In these very difficult times, your help is needed more than ever and your support has been amazing – thank you.
‘Education is the only ladder…’ Update on COVID and education
Following up to the previous blog on child marriage: I have just seen an article in that most respected health journal, The Lancet, which comments on the connection between the pandemic and education:
‘…The economic crisis is pushing poor households into greater poverty, with families turning to early marriage as an alternative form of income. This predicament further perpetuates intergenerational poverty and inequality. Education is the only ladder out of poverty for many children and adolescents, and it is crucial to empower girls to economic independence and resist violation of their rights…’ (The Lancet (2021). COVID-19: the intersection of education and health. The Lancet 397(10271): 253 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00142-2).
Help us to keep up the good work!
Let’s stop child marriage!
Child marriage – that is, any formal or informal union of a child under the age of 18 – causes devastating health and economic consequences for individuals, families, and societies, particularly in South Asia. Globally, 12 million girls under 18 are married each year, which is about 23 cases every minute. For girls in many disadvantaged families, early marriage is the only option. A recent study reported that in India, about 40% of girls under the age of 18 are married and have children. Thankfully, this rate is reducing, but not fast enough to reach the target of the Sustainable Development Goal to eliminate early and forced marriage by 2030. For the full reference to the research report which is publicly available, see the end of the article.
A lack of education and employment is known to be a significant cause of early marriage and early childbearing. The research findings suggested that secondary school completion reduces early marriage, and is greatly helped by improving family incomes.
The British government has recently recognised this: check out the BBC item on 16 January at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55680955.
The Wye and Brook India Trust (WBIT) has been supporting the education and employment prospects of poor children in Delhi since 1978. Many girls now attend school who would not otherwise have done so. And boys matter, too!
There are many reasons why early marriage and early childbearing persist in South Asia. Complex marriage laws and customary social pressures, customs, and beliefs encourage parents to marry their young daughters. It can avoid high dowry payments, which increase as girls get older and more educated. The social and economic costs of not marrying off a daughter are perceived to outweigh the benefits. In times of economic stress, marrying daughters can reduce household costs and bring income.
Where improvements for girls were found, the study showed that increasing secondary school completion, defined as completing 10 years of school, explained a large part of the reduction in early marriage and early childbearing. Households in urban slum areas were often worse off in terms of education, wealth, girls’ safety, and living conditions than elsewhere. It is increasingly recognised that there is no single solution to the problems of early marriage and early childbearing, but providing education is the first, foremost and most effective action to take.
The report concludes: ‘When girls marry as children and give birth during their teens, there are devastating health and economic consequences for individuals, families, and societies. Child marriage is a human rights violation and a drain on human capital that the global development community is committed to eradicating, but the reality is that policies and interventions have not been effective enough to accelerate progress… The protective nature of girls’ schooling is clear and efforts to increase higher education among girls need to continue’ (pp12-13).
Please join us in supporting the education of vulnerable girls and boys by setting up a standing order: £10 per month or £120 per year will provide much of the cost for a child to complete one year of schooling. One-off gifts are welcome, and you can also sponsor an individual child to go through school. Please consider a legacy, too.
Contact WBIT at 28 Oxenturn Road, Wye, tel 01233 812496, or wbit.treasurer@gmail.com.
The research referred to above was led by the International Food Policy Research Institute, published in December 2020 in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences and is publicly available. The full reference for the research is:
Scott, S. et al. (2020). Early marriage and early childbearing in South Asia: trends, inequalities, and drivers from 2005 to 2018. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences n/a(n/a) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14531
Work in Delhi during the pandemic
The Delhi Brotherhood have been busy serving the poor in Delhi during the pandemic – see the report at this link for recent photos and further details.
New book! Proceeds to WBIT…
A new coffee-table book, ‘World in a Small Garden’ by Wye residents Sheila and Geoff Chapman, is now on sale with all proceeds going to charity – and half to the Wye and Brook India Trust.
The topics covered within the 100 pages include alpine and tropical orchid collections, a range of beautiful flower arrangements with some in the Japanese Ikebana tradition, and a detailed look at some garden insects, together with recent developments in French and English rose breeding. The book has one hundred striking full-colour illustrations.
Serious and professional gardeners will appreciate the skill and experience, both scientific and artistic, with which the garden has been nurtured to fruitfulness in a few short years, and the photography with which it has been recorded. For the rest of us, the book will be inspirational as we wonder what enterprising and entertaining initiatives, and humour, we can introduce to our own pots, plots and flower arrangements. There is also much to learn from reflections on literature and garden history.
Buy one, be inspired! Our congratulations and thanks to Sheila and Geoff for their generosity in choosing WBIT!
‘World in a Small Garden’ is on sale for £20 from Di Owen at Cragmore House, 34 Church Street, Wye (tel 01233 812398) and from Geoff and Sheila Chapman, 33 Scotton Street, Wye, (tel: 01233 813011). (Postage may be extra).
July letter to donors and sponsors: you have helped!
A quick update: we have only recently sent out the letter to supporters, but a number of you have already contacted us about increasing your regular support or making a one-off gift in response to the critical problems facing Delhi and India during this time of coronavirus. Thank you so much!
Sadly, India is hitting the headlines on successive days with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. The Delhi Brotherhood are doing their utmost to continue to support the schoolchildren, many of whom are counted among the most disadvantaged people: family income earning opportunities have been lost, support networks have been disrupted, and medical facilities which are limited for the poor are more than overstretched. The Brothers have undertaken food distribution to families of needy schoolchildren. The situation cannot be easily imagined, and things seem to be getting worse as we enter August.
