1. Let me provide a brief analysis of the refugees arriving from Pakistan, their situation and needs. I hope, this will be read widely so that @humanaidint could secure support from sympathetic individuals to work systematically on their development.
2. Almost all these refugees come on pilgrimage visa with the intentions of never going back. In this process, they often abandon their properties and assets and come to India with belongings which they can bring as pilgrims. Often some family members also get left behind.
3. There are cases that people abandoned their agriculture land, shops, cars, houses and so on as they preferred to save their culture and religion over everything else.
In such a situation often they have to start their lives from scratch in India.
In such a situation often they have to start their lives from scratch in India.
4. However, do they get enough support in India? Perhaps not. Sometimes these refugees get occasional supporters, who visit them with some food, cloths AND A CAMERA, which they distribute among them while clicking photos for social media and leave, often to return never.
5. Food is important, but more than that is required to sustain a life. After all, every one needs to be self-sufficient to earn for themselves and for their families' development. Are there enough efforts being made for them? Can that be done through 'Refugee tourism?'
6. They have protection in India but what future would they have if women remained confined to household chores, children out of school, young people without skills and everyone without proper health care, access to basic services, having unequal rights and no legal assistance?
7. When @humanaidint started working with them in 2018, the girls particularly had no dreams. The only thing they knew was attaining the age of 17 or 18, getting married and then continue doing what their mothers and grandmothers did.
But now they are transformed. How?
But now they are transformed. How?
8. #HAI works across five domains with these refugees, i.e., education, health, vocational training & income generation, basic amenities and legal assistance, to ensure comprehensive development of these people and eventual integration in India as citizens.
9. Most of the girls arrived illiterate to India. Here, they were given admission in schools according to their age. Consequently, boys and girls both start dropping out of schools or chose not to get enrolled.
#HAI commits for universalisation of education in the camps.
#HAI commits for universalisation of education in the camps.
10. The #HAI team is ensuring that every child gets enrolled in schools and we also arrange tuition classes for them to help improve their scholastic level and minimise chances of dropping out.
We have 2 centres as of now and opening more.
We have 2 centres as of now and opening more.
11. The problem is more acute in the Signature Bridge camp as it is located in the forest. Nearest school is 3.5 kms away therefore unsafe for children to walk through.
#HAI is opening tuition centres and arranging safe transportation so that every child goes to school.
#HAI is opening tuition centres and arranging safe transportation so that every child goes to school.
12. Non-formal education centres for out of school children, adult literacy classes and higher education for senior students are also part of the plan, subject to proper resource mobilisation.
This requires regular support not casual visits.
This requires regular support not casual visits.
13. In case of sickness, refugees visit Mohalla clinic or govt hospitals. But what to do when someone is seriously sick and needs expensive treatment and rehabilitation?
#HAI extends support in such cases to the maximum possible extent. A linkage with RML Hospital also helps.
#HAI extends support in such cases to the maximum possible extent. A linkage with RML Hospital also helps.
14. The #HAI team is stil small, but our project officer @Saurabh28882149 often accompanies serious patients to RML Hospital to ensure that they get proper guidance. Saurabh has established rapport with Medical Social Workers and doctors to ensure smooth support to them.
15. We also receive voluntary support from kind-hearted doctors, such as @theskindoctor13 and Dr Saraswat who recently travelled from Mathura to examine few complicated cases. He will now facilitate travel of couple of such patients to Matura to provide free treatment to them.
16. While working on curative health, we also need to work on preventive and promotive health aspects. We need a little more in-house expertise and financial resources to work on that.
Dr @tapai02 is a good in-house support.
Dr @tapai02 is a good in-house support.
17. Then comes vocational training & income generation and this is still a challenging area for us. We have one sewing & embroidery centre and opening one more, Thank you @HimalayaIndia for your in-kind assistance.
18. While 80 women have bene trained and provided occasional income, we need to provide regular source of income to them.
We are still clueless what to do with male youths who mainly sell mobile covers to earn Rs 400-500 a day.
Any suggestions?
We are still clueless what to do with male youths who mainly sell mobile covers to earn Rs 400-500 a day.
Any suggestions?
19. Legal assistance is equally important. Until we started working, the refugees were exploited by agents who charged exorbitant amount to apply for long-term visa and for other paper work.
Remember, most of adults are illiterate or can't read/write English & Hindi.
Remember, most of adults are illiterate or can't read/write English & Hindi.
20. Now our legal support officer does all this work for free. She ensures that the refugees get what they are entitled for under the government's policy. She also helps reminding the refugees that that also have duties while having rights.
21. We shall start applying for citizenship of those who arrived prior to 31 December 2014 as soon as the application process starts.
The challenge is for the refugees who are arriving now. But we will facilitate them to get long-term visas.
The challenge is for the refugees who are arriving now. But we will facilitate them to get long-term visas.
22. As far as basic amenities are concerned, we are lucky to secure support from NHRC and NCPCR. A few things, such as toilet conditions, water quality, etc. have improved and we expect provision of other basic services too.
23. Now to sum up - comprehensive development of these refugees can't be ensured through 'Refugee Tourism'. It may bring temporary glory to tourists but not to refugees, who need long-term handholding support and development investment to overcome their poverty & vulnerability.
24. #HAI is working through a long-term plan but execution is not simple for us. We don't have any regular and predictable funding. Each time we need to do anything, we start a campaign here. Thankfully, supporters of @humanaidint haven't disappointed so far.
25. However, still the situations is not ideal to plan for all development activities. We definitely need more predictable funding. In order to address that, we have started #SponsorAChild campaign which is better than nothing.
I must stop now. hai-india.org/sponsor-a-chil…
I must stop now. hai-india.org/sponsor-a-chil…
