Mithra Foundation - India

Mithra Foundation is an independent and voluntary organization working among the migrant population living in the slums and pavements in and around Bangalore city in South India. Its aim is to empower children and women that they would regain and secure better socio-economic status in their households and in society at large. The organization was started in 1992 by a team of mental health professionals, development workers and activists. Presently it covers seven slums with a population of around 30,000. The focus groups are those who are most vulnerable due to caste, economic status and gender discrimination.
Migration from rural to urban settings has become increasingly common and has created urban slums. The rural urban mobility in South India is getting accelerated due to new-economic policies and the adverse impact of the liberalized market which burdens the poor. An Oxfam commissioned study on migration at Dharmapuri district has stated that a maximum of 23% of able men from one block migrates regularly to nearby towns including Bangalore City. Among the urban population the neglected are the slum dwellers and the roadside residents. These places are already characterized by lack of water, sanitation, proper roads, poor waste disposal facilities and crowded and unhygienic living conditions. The most affected in any worst situation are the women and children and therefore Mithra chooses to work for them.
Mithra’s work is based on the following beliefs : Poverty is man-made and keeps increasing if political will and grassroots involvement are weak. These poor are left to be more and more vulnerable physically, psychologically, socially and economically. There must be change and this can be realized only if the poor are actively involved in the process of their development.

Empowerment of children
Mithra Foundation strives to provide the underprivileged and culturally deprived children opportunities to enable the process of development. The project’s objectives include laying a good foundation for their learning skills, assisting them in emotional development, social responsibility and giving them improved health. Mithra organizes for all the children regular educational and recreational programs such as cultural competitions, summer camps and field trips, and has specific programs such as those below.

Pre-Schoolers Program: Pre-school education centers where there is training in cognitive, language, motor, emotional and social development. The program aims at total personality development.

For older children: Due to poor environmental conditions such as poverty and parental illiteracy, many children drop out during primary education and become child laborers. Seventy-five percent of the school dropouts are girl children. Supplementary education is given for school-going children to help them in learning, integrating education with values, and reducing the school drop out rate, particularly in the case of girls.

Child labour: Everyone has the right to education. The child workers are denied their right to childhood and development. Mithra addresses the issue of child labour at the micro level with working children employed in unorganized sectors. At the macro level public education, campaigns and advocacy are carried out against child labour along with other social organizations. The activities in detail are: providing basic and non-formal education, imparting skills training and rehabilitation programs.

Disabled Children: They are helped to be relieved of their distressed situations and rehabilitation is given to a few cases. The mothers are helped by a support system.
The Indian Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a program unit of Mithra Foundation and it caters to the psycho-educational needs of the children.

Empowerment of Women
Amartaya Sen estimates poverty not in terms of income but by several other major factors which influence the economic well being of the poor. He measures them in terms of ‘failures’ of basic capabilities. For example the steep price rise of food grains affects the poor and differentiates them within the same community. Within the community where the caste system pervades, the norms for claim on food, nutrition, health care, education, land entitlement and housing are different for dalits. Within the same households, all individuals do not have equal access and claims to well being. It is markedly different for males and females. The deprivation and the impact of poverty are phenomenal on women and girl children. The physical and psychological atrocities, domestic violence and deteriorating health status of these exploited women is beyond description. Thus Mithra stands for these women in distress and intervenes at psychosocial and economic levels. Mithra’s activities are: Social organization, training sessions, capacity building, counselling and group work for the women in distress, legal education and assistance, savings, credit and income generation programs.

Community Programs
Mithra takes up issues that affect the whole community as well, which include organizing to fight for basic amenities, such as water, roads and sewage disposal, education on land rights, anti-alcohol programs, and human rights education. The Human Rights Education Program of Mithra covers the city schools. It trains teachers to take the classes on Human Rights to students of 8th & 9th grades regularly. The curriculum includes an orientation to Human Rights. A textbook is prepared and given to the schools. Mithra believes that children need to be helped through their near ones and the immediate caretakers. It runs regular workshops, training programs and meetings on child related issues for parents and teachers.

Web: http://www.mithrafoundations.org

Download:
Mithra School Evaluation Report 2007
Mithra Project Profile (PDF 125k)

Contact:
Bella Rosario, No. 290/7, 2nd Cross,Venkataramiah Layout,
Ramamurthynagar Main Road, Banaswadi, Bangalore - 560 043
Karnataka, India.
Email: mithrafoundation95@yahoo.com