Any extra support you can give will be channelled into the schools’ education budget to support the extra costs of schooling at this difficult time, and to ensure that teachers are supported.
Please contact us as wbit.treasurer@gmail.com if you want to help.
July letter to donors and sponsors: can you help?
Dear Friends
Chairman’s letter
On behalf of the trustees, I am pleased to send a mid-year update on the activities of the Wye and Brook India Trust.
We held our Annual General Meeting in June and delivered our Trustees Annual Report (TAR) to the Charity Commission. I am pleased to attach the Report to this message. You will also find the Report and other information at the Charity Commission website at the address below,[1] using the name or charity number 288217.
You will see from the Report that we have continued with Stewardship as our Independent Examiner, and their advice has been very helpful. In line with the increasing reporting requirements, we have had to update various policies, which, together with other activities, are noted in the TAR.
We are rejoicing in the appointment of two new trustees at a Special Meeting which coincided with the AGM. We continue to meet as usual, thanks to the technology with which some of you may be familiar: Zoom. And as we all live locally, in Wye and Brook, sometimes we see each other and are able to discuss our affairs at a safe social distance.
More good news is that we were able to hold a plant sale in lieu of our regular May Coffee Morning. This effort raised more than £800, whereas we normally expect that the plant stall at the regular event might raise £500-600. We are very pleased and grateful to all those who worked hard and contributed generously. And thanks to the generosity of our regular donors, we have been able to maintain our regular support to the educational work in Delhi.
But you will know that these are difficult times. At the time of writing, the coronavirus restrictions are being eased on the whole, but longer-term prospects signal the need for continued caution about the way we as individuals, organisations and the wider world interact. Sadly, we do not expect a visit from the Delhi Brotherhood this year, nor do we expect to be able to visit Delhi ourselves. We are making plans for next year…
The Brotherhood are well, but to be frank, we are worried that the news from India is not good: the social and economic conditions make major cities a fertile ground for transmission of the coronavirus, and the health facilities for treating Covid-19 cases are strained and don’t favour the poor. The government locked down in a way that may be necessary but has severely impacted the marginalised people, the daily wage earners of the population, by foreclosing all their income-earning opportunities. Such people have no savings and very limited access to health facilities… According to a report I read today, there is starvation, uncared for sickness and deepening vulnerability. Because of restrictions, the family and kin networks that people depend on are unable to help.
Schools have been closed, but we are very pleased that the educational work has continued through on-line teaching, and telephone support to children whose families do not have access to the necessary technology. The Brotherhood are providing massive social support to families in vulnerable conditions, precisely the families whose children we are supporting. On top of all this, there are the persistent internal political pressures not just in Delhi but in much of India.
The Brotherhood have made a special appeal for support towards the extra costs of these difficult times. Our Trust is empowered to support only educational work, but we can meet the extra costs of the schooling, assure the pay of the teachers, and provide emergency support to the vulnerable school children and their families. I realise that no-one is comfortable during this crisis, but please consider if you can contribute more either as a one-off gift or an increase in regular giving. And if you know of friends or family who might like to join us in this work, please do encourage them to contact us.
Thank you for your commitment to this work. Please let us all stay safe and well.
Yours sincerely
Nigel Poole
Chairman
[1] https://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/showcharity/registerofcharities/RegisterHomePage.aspx
Annual Review 2019 and into 2020
Trustees have been busy in the first half of 2020. We finalised our accounts and annual report, The Trustees Annual Report (TAR) in good time for the annual general meeting on Monday 8 June. Stewardship, our Independent Examiner, did an excellent job in turning round the accounts in record time, and provided some vary helpful advice. The TAR was approved and has been uploaded to the Charity Commission website as required, and at the time of writing, electronic copies have been sent by email to supporters. Most of those needing hard copies will have received theirs, and we have one or two to deliver by hand locally in Wye and Brook and the environs.
Celia Roberts stepped down as trustee after many years of service, and we are delighted that she will hang in with us as a ‘member’ to help with the annual Coffee Morning. Many thanks Celia for all that you have done! We have also welcomed two new trustees – details are on the Charity Commission website.
One disappointment was that the Coffee Morning, due to take place at the Parish Church in Wye, on Saturday 16 May was cancelled, thanks to coronavirus. Instead we organised a sale of locally sourced plants. The plant sale was usually the most remunerative stall at the Coffee Morning, earning £600+. This year, due to the generosity of people who contributed gifts of plants, and many others who bought them, we made over £830 – a fantastic result. But overall our income from the event was down by about £1500. Please DONATE if you can help us recover the shortfall!
Meeting of the Trustees, and Save the Date?
Trustees met last week 13 February, among other things to plan the 2020 Coffee Morning.
NB the Coffee Morning was due to take place at the Parish Church in Wye, Kent, UK on Saturday 16 May – thanks to coronavirus, we had to cancel. Instead we organised a sale of locally sourced plants. The plant sale was usually the most remunerative stall at the Coffee Morning, earning £600+. This year, due to the generosity of people who contributed gifts of plants, and many others who bought them, we made over £830 – a fantastic result. But overall our income was down by about £1500. Please DONATE if you would can help us recover the shortfall!
Wye and Brook India Trust 