Host partner MYRADA

by Suneeta Raman, Children With Children facilitator

They are well known by this catch phrase "MYRADA Leaves For You", and they are proud of it. They stay with a community for 4 years, during which time they fully empower the community with whatever skills they require, and set up self-help groups, and then MYRADA leaves, confidently knowing that the community will be able to power on without external help.

MYRADA started out with helping Tibetan refugees resettle in Karnataka, when they escaped with the Dalai Lama back in 1959, so MYRADA itself actually stands for something along the lines of Mysore Resettlement something or other. What's real interesting is that no one can remember what it actually stands for.

We were shown 3 of their many, many projects. We attended the 1st AGM of the Women's Self-Help Groups without MYRADA, where I was moved to see how empowered the women were. The level of questioning skills was very deep, and the answers equally well researched and delivered. They were made aware of their rights at each point, and even the performance by one of the groups was about women, their strengths and how important it was to be independent and empowered.

The 2nd was a tribe where MYRADA had taught them how to make their own bricks, build their own houses etc etc, and they are now self-sustaining, and they are staying put, whereas before they used to be nomadic, felling trees in the forests indiscriminately each year to clear land for living.

The last group we met was the Children's Clubs, where all the members of the various Children's Clubs came together to meet us. Very inspiring to hear them talk. Again, their sense of empowerment, self-worth, maturity, knowledge of rights was fantastic.

But most important of all, was to hear how they use their initiative and are very proactive about helping other children, and educating other children. Something that's very lacking amongst children in Singapore.

Check out the MYRADA website at http://myrada.org/