Life Education Center and its work in the development of Women in society

At AVAG the importance of women in society is one of the fundamental convictions. If, in the villages, plans and decisions are going to be made which include the views of all, then women have to come out of their houses and express their truth. Through the activities of women’s groups in the villages and women taking up visible village development projects, the male leaders have actually invited the women into the formerly all-male village councils. It is also true that the condition of submission and repression of women in society carries along with it many instances of abuse and exploitation. And a Legal Cell at the Village Action Resource Centre provides that sort of help for poor women.

Working to develop the skills of individual young women is another approach to empowering village women. At the Life Education Centre of Village Action Group, since l991 young women have learned skills of typing, tailoring, managing, in the context of examining together their problems as young women, and their role as women in society.

Ms. Zerina Naidu has been the force behind this program

Ms. Zerina Naidu, an Indian woman with both academic background and experience in social work, has been the force behind this program, and reflects on the progress and the limitations of women’s empowerment in India.

“In our Life Education Center young girls from neighboring villages of Auroville, in the age group of 15-22 years get training in various technical skills such as tailoring, crochet, typewriting, computer and basic skills such as spoken English, mathematics and Tamil. They think this will be useful for them if, as often happens, after marriage they will have to work and support the family. What we add to the vocational training is “group discussions” to analyze women’s issues like dowry problems, gender discrimination, alcoholism etc. We give personal attention to each girl and I also often do individual counseling. Almost all girls come with severe family problems, from abuse to neglect.”

So you’re not just a technical training school?

“Oh, no. We’re not just giving them employable skills, we’re giving them the opportunity to develop self-confidence, raise their self-esteem and develop strength to face the future. Once in a month we visit the girls’ homes to have a good contact with their family members. Most girls find many restrictions, blockages and struggles in their home situation. When they come here they feel safe and share their feelings with others in the group. They find they are not alone – the problems they face are common to many of the other students.

“So apart from training in various skills – basic literacy and technical – which might help them have a career of their own, LEC also supports them psychologically -- to help them find a different perspective on life and ultimately lead a better life.”

What’s the course like at LEC?

“The women are studying in general from Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. The course goes on for two years. The first 3 month period is seen as a trial time and they do not get paid -- in a way we are testing them to see how committed they are. After that they receive 200 Rupees per month during the first year, in the second year 300 Rupees. This is very little, if they go to work as domestics or in workshops they will earn that much in a week. So they are actually making a commitment in coming to school here. Many want to continue here. Only in some cases can they stay after the two years, if they are interested and capable to learn. For example, one girl learned computer use and she became a helper for the teachers, so she stayed and gets 400 Rupees.”

How has LEC developed? What problems have you faced?

“When the training started in 1991 we had difficulties in finding enough students, no one knew what we were offering and it was only through the help of the AVAG development workers that we made contacts. Nowadays parents bring their daughters. I know the families well, I keep contact with them even after leaving the center, so I continue to guide their development years after they leave the school. I can often act as a mediator if problems between daughters and parents arise, and I also try to find jobs for them. It’s one of the big rewards of this work – seeing the remarkable transformation of the young women during the stay in LEC -- they learn that they deserve more respect from other people, and in fact, they get it!

What do you think is happening in the field of women’s empowerment in India?

Indirani and Sivagami are “graduates of LEC” and act as assistants of Zerina. They told a little about their experience.

Indirani and Sivagami are Ms. Zerina's assistants.

Here the school methods are different than in the schools we knew before. The teaching way is easy and we learn quickly, it is less strict, we get no homework, we feel no pressure and we are not beaten. A lot of girls are fed up after their experience in normal schools. Here, the teachers are all women so that we can express our feelings and problems and ideas freely, and this is a big advantage.

In our lives, LEC is the only place for us where we have freedom. At home we cannot be open, cannot laugh or meet our friends, this we can do in LEC. The teachers treat us like friends and we feel comfortable and bring out our talents. Sometimes our personal problems come out in a group discussion, then we share the sadness. After the session we see everything easier because new solutions came from the group. We know that we cannot change the behavior of the other people around us, they get angry if we criticize them. From our psychology classes here we learn how to have a better relationship with other people. What we can do is to change ourselves and to give another education to our children.

For the future we have the idea to make another education center in our village, a night school. Then we can help the girls who have to work during daytime and we can pass on the experience we have had in LEC.

A new program at LEC is the Self-Defense Program, which has been introduced by Ms Getha. Indirani who has taken the class, told us about her experiences.

For how long did this training last?

“The self-defense training lasted for 1½ month of full day teaching The program was divided in two parts: we had theory and practical exercises.

In the theory section, we girls are encouraged to discuss incidences as sexual molestations which happen, for example in busses. We learn how to protect ourselves by taking another attitude towards the aggressor -- addressing openly and saying what we do not want, raising the voice and watching with confidence in the face instead of being shy.

In the practical section, we practice different body techniques -- how to give kicks in an effective manner or how to do the right movements to disengage when somebody is holding fast from the back.

Now after successfully completing the training I am looking forward to practice what I have learned. Already, I have made the experience that if I don’t behave anxiously and threaten the disturber with the police, I have less trouble.”