NGOs and the tribals of India

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The idea of relieving poverty by simply giving has become quite evidently the wrong thing to do. It's the old adage: "give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for life." The problem of giving (aid and relief) is most evident in African countries where foreign aid has existed the longest. People are realizing now that their approach has to change. check out Dambisa Moyo's www.deadaid.org.
In brief, I read somewhere (can't remember where) that the most obvious problem is that certain villages in Africa are so used to aid that they are expecting it. Especially the young ones who grew up with foreign aid for the past 20 years or 30 years, they think that it's a way of life. Villagers don't know how to make a living anymore, they just sit around expecting a handout.
The organization I volunteered at is without exception. The children expect this "handout". there's no sincere appreciation, they somehow think it's their right, especially the kids who have lived at the home the longest. It's just expected that since people in the west are rich, they rightfully should give freely to us. Another problem is that the home is really a "haven" from the rest of India which is not the ideal set up. They should be taught how to survive the best they can within society. There are so many other issues with the place I was volunteering at, but I'm not at liberty to discuss them. In the end, I decided to terminate my stay there.
Meanwhile, I had met some locals who are social activists and through them, I came to learn about tribals in India who are the most oppressed people in Maharashtra. These locals had set up a hostel for the tribal children so that they can go to school. Most tribal children don't go to school as they live in very remote areas, the parents want them to help make a living, or are too drunk/out of it to do anything with them. Living at the hostel helps them focus on school, and secure skills to become self-sufficient. For the last week of my stay in Maharashtra, I lived at this hostel for tribal children (March 8-15). I learned so much living there. I learned what it is to really help someone. The tribal children are taught all the life skills so that they are actually running the hostel themselves with, of course, the older ones in the lead. I have never seen such responsible children. They are very aware of this rare opportunity they have been given to live at the hostel and to get somewhere in life.
I also learned a lot about tribals and the social structure in India. it's a very very complex subject. check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adivasi
In Maharashtra, these people are in a worse position than the outcastes. There are 4 castes in India and below that is the Untouchables. The tribals are no where in this system (in Maharashtra and most other places in India). The Untouchables at least live among the rest of society, the tribals don't even live among the rest of society, they have been pushed out completely (historically) and since the rest of society is always expanding, the tribals have been pushed to the most remote areas which is why most of them live in the mountains and forests. I find it amazing how in all the stuff I've read and heard about India, I've never came across any mention of indigenous tribes, and yet they are everywhere but in small numbers. History books talk about the Aryans coming to India and pushing the Dravidians south, nothing else, there didn't seem to be anybody else around, yet the land was filled with indigenous tribes everywhere. The tribes are all very different region to region, with different languages, culture, customs, etc. The other thing that surprised me is that the caste system that the Aryans brought is so strong and so deep-rooted in the mindset of people here that the tribals have been kept distinct for so many thousands of years. Think of the indigenous people in Canada, in another hundred years or so, they will have completely disappeared into society, which means that within 500 years or so, the indigenous people were swallowed up by mainstream society in North America. Yet the tribals in India have lived with the Aryans for more than 5000 years and they are still distinct and no where from disappearing. This is how strong social segregation is here in India, hence the caste system. Recently, the government of India has tried to address this problem of social discrimination by giving reservations (jobs and school entry) to lower castes and tribals so nowadays, an Untouchable is called a Scheduled Caste, and a tribal is called a Scheduled tribe. The reality is that the tribals are still totally rejected in society. People don't want anything to do with them let alone hire them for work. Nobody wants to associate with them in anyway because to do so would bring yourself down in status. Some of the tribals have very distinct facial features but most of them don't (I guess mixing of blood is unavoidable after thousands of years) so that the ones who can be a part of mainstream society do so and never let on the fact that they are a tribal. In India, you can tell a person's caste by their family name so a lot of people don't enter a last name when they register their newborn baby. Therefore, it's common in India to come across people who don't have last names.
I visited a tribal village and most of them grow vegetables that they sell directly to consumers in the nearby town. The children at the hostel are of the Kathkari tribe whose original language no longer exists as they speak a dialect of Marathi (the language of Maharashtra). Most people dress like any other Indian except for very few elders who wear their hair or some part of their clothing in the traditional style. For festivals and celebrations, they do traditional singing and dancing. The dances done by women are different from men, and everything is always accompanied by drumming which only the men do. The drumming is done by both hands, using all fingers and the wrists which create complicated rhythms (as there are 10 fingers and 2 wrists). The dance done by men has a few movements that look like breakdancing.
I had a great time living with the tribal children and felt that I connected with them really well. I feel truly privileged to have had the chance to spend time with them.

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