Stories from the field

NFI made a grant to the The Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development (OKDISCD) in Assam to study the impact of the Bodo – Santhal   (‘Adivasi’) conflict in Bodoland territorial Autonomous District Council in Assam. The findings of the study inidcated that the problems of hostility, deep rooted hatred, fear, anger, biased views, stereotyping, lost empathy and compassion prevented communities and groups from achieving a just and durable peace. The study suggested ‘peace education’ to address this problem. NFI has translated the recommendation of the study into action by venturing into a partnership with NERSWN to support education and livelihood work for children and women of ‘Adivasi’ (Santhal) community, who are still languishing in the relief camps in Bodoland, some 13 years into the violent conflicts.

Excerpts from the OKDISCD study on the plight of the adivasi community in the relief camps follow:

Education

“A sizeable number of young boys and girls living in the relief camps were school goers when the unfortunate incident took place. The conflict which was followed by displacement, to be more exact continued displacement did not give them any chance of resuming their studies. However, Runikatha – Bhurpar camp is among the few camps which have access to government schools. The school is in fact situated at a stone’s throw from the camp, but the children of the camp are unable to avail the benefits of education. The research team was surprised to come across children who were in standard II and III but were not in a position to recognize alphabets from their own textbooks. Explaining the reason as to why children could not recognize the alphabets, Dar Kisko, an  elderly camp inmate, said:

“They cannot learn anything, their teacher speaks Assamese and they do not understand Assamese. We can speak Assamese because we had Assamese friends and neighbours. But these children grew up speaking only their mother tongue. They just go to school for the sake of it.”

Since the children from this Adivasi camp only speak Adivasi languages (Santhali, Orang etc.), they fail to comprehend the medium of instruction and the language of their teachers, who speak Assamese. Hence, they lack interest in their lessons and most of them end up learning nothing.” (OKDISCD Study2oo8:35)

Health and Sanitation

Biru Hasda from Vet.Complex Bangtol camp, which shelters 528 inmates, says:

“In a month we get ration for 10 days only. An adult gets 600 gms and children get 400 gms of rice. We don’t have any means of livelihood here. Some inmates fish from the nearby lakes, pond etc. Some work in small business establishments. This is how we have been surviving all these years. No one thinks about us. When you return to the city, please tell someone to help us.” (OKDISCD Study 2008:40)