Residents of slums in Kolkata, India, live in
A‘ T
homes tacked and stacked together. They often have no legal status that allows for housing or school- ing. Thanks to a Lutheran
agency, they are empower- ing themselves.
better world’
In India’s slums, Lutherans leave a legacy of hope and opportunity
Text and photos by Y. Franklin Ishida
hey gather in a small house located between busy rail lines. Every few moments, trains make noisy runs outside while the women inside discuss their newest projects and financial terms.
This is the squatter settlement of New Neo-Para in Kol-
kata, West Bengal, India. The women are part of self-help groups encouraged by Lutheran World Service India Trust, a localized (now independent) program of the Lutheran World Federation. The women pool 30 rupees (about 60 cents) a month from each member. From this they can borrow funds to establish businesses or other self-supporting activities. “This is about how to become self-reliant,” said Mukti (last name not given), the group’s treasurer.
One woman set up a sari business and was able to repay her loan in 10 months. Another started selling vegetables. But it isn’t just about business, Anjana Biswas would
say. “We use a rights-based approach to development, giving the residents of this settlement self-confidence and empowerment,” said Biswas, deputy program manager for the Lutheran agency’s urban projects. With this comes edu- cation for children, health and HIV/AIDS work, improved hygiene and sanitation, maternity education and advocacy. Knowing their rights helped residents make New Neo- Para a better place. They obtained land titles, making theirs an “authorized” settlement. They also received government
Ishida is director for Asia Pacific with ELCA Global Mission. 30 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
subsidies to improve their homes. Other squatter settlements in Kolkata aren’t so fortu- nate. Residents consist of migrants from other parts of India and immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. They come seeking jobs and better opportunities but arrive with no legal status that allows for housing or schooling. Employment means day labor jobs, or driving trucks for the men and domestic work for the women. Most of these settlements are shantytowns, made up of homes tacked and stacked together. The LWF began a program in response to the needs of refugees in 1974, following the Bangladesh war for independence.
In 2010, the agency turned over to local ownership, becoming an associate program of the LWF and continu- ing to empower vulnerable communities to improve their quality of life in West Bengal and other parts of eastern India. This happens through social transformation and economic empowerment, emergency response and disas- ter risk reduction, gender justice programs, and work that addresses interethnic or other conflict and exploitative practices. All of which helps people achieve self-reliance with dignity.
In the Bagbazar II B settlement, for example, the agency created a one-room learning center, squeezed in between two roads. “Education is from the heart,” Biswas said. “More education means a better understanding of their rights, and this can bring about a better world. At this level, we can’t change the environment overnight, but these chil- dren are the future.”
But “education is considered a bad investment,” said
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