IMPACT REPORT: SKILL INTERVENTIONS OF SEWA INTERNATIONAL FOR REANG (BRU) TRIBAL REFUGEES IN TRIPURA. Contact us SEWA INTERNATIONAL

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1 IMPACT REPORT: SKILL INTERVENTIONS OF SEWA INTERNATIONAL FOR REANG (BRU) TRIBAL REFUGEES IN TRIPURA Contact us SEWA INTERNATIONAL Plot No. 49, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi

2 Background After the ethnic clashes of 1997 following killing of Mizo Forest Officer in Dampa Tiger Reserve, a large number of Reang Tribals were forced to flee from their homes and state, and since then they have been living in the North Tripura district in 7 makeshift refugee camps. When Sewa International got to know about the plight of 35,000+ such refugees last year, it decided to intervene and to provide various skill development trainings to the people so that the people can have better earning opportunities with better skills. As part of the initiative, Sewa International has provided them with several computers, sewing machines, bamboo materials, weaving looms and other materials which are necessary for several of our skill development programs taking place there. Our Interventions Since February 2016, Sewa International has been regularly working for the people belonging to Reang tribes and till today hundreds of households have benefitted from our training and skill development programs taking place there. Continuous training in various employement linked sectors is being provided regularly. Some of our prime interventions are: Conducted 3 rounds of Bamboo Handicraft trainings in Naisinghpara camp, training more than 50 people, making them better skilled and empowered to make their living through their artwork. Sewa International Page 1

3 Trained more than 100 youths so far by providing them Computer Training under our two programs, 3 Months Basic Computer Training" and "6 Months Diploma Course Training" at the 2 centres at Naisinghpara camp and Damparengpui, Mizoram. Sewa International took an initiative of keeping the Reang s original handloom weaving art alive by providing Handloom training. A total of 35 Reang women in the camps benefitted from this training and are now proudly earning their livelihood by making hand-woven traditional bru clothes made using local yarn. Skill trained more than 50 women under our Tailoring Training Program for 4 months running in five other refugee camps for self-employment. Impact There is a positive change that can be seen in the Bru tribal refugee camps now. More than 300 families have directly or indirectly benefitted from our interventions, which makes gives us a reason to continue our efforts with enhanced energy and dedication. Sewa International firmly believes that economic development is necessary in order to bring other kind of development in an individual s life, and for that Sewa International Page 2

4 economic development to come, skill development is very important especially in the society that we live in today. Handloom and Weaving Training Recently, first batch for the Handloom and Weaving Skill training was completed. It provided livelihood skills to 40 reang women who dedicatedly came for 1 month to become expert in the craft. The first batch was successfully trained in January-February This skill training assumed importance as it also intends to preserve and promote the reang culture which is under threat due to various sociopolictical factors. Hand-weaving clothes is a traditional activity among reang women who used to make dresses at home using the traditional loom. In the refugee camps, it s very hard for them to get a loom or get trained in this craft. Sewa team interacted with a lot of locals and decided to support the training for the craft for its preservation as well as potent livelihood option especially for Reang women. Rampant human trafficking especially of reang girls to various places in India happens due to the dire poverty in the camps. The training aimed at providing a sustainable livelihood for a dignified life to reang women in the camps. A few of the beneficiaries are as mentioned below: Name Age Camp Income before Income after training training (in ) Shanti Rung 23 Naisinghpara Unemployed 2000 Dula Reang 21 Naisinghpara Unemployed 2700 Chhandami 24 Naisinghpara Unemployed 3900 Mithin Reang 15 Naisinghpara Unemployed 3800 Dongtirung 32 Naisinghpara Unemployed 3300 Sewa International Page 3

