The second week of the SLT Trip was spent in meetings with various NGOs and departmental officials in Jodhpur.

The first NGO we met with was the Mine Labor Protection Campaign, which involved a presentation and an excursion to three field sites. According to the campaign’s website, their aim is “..to promote environmental justice through organizing the unorganized mine workers in the state of Rajasthan and building their capacities to protect their rights and environment.” (http://www.minelabour.org/aim.php) We were shown two different mine sites which people were working in, and then a day care centre funded by the campaign for sponsored children of mine workers. There we got to meet the children and learn about their backgrounds and the conditions for children who are forced to go to work with their parents.

The students then met with the Jodhpur Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS Sansthan in their Jodhpur office. We learnt about the challenges facing people living with HIV/AIDs in India and how organizations such as this are working to combat stigma by changing societal attitudes and providing support networks and counseling for people who are affected by this disease. Many people who have HIV/AIDs are discriminated against by society and indeed their own families. We spoke to some HIV positive women who attended the centre, some of whom were widows, or had been banished from their homes after their husbands had learned that they were positive, despite having passed the disease on themselves. They bravely told their stories and were happy to answer all of our questions.

On Wednesday we met with the Honorable Deputy Director of Jodhpur Mr. Shakti Singh Ji at the Department of Women and Child Welfare. Here were learnt about the various schemes that the government has in place to support women and children, such as grants for self-help groups - which empower women by providing a community network, and enabling them to begin a group enterprise such as a small business selling crafts or clothing. Other departmental focuses included the abolishment of child marriages, crèches for mothers participating in the NREGA national employment scheme, pensions for widows and the posting of Sathines, female messengers who visit/live in rural villages to educate locals about government policies and provide general community support.

The SLT students inquired about the villagers’ requests for a separate girls’ school but were informed that these are only possible when there are at least 250 female students in a village. The department’s stance is that parents have the responsibility to put aside their conservative attitudes towards their daughter’s education and not withhold them from an education purely because it is in a co-educational school.

On Thursday the SLT students met with the Honorable CEO Mr. Rajeev Jain of Jodhpur at the Department of Water and Sanitation. Following the students’ presentation of village issues, we were told that the government was already aware of them because they are common issues across all villages. We discussed the NREGA program, which is a national employment scheme which guarantees 100 days of work per year to any person who applies. One complaint in the village was that workers participating in the scheme were not receiving their full wages. The official explained that the work is task-based and monitored strictly by senior technical officers who determine the level of work that has been attained by each employee. We were informed that if workers wished to dispute this outcome, they could either write a letter or phone a 24-hour toll-free number, 1077, to lodge their complaint.

The SLTs also inquired about the programs in place at schools. We learnt that there is a free health card distributed to all students which entitles them to monthly check-ups at the district hospital. Each student is also provided with a daily meal of at least 600 calories, set by a medical officer/nutritionist. One of the reasons we discovered for the teacher shortage is that many teachers do not wish to remain in villages and would rather move to cities for work.

In regards to sanitation, the government has a toilet sanitation scheme whereby houses are selected to have toilets built within them. The government also ensures that every new building completed is fully equipped with a toilet. Despite this, we heard that many villages still prefer not to use the facilities.

In terms of accountability, we heard that the government has an Anti-Corruption Department (ACD) which works to keep administration as transparent as possible and provide opportunities for people to lodge their corruption complaints. This includes an audit system with surprise visits.

The Sarpaanch system was the other point discussed. We learnt that training for the Sarpaanches is mandatory.

Our final meeting was with the Honorable District Magistrate Mr. Naveen Mahajan of Jodhpur. He graciously gave us an impromptu timeslot to meet and the students were able to introduce their work and ask for general advice.