Ram Rahim no Tekro

Today I went to the other slums, the Ram Rahim no Tekro. It's quite a bit farther from the ashram than the other. This slum area is interesting because it has a mix of Hindu and Muslim residents. There is a temple and mosque built literally within one another in the center of the area.

I walked around today to get a feel for how things run. They run a computer center with classes for men and women. They learn how to type in Gujarati on the keyboard and how to make wedding cards on the computer - both are skills that can be used to get a job. Above the computer center they run sewing classes at a nominal rate. Women from the community come here to learn to sew blouses, skirts and whatever else with the sewing machines provided.

There is also another sewing class offered at someone's house in the community. These women learn how to sew by hand. They then are given work through Manav Sadhna's sister program, the Gramshree program, so they can put their learned skill to work and earn money.

Last, there are classes for kids. The kids go to school during the day and come to this area in the afternoon, separate times for boys and girls. They are put into two classes. They learn basic skills such as reading, writing, along with value based teaching. Today the girls were playing games and singing songs. During classes they also do things like arts and crafts and other recreational activities.

They are also going to be building a community center like the other one and have more activities going on. They will also be adding nutrition planning. My role will be to introduce health based education, starting with the importance of hygiene and moving up. Today I saw a kid scoop up water from the ground in a bowl and drink it - I obviously have lots to do!

The coordinator of the area who showed me around today was great. He himself used to go to the ashram as a kid and after finishing school chose to stick with Manav Sadhna and give back to kids like him. It was truly inspirational to hear his story and see the lasting impact this organization has on kids with this living example!