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SWEET CHARITY
I was deep into the rice fields of Tamil Nadu when I reached a small brick house around which about two dozen children were playing in the thick, humid air. They were all Dalit children. In India, Dalits are still widely regarded as untouchable. They are often uneducated labourers, mill workers or servants who work long hours for little money. TEA (Team Education Action) Trust established a school to give these Dalit children - all firstgeneration learners - a chance at education.
I came across these children and their school on a recent trip to India, where I went on a fellowship to document the work of NGOS (non-governmental organisations) based in the USA that are helping Indian NGOs to boost education among the poor. According to UNICEF, one out of every two illiterate people in the world lives in India. Some 350,000,000 people in India cannot read or write, making the country the most illiterate nation in the world. The Indian government spends a scant portion of its resources on education. It guarantees children the right to education but the trouble is that millions of them do not go to school because they have to start work as early as 6 a.m., doing jobs such as shining shoes or selling food, and many beg on the streets.
Thousands of NGOs work to boost education among the poor in the hope of eliminating illiteracy. They do this work not because they have to but because they want to. Charity is a value that transcends religion. Even more so, charity is a relationship. We seek to give to others and in turn we are enriched by the experience.
In every city I visited, I witnessed charity, compassion and the faith that every child can obtain education. My trip did not relate specifically to Jainism or any other religion, but I believe that I saw something god-like in each and every person I met. Take, for example, R.S. Arputham, managing trustee of TEA Trust and a
Jain Education International 2010_03
On a research trip to India, Sheila B. Lalwani was impressed by the innate generosity of those she met
Dalit himself. He started the school in 1985. Many of his loved ones discouraged him from reaching out to the Dalit community but he didn't listen. He said he wanted to stay and help his own community. TEA Trust provides non-formal education for working Dalit children between the ages of 7 and 14, and allows parents to leave their children in a safe place.
I met two Indian social workers who started the Voluntary Organisation in Community Enterprise (VOICE) to reach out to vulnerable street children, like the ones in Mumbai's Andheri East area. Several dozen uniformed children squeeze into a room about an eighth of the size of most American classrooms. The organisation is preparing the children to take the national exams, which are tests administered to students from different backgrounds, many of them from more affluent families. Still, the kids taught by VOICE are expected to pass just the same.
During my travels, I learned that each community faces its own unique set of problems related to education. Breaking the cycle of illiteracy will take years and millions of dollars. Of course, the Taj Mahal wasn't built overnight either.
The aspect of Jainism that I most appreciate is the idea that each person has divine potential and it is possible to realise it through right thought, knowledge and conduct. Charity towards one another is, no doubt, part of that process. While all charitable acts are valuable, giving without mentioning it or expecting someone to take notice is even more admirable. I feel a sense of awe toward all the people I met during my time in India - not because they work with the poor, but because they don't seem to think that what they are doing is all that special. I beg to differ.
Sheila B. Lalwani is a journalist living in the U.S.A. She can be reached at sheila_lalwani@hotmail.com
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