| Country |
|
|
Cities to be Visited |
| New Delhi, Jaipur (Rajasthan), Ahmedabad
(Gujarat) |
|
Duration |
|
|
Participants |
| Mixed (male and female), all ages |
|
Country Context |
| There are few countries that offer
such a range of experience as India. The people (more
than one billion), the landscape, religions and castes,
philosophy and culture, architecture and cuisine, occupations
and reoccupations, are as diverse as the land is vast.
21st-century computer centers coexist with folk, tribal
and classical cultures. As India emerges as the world's
largest democracy, the role of women remains paradoxical.
With increasing educational possibilities, women have
greater opportunities to be employed and gain economic
independence. At the same time, the importance of a male
heir guarantees the cultural devaluation of female children.
Among many families, the birth of a female child is accepted
with dismay -- in some cases even mourned. From a young
age girls are socialized into believing that they are
inferior to boys. Parents feel it is "wasteful" to invest
too much money in their daughter's education and health.
Arranged marriages remain the norm, and a daughter-in-law
is relatively powerless. |
|
Women's Organizations |
| Since the early 1960s, non-government
organizations (NGOs) have played an important role in
improving women's lives in India. The government's ineffective
reproductive health program of the 1980s (including forced
sterilization) led NGOs to work actively toward improving
women's health and lives. Issues of dowry, "acid attacks"
(domestic violence) and women's legal rights have led
to the creation of many new women's groups. The recent
increase in HIV/AIDS has exposed women, especially sex
workers and the wives of migrant workers, to enormous
risk. As a result, women's organizations are actively
creating economic and legal opportunities for women to
protect and empower themselves. |
|
Journey Focus Areas |
Women's groups working with HIV/AIDS
prevention and women's health, sex workers, domestic violence,
women's income generation, street children, and child
labor.
Given the enormous geographic and ethnic diversity of
India, our Awakening Journey will focus on two Indian
states where women's groups are active: Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Sonal Mehta, a native of Gujarat State and an NGO expert,
will serve as our guide. |
|
Preliminary Itinerary |
| Day |
Activity |
| 1 |
Arrival in New Delhi (evening) |
| 2 |
Sightseeing in New Delhi;
evening reception/orientation |
| 3 |
Taj Mahal: sightseeing; travel
by vehicle to Jaipur |
| 4 |
Jaipur: visit
women's organization (1/2 day); sightseeing/shopping
in Jaipur. |
| 5 |
Visit two women's organizations |
| 6 |
Day of sightseeing around
Jaipur; night train with sleeping coach to Ahmedabad. |
| 7 |
Sightseeing/open morning and
afternoon; women's organization reception in the
evening. |
| 8 |
Visit two women's organizations |
| 9 |
Sightseeing/shopping in morning;
visit women's organization in afternoon |
| 10 |
Sightseeing/shopping; Farewell
Dinner |
| 11 |
Return flight to New Delhi;
Departure |
|
|
Sites of Interest |
- New Delhi (capital of India): the Red Fort, Chandni
Chowk (marketplace), Qutb Minar, one day trip to Taj
Mahal and surroundings
- Jaipur, "the pink city"( capital of Rajasthan),
the "abode of kings": Amber Fort, City Palace, Hawa
Mahal (Palace of the Wind)
- Ahmedabad (Gujarat State, center for design and
textiles, especially cotton): Manek Chowk, Hriday
Kunj (ashram of Mahatma Gandhi)
|
|
Featured Organizations |
Shaishav was founded in 1992
in the city of Bhavnagar, located in the western peninsula
of Gujarat. The organization mainly focuses on improving
issues such as child labor, uneducated children and slum
children, especially girls. Their primary goal is to improve
the general society by beginning with empowering children
to take charge and initiate change. Well known for their
empowering "children's rallys" Shaishav's philosophy is
that a healthy child leads to a healthy adult, which ultimately
makes a healthy society. They execute their goals by working
towards abolishing child labor in Bhavnagar, protecting
children's basic rights and involving parents in activities
for their children.
OLAKH, A Space for Women, is a feminist documentation,
resource and counseling center founded in 1993. This organization
stresses the need to have an alternative space for women
to share their own frustrations and to gain education
and skills to empower themselves. By gaining a feminist
perspective, the existing discriminatory structures such
as patriarchy, gender, class, and caste can be recognized
and challenged. The Documentation and Resource Center
runs a library, study circle, film screenings along with
training workshops and seminars. In addition, OLAKH has
a counseling center which offers a telephone help line,
face to face dialogue, interventions, and mutual support
groups.
|
|
Costs |
$2650.00, plus airfare.
Costs include: Hotels (double occupancy; add $500 for
single occupancy), 3 reception/dinner events, ground transportation,
sightseeing, and $100 per person donation (tax-deductible)
to be given to the women's organizations visited.
Costs exclude: airfare to and from India, meals and visas.
Space is limited to 20 participants. A deposit of $500
is necessary to confirm your reservation. |
|
Additional Information |
|
|
Contact
us to design an Awakening Journey for your group of friends
or colleagues! |
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