The Covid pandemic has impacted not just the economy and companies. Several NGOs working for the welfare of the downtrodden have been hit as well, with their funding sources drying up as a result of corporates cutting down on their CSR spending and individual contributors becoming hesitant to open their purses. It has been a tough ride for the Joint Women’s Programme (JWP), one of the pioneering NGOs working for the upliftment of women and street children at the grassroots level. To understand the organisation’s story, Monica Bose Raghavan sat down with JWP’s founder-director Dr Jyotsna Chatterji and assistant director Padmini Kumar. Experts from the interview:
Why did you start the NGO? What was the inspiration?
Dr Jyotsna Chatterji: As a student, I noticed that most parents — if they have a daughter and a son — discriminate against the girl. I was intrigued why it was considered normal and accepted even by the daughters. After my post graduation, I took up teaching and joined the Calcutta University as a professor of English literature. However, the disturbing thought would come back to haunt me till I realised, at the age of 32, that I need to do something to help women understand their rights. I discussed it my with husband, who suggested that I extend help to those who won’t get help otherwise. “Why do you want to change those who already have the opportunity?” he asked, adding, “Have a snake’s eye view and crawl on the ground to understand people’s point of view.”
My husband got transferred to Bangalore and I accompanied him. I had by then decided that I should pursue my calling instead of sticking to the teaching job. So, I started visiting the slums and working for the underprivileged. This is where JWP was born. The motto was “All women together will make the difference”. I started a movement in Bangalore called Maitri Mahila Sanga. Soon, it spread across Karnataka and beyond. Through the movement, I strived to eradicate the injustice prevalent in society against women, especially the Devadasi system prevalent at that time. It was the practice of offering girl children to Goddess Mathamma before they reach puberty and this practice was used to push girls into prostitution.
I later came to Delhi with my husband and it was around this time the horrifying Nithari case happened, where the bodies of several girls were found in a drain. I felt there was a need for a place where women can come and discuss their problems and where children can study peacefully.
Dr Jyotsna Chatterji felt that they needed a place where women can come and discuss their problems and children can study peacefully. Thus, the Mere Sahara project was born.
How has the journey been so far? How was the response from civil society?
Dr Jyotsana Chatterji: Initially, everyone was suspicious about how this will eventually pan out. But I was not worried about criticism as I knew I had a mission to accomplish. I had to put in the effort to change the way society treats women and children, by spreading awareness about their rights.
Padmini Kumar: In some areas, it is the regressive attitude towards women that needs to change. And, it’s prevalent not just among the illiterate; even the so-called educated class needs to be enlightened about this.
What were some of the struggles you endured? What was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
Padmini Kumar: The first challenge Dr Jyotsna Chatterji faced was from the family since her parents felt that working for an NGO will not add any value to her promising career. They felt she should not have given up her career as a college professor. But her husband stood like a rock by her and supported her decision. There were many other sets of challenges that she had to face over the years. They tried to raise funds from private firms and corporates but it was not enough to support women and children from the slums. There is always a shortage of funds. There is prejudice against women. We have to challenge the society’s basic mindset where the man is put on a pedestal and the woman is treated as a slave and is expected to perform all the household responsibilities without being given any respect. There is a lot of harassment on the streets and in workplaces against women. Dr Jyotsna Chatterji held meetings with the National Commission for Women about the rights of women. She also produced a booklet to support the movement.
How are you funded?
Dr Jyotsana Chatterji: When we started out, we had to raise funds from friends but later on approached different agencies and got the FCRA registration number, which is a requirement to receive contribution from abroad. We also tied up with like-minded NGOs that have access to funds. We shared our report with them and asked them to visit us. Initially, some companies did support us and a few individuals would send in small amounts as contribution. However, all this stopped when the Covid pandemic struck.
Many corporates have cut down on their CSR spending post Covid. Has it affected sourcing funds for your activities?
Dr Jyotsana Chatterji: Yes, it has affected us in a major way. Due to paucity of funds, we had to cut down on our programmes and working hours, which meant less participation of women and children. We don’t have consultants or experts visiting us anymore. Sadly, our efforts are going unnoticed. If the movement has to go on, then we need to be heard and our work brought to the notice of the mass population.
Padmini Kumar: The pandemic brought insurmountable distress to the poor families as they lost their livelihood and were thrown into total helplessness with no financial safety nets. In urban villages, slums and resettlement colonies, low public amenities and medical infrastructure combined with the pandemic wreaked havoc. The most vulnerable were children, pregnant and lactating women, the old and the sick. When one or both parents in a family used to show mild Covid symptoms, they were forced to drop their jobs. This further complicated matters. A number of adolescents were absorbed into domestic service and cases of small children being sent away to work as baby sitters became common. Living on the periphery of society, some of these individuals could not even avail of government benefits like free food grains. And, families that depended on daily wage started experiencing hunger again.
JWP has been working in the slum clusters for over a decade in three states, running schools with primary education and mid-day meals and vocational and skill training centres for vulnerable groups. As a grass roots organization, we believe bringing ‘food on the plate’ is the first step to fight hunger. We did our best to support the needy but were constrained by resources.
Our source of funding died up with big corporates floating their own charity foundations which get a bulk of their CSR funding. At the operation level, we had to stop all meetings and conferences. We have been applying to both domestic and foreign funding organisations but the response has not been very encouraging.
You have helped hundreds of street children learn and get ahead in life. Are your alumni still in touch with your NGO and how are they faring?
Dr Jyotsna Chatterji: We are still in touch with our alumni and keep giving our suggestions and, in turn, keep learning from them. Kids who study in our school later join the mainstream government school. We want more participation from the community in making a difference and in preventing crimes like rape, domestic violence against women, child labour and other issues related to women and children. We want to start a full-fledged school in the village where the curriculum will focus on gender equality. Even textbooks will have to abandon chapters that emphasise on the masculine aspect.
Padmini Kumar: We need an alternative school, where equality is taught from the beginning and patriarchal values are removed.
A FORUM FOR WOMEN’S GROUPS
JWP started off in 1977 as a movement of and for women, for their freedom and identity. It believes in creating an egalitarian society where women are equal parters with men. It was registered an NGO in 2004 and since then, it has been functioning as a national forum of women’s groups and organisations covering both urban and rural areas. JWP conducts studies, research and documentation of information, besides seminars, conferences and workshops to trigger action. Though with limited resources, the outfit has done a lot in the area of education as well. Among its most successful endeavours is the Mera Sahara Education and Protection Centre at Nithari, Noida. It conducts special classes for street children — both girls and boys — and teach them not just academic subjects but also train them in spoken English, personality development and other useful skills that prepare them for the tough life ahead.
Those who wish to contribute to JWP may visit https://www.jwpindia.org/donate-online
The interviewer, Monica Bose Raghavan, is a Delhi-based educator, writer, life coach, and activist