Please support the following campaigns for the rights of the marginalized.

Please support scavenger girls of Mohammdabad, Ghaipur ( Uttar-Pradeh) by way of donation and in kind.They want change of profession and study further. Help us establish a technical center for them. We just don’t want with sewing center, we would like to provide them computer literacy also. (Detail....)

SDF has started women’s empowerment centers in several areas of Uttar-Pradesh. The initiative is very small and targeted to the poorest people socially as well as culturally. We would request you to support handsomely for the campaign. Under this campaign we would provide not only technical education ( most popular in the villages among the poor women is sewing and stitching) and educate them about their human rights. Most of these women are uneducated and illiterate and our aim is to make them use their time in these centers. The centers which are functioning at the moment are at Saharanpur among the Gujjar Muslim women, in Mau among the Nishad ( fisherwomen), Ghazipur among the scavenger women and Deoria among the Mushhar ( rat eaters) women. There are not many centers but we have attempted our best by making a beginning. We would go for more once people promise us annual support. We request for annual support from individuals who are sensitive to the cause of the marginalized. We would definitely giving information regarding our work. We do plan to develop these centers into creating some handicraft items and feel that at some point of time, we would be able to market their products. Those of you who can contribute by training the women can also contact us.

The Dalit women's Liberation Front has been formed by the fisherwomen. They are not only talking about their rights but also participating in developmental activities. Interested more in education and empowerment, SDF helped them create a women centre. WE donated them the machine and they are paying fee and it is a self income venture at the moment. We have clearly rejected the idea of free education. They pay a small sum of Rs 20 per months. Interestingly, the fisherfolks were always in loggerheads with Muslims in the region but today, if you can see, they are also coming in a fairly large number to learn sewing and stitching. That clearly indicate that development unite people and does not divide them. This centre is basically meant to develop leadership skills in them as well as make them earn something after learning the sewing, which has attracted popular imagination in the region.
As you know anti social elements created a lot of problems for us and tried to throw us from the area. Many fishermen were targetted. They did not allow us to work on the lake on many time and created hurdles, tried to divide the fishing community. We did our best in the lake to develop it. However, after clearning and digging a large part of water went out and it helped the farmers of the region.
While fishermen were divided, the farmers united after our efforts. Today about 750 acre of land got freeed and farmers are ready for the first crop. On the other hand, to develop more private-cooperative initiative, we started a new process. Under the customary laws, the if there are small ponds, lakes in the villages, they should be leased to the fishermen. SDF took this initiative under a new vision. We have so far got 6 such ponds/lakes leased to the Taal Ratoy fisher folk committee and formed their cooperative. We have bought them the fish seeds and by next year these 6 ponds if they have everything right, will give them a good profit.
We are looking more for such an initiative in other parts and people are demanding in other parts of the state from us to make their cooperative also. In these photographs the fisherfolks are there in their ponds and putting the fishseeds.
CEF project for the fishermen brought many thing. It was not just cleaning and making of lake but developing leadership. Despite the terrible problems we faced from the anti-social elements, the things have now changed. This is a school started by SDF for the children of fishermen in the Taal area. It is an informal school where children learn to read and write and they are happy about it. SDF tried to create play ground and other playing facilities there. The school has a small room which was constructed by SDF and land was donated by the fishermen.