 14, 2012: I work for an organization called ETASHA (Enabling and Training Adolescents for Successful and Healthy Adulthood) http://www.etashasociety.org/home.html. First thing yesterday morning, I met with the director, Dr. Meenakshi Nayar. She talked to me about how the organization works. Basically, ETASHA works with underprivileged youth and provides them with vocational training on employment and also employability. ETASHA works on its own, with other NGO’s and also with the government. Yesterday, I got to see this firsthand. [Continue Reading...]

The United Nations’ (UN) World Day of Social Justice is annually observed on February 20 to encourage people to look at how social justice affects poverty eradication. It also focuses on the goal of achieving full employment and support for social integration. What do people do? Many organizations, including the UN and the International Labour Office, make statements on the importance of social justice for people. Many organizations also present plans for greater social justice by tackling poverty, social and economic exclusion and unemployment. Trade unions and campaign groups are invited to call on their members and supporters to mark [Continue Reading...]