TUFF INSPIRERADE GRUPP I BASEL

(TUFF=Tyresö Ulands- och FredsFörening)

I somras (2008) kontaktades Tuff av Maria Ström-Nilsson. Hon bor i Basel och har som barnmorska varit biståndsarbetare i Zimbabwe, där hon bland annat kände familjen Mugabe, innan Mugabe blev alltförr självsvåldig. Om det har hon berättat både på Succékanalen 91,4 och i Radio Tuff. Klicka på ”Arkiv” i www.tyresöradion.se , så hörs intervjuerna.

En av hennes vänner i Schweiz, Nikki Borer, har en bakgrund i Indien. Hon, Maria och några till funderade på att göra en insats för fattiga tribals (stambefolkningen) i Dharampur, där Tuff i många år har finansierat skolor, hundratals brunnar, dammar, 90 000 mangoträd med mera.

De både kvinnorna i Basel upptäckte då Tuffs hemsida www.tuff.fred.se , kontaktade Tuff, som förmedlade kontakten till Tuffs indiska partners Bhikhu och Kokila.

Här kommer på engelska deras rapport efter sitt besök i Indien:

A visit to the Dharampur area, 4 – 6 October 2008
We are a group of friends living and working in Switzerland, who became interested earlier this year in the tribal areas around Dharampur. In February three of us, my Irish friend Esther, my 18-year-old son Benedict and myself, visited a tribal school near Dharampur, and decided that we would like to find out more about this interesting area and its needs. By coincidence one of our group – Maria Ström-Nilsson – is actually Swedish, and when we “found” TUFF on the internet, Maria immediately got in touch with Åke Sandin in Stockholm. Maria was able to meet with Åke twice on visits to Stockholm, and to discuss with him the work that TUFF has supported in this area. Åke also put us in touch with Bhikhu and Kokila Vyas, and after much emailing, Maria and I visited the Dharampur area again in early October, and spent two days with Bhikhu and Kokila.

Bhikhu was a wonderful host, taking us around the area in a jeep for two days and showing us the work that he and Kokila have been doing with the help of TUFF and other donors over the past 22 years. We were able to see a check dam, view some soil-bunding projects, visit some mango plantations and, most importantly, spend time at three of the seven schools that have been built for the tribal children by Bhikhu and Kokila. These schools are hugely impressive – not only for their commitment to the children, the dedication of the teachers, and the obvious well-being of the children, but also for their philosophy, which quite clearly permeates every aspect of the schools. Education at these schools is much more than just the three “R”s (reading, writing and arithmetic) although these basic skills are certainly not neglected. But the intention is to educate children in the widest possible sense – to be ethical and productive members of their own society. Even the appearance of the schools, the little aesthetic details which show themselves in the organization of the tree-shaded gardens and the tribal decorations painted on the walls, are part of the philosophy of teaching the children to appreciate harmonious surroundings and a pride in their heritage and their own accomplishments.

We were lucky to be in the area just after the monsoon; the landscape was green and lush, and the reddish-brown earth of the school-yards a very restful change from the grey concrete we had seen everywhere else. We were always expected, entertained, fed, and looked after so well that we were almost overwhelmed by the hospitality. In return, we pestered Bhikhu with a huge number of questions that he answered courteously and with enormous patience. I think when we left that he was quite exhausted! We hope he has recovered since.

While visiting the girls’ hostel near Dharampur, we were also lucky enough to meet with Bhavna Shah, Hiten Shah and Mitesh Kumar – all of whom contribute so much time and work to these projects. In Mumbai we visited Bhavna again, as we had still more questions for her, and she generously gave us more of her time (and a delicious lunch!). And always we asked ourselves: if the situation were reversed, and we in Europe were the hosts and they the unexpected visitors from India, would we be as generous with our hospitality to complete strangers? I wonder …

We would like to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to take us around and talk to us, but most particularly Bhikhu, Kokila and Bhavna. And we sincerely congratulate TUFF on the work they have supported over so many years in this beautiful but disadvantaged area of India. The results are inspirational.

Nikki Borer and Maria Ström-Nilsson
Basel, Switzerland