Fwd: AID Troy/Albany, NY chapter invites you to a discussion on Human Rights May 28, 6:30 pm, Union College
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prahalad r
May 25, 2013, 1:05:32 PM5/25/13
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Dear Friends, An important aspect of AID is to talk to full-time activists from the field who are really helping marginalized communities to exercise their democratic rights. The below is a chance to meet some human rights activists visiting the area.
regards
Prahalad
Human Rights.
Where: Minerva House: Beuth House, Union College, Schenectady, NY
When: May 28th 6:30 pm.
RSVP To: cazb...@gmail.com
Brief Bio of the speakers:
Prasad Chacko
A post graduate in Social Work from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, Prasad Chacko joined the Fellowship Programme in Social Management (FPSM) offered by the Behavioural Science Centre (BSC), St. Xavier’s College Campus, in 1985. After the completion of a one year of internship with BSC in 86-87 he joined as a member of BSC in 1987, and worked in various capacities for 17 years. He has worked in all the field areas of BSC (Adivasi areas of Zankhvav, Dediapada, Sagbara etc., Bhal areas of Khambhat and Dhandhuka Talukas, Dalit and Adivasi areas of Banaskantha District, and Kutch District, especially after the earthquake) as an education officer and later on as programme manager – dealing with various aspects of the empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly the Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims. From 1998 to 2004 he served as the director of BSC, during which he assisted the BSC, its programmes and its local organizations in a decisive movement towards human rights based approach.
In 2002, the circumstances and the strategic organizational positioning of BSC required Prasad to be decisively part of the civil society resistance to the dangerous fascist mobilization and genocidal violence in Gujarat. He played a prominent role in shaping and sustaining the Citizen’s Initiative which not only provided humanitarian relief and psycho-social care to the traumatized victims, but also took an unambiguous political stand against the state-sponsored violence against Muslims. He played a significant role in the establishment of the legal cell in Behavioural Science Centre in order to assist the victims and witnesses of Naroda Patia in their effort to secure legal justice. The advocates and paralegal personnel of this legal cell played a significant role in ensuring the momentous judgement of the Naroda Patia case last year.
Moving on from BSC, he worked with ActionAid Intenational from 2005 to 2008 as the Regional Manager of Gujarat and the Focal person for Impact Assessment and Shared Learning of the India Country Programme. In ActionAid too he facilitated the process of defending the Muslim Youth who were falsely implicated in the Haren Pandya murder case, who eventually got acquitted by the Gujarat High Court in 2011, vindicating the stand that the human rights activists in Gujarat had taken regarding the persecution and torture of Muslim youth.
From 2009-11 he has been the national coordinator of National Dalit Election Watch and National Dalit Watch, two initiatives he developed for the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, Delhi. He was appointed as the Director of BSC once again in August 2011.
MEERA MALEK
Founding President and Director – Centre for Development
Managing Trustee – Kadam Education Trust
Ahmedabad India
In 1996, along with like-minded people, an organization – Centre for Development (CfD), was registered, with the goal of working for the urban poor. Since then I have been working with this organization in the capacity of Founder President and Director.
CfD currently works in 16 urban poor areas of east Ahmedabad and in 2 rural blocks of Ahmedabad District and one rural block of Junagadh district.
I direct the four major programs of CfD:
1. Peace and harmony work by mutual engagement of Dalit and Muslim youth in advocacy for solution of local issues through Ahmedabad Shaheri Yuva Manch (ASYUM)
2. Women’s rights and legal assistance to women victims of domestic violence through Ekta Nari Sagathan (mainly in in Ahmedabad city)
3. Child rights and Right to education programme (i) empowerment of School Management Committees to monitor schools, improvement of the functioning of Aanganwadis, enhancing protection of children through village level child protection committees, providing life skill education and vocational skill training to adolescents. (ii) Education centres for children of families displaced due to forced eviction in Ahmedabad city; ensuring basic amenities to improve their life chances and advocate for establishment of school.
4. Vocational skill training programme (both in Ahmedabad city and rural areas)
As the Director my responsibilities are,
1. To conceive the programs, objectives, strategies, planning and implementation of every activities.
2. Rapport building with people of the organization’s work area
3. Managing the human resources.
4. Fund raising and financial management.
5. Assessment and evaluation of the programs.
Facilitating accountable governance
As President of CfD Society and Trust, I brief the board members / trustees on a regular basis in addition to having all the statutory meetings. As the Director I am guided by and accountable to the Board as well as by the advisory committee of CfD.
Managing Trustee, Kadam Education Initiative
Confronted by rampant displacement of urban poor for ‘urban development’ programmes, I initiated work with the children in the Piplaj transit colony and Bombay Hotel areas of Ahmedabad city. This work that was initiated as a programme of CfD is today an independent organization which strives to bridge the civil society members with the victims of ‘development of Ahmedabad city’. Labouring children, school drop-outs and adolescent girls at risk of being trafficked are protected and brought back into education, initially through education centres at the community level and later through enrollment into municipal schools or private schools with support from sensitive donors from civil society. KEI is envisaging a resource centre for such children which becomes a space which would protect children’s rights and ensure their education by facilitating decisive state and civil society interventions.
Achievements
1. The initial Smile Fellowship of IGSSS that I received was effective in laying a strong foundation for CfD; so much so that in the subsequent years CfD could take on significant work such as the very difficult peace and reconciliation work with Dalit and Muslim communities, and child rights interventions and women’s rights initiatives. In all this work I was successful in forging new partnerships with several national and international agencies such as CARE, Save the Children, Association for India’s Development, Holdeen India Foundation, American Jewish World Service, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Gujarat Women’s Economic Development Corporation, Aids Control Society (Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation), Oxfam India, CMC (Netherlands), Asha for Education(USA) and Childreach International (UK).
2. Facilitated the emergence of many vibrant community based initiatives in CfD – the main ones being Ekta Nari Sangathan, which has played a key role in countering domestic violence both through legal interventions and an alternative justice mechanism, the ‘Nari Adalat’. Today the Mahila (Women’s) Police Station in Ahmedabad has offered a permanent space for CfD staff to assist the victims of domestic violence whenever there is a need.
3. In the difficult years following the communal carnage of 2002, created mutual trust among women and youth that resulted in joint (Dalit-Muslim) economic enterprises in the income generation programme. This was the result of the peace and reconciliation work that happened in many areas of Ahmedabad city where CfD worked.
4. In addition to my postgraduation in Psychology, the training I received in trauma counseling from NIMHANS Bangalore, has enabled me to assist innumerable people, particularly women and children who have been traumatized by domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual assault and communal violence. Till date along with my team I have been able to counsel over 600 women.
5. My interventions with children of families displaced due to violence and forced evictions have today developed into a full-fledged initiative called the Kadam Education Initiative (KEI). KEI works with these children, to protect them, release them from child labour and ensure their right to education, with proactive support from civil society.
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