5 Success Story Shanti Rung is a 23 year old married woman, belonging to Reang tribe. She was still a kid when she witnessed massacre of her tribe and was forced to leave her beloved home and state, and was forced to live in a refugee camp. Since then, she has been living in the Naisinghpara Refugee camp. Because of the evacuation, not only her childhood but also all the opportunities and basic necessities like education were denied to her. She possessed no skills as she never had opportunity to learn any. The earning of her husband wasn t enough to provide the family with two square meals a day. So, when she heard about the upcoming Handloom Training Program of Sewa International, she saw a ray of hope in her life. She finally got the stage to learn a new skill, get employment and provide little better opportunities to her family. Along with that she was also happy that she is helping in preserving the culture of her tribe. After receiving 1 month of training in Handloom development, today she is gainfully employed and earns Rs per month. The money she earns may appear very little but for her and her family it s huge because according to her now at least her children won t have to suffer for food and education, the way she did. Tailoring Training Program Sewa International also provided tailoring training to 50 women who belonged to Reang tribe. It was a 4 month long program which started in November 2016 and ended in March Women came from 5 refugee camps namely, o Hamsapara o Khakchangpara o Kainskaupara o Naisaupara Sewa International Page 4

6 o Ashapara A few of the women beneficiaries have been mentioned in table below: Name Age Camp Income before Income after training training (in ) Galongti Reang 19 Hamsapara Unemployed 3500 Sunari Reang 29 Khakchangpara Unemployed 3500 Milerung 22 Kainskaupara Unemployed 3000 Khakhorung 32 Naisingpara Unemployed 4000 Rehena Molshoy 28 Ashapara Unemployed 4500 Success Story Galongti is a 19 year old girl, who was born in a refugee camp, an year after the ethnic clashes tore away the Reangs from their homeland. Ever since she was born she has been living in a refugee camp in most inhumane conditions. During her early times food and water were also a huge problem, even though they still continue to be a problem they conditions are better than they were before. The biggest problem that Galongti faced was lack of identity. Born in a refugee camp her identification documents was denied by government of Tripura, and because of that her education suffered a lot and also she wasn t able to find any skill development coaching, ultimately was forced to depend upon the meagre income of her parents. So when she came to know about the 4 Month Tailoring Training program of Sewa International, she enrolled herself in the program with a new hope about her future. For 4 month she regularly took all the training that were provided and by the end of the program she was fully satisfied as she got a job and was for the first time able to support her family and add to their income. According to her this tailoring program was a silver lining which changed her life completely and finally provided her an identity and employment, the privilege which was taken away from her right from her birth. Sewa International Page 5

7 New Ventures During the last visit to the camps in Tripura in Jan 2017, it was common observance to see scores of little kids loitering in the streets, playing in the mud or street games, instead of attending school. On inquiry, it was found that there are only 2 schools nearby and they also are overburdened and provide low quality education. Parents in camps can t afford to send them to faraway private schools for better education leading to very low literacy rate in the camps. After discussions with the local team, it was decided to open a few Remedial Education Centres in the camps which would be run with the help of volunteers for couple of hours per day. of education there too. What started as an experiment with 1-2 centres, has now ballooned into 14 centres in 2 camps at Naisinghpara and Ashapara, reaching out to more than 280 students who come happily to learn something new every day at our centres. Seeing the responses, Sewa International plans to expand to other camps also and light the lamp The main aims and objectives of the educational centre are as follows: To provide free of cost tuition class for the poor and needy students. To give them systematic and quality tuition for enhanced learning. To ensure preservance of Reang culture by educating them about their history. Sewa International Page 6

8 Road Ahead In future, Sewa International is planning to keep continuing all our Skill Development programs and at the same time increase the frequency of the training programs so that all the Reang tribe people can avail better and equal opportunities. We are planning on providing following training sessions annually in all the refugee camps: o 6 Bamboo Trainings o 3 Basic Computer Trainings and 2 Diploma Computer Trainings o 4 Sewing Trainings o 2 Handloom Trainings In the dire conditions that reang community is living now, it is more and more important for us to open up new centres for both education and skill development, so that the basic human rights of getting educated and knowing enough skills to support their families are fulfilled. In our journey for the same we need your support as well. Please donate for the beautiful cause and help someone in need. Sewa International Page 7