Tired of sloganeering and attending candle-light vigils to make the streets safe for Mumbai's women? Community action and technology are the way ahead say Haiyya and Akshara, who are encouraging people to develop sustainable ways to make a difference where they live.
As she watched the India Against Corruption campaign crumble into nothing as had the many campaigns before it, Deepti Doshi, CEO of Haiyya, an organisation that is training people across the city to lead social change campaigns in their communities and neighbourhoods, decided it was way past time to bridge the gap between protesting and social change. Two Mumbai-based enterpreneurs, one an IT consultant, the other an investment banker, who place high value on anonymity are funding this initiative. Pure idealism? We think not. These people and their initiatives are actually making a difference at ground level, slowly but surely. The whole idea is to build sustainable and self-supporting social networks.
The 20 people trained by Haiyya’s first two fellowship programmes galvanised a thousand-odd volunteers across Mumbai, into action. Who are these people? The housewife next door? That unassuming college student... it could be you. If you want it to of course.
“An NGO often creates dependency”, says Deepti. “We need to build a neighbourhood’s capacity to look after itself, with or without government support. Our urban lifestyle has resulted in us living lives of isolation where we don’t know our neighbours. But if we recreate local bonds, we stand a chance to fix civic issues and change things. Haiyya builds caring teams where everyone’s voice is heard, whether it’s a 16 year old girl or a woman of 60. Both voices bear equal relevance,” she elaborates. Even if governance is not working, citizens have responsibilities that come with their rights. This starts with voting and continues with their engagement in the neighbourhood.
Haiyya leadership training involves five aspects:
Public Narratives (defining a corrective story that applies to an entire community)
Relationship Building (through shared interests)
Structuring Time (campaigns; volunteers invest 10 hours a week for 3 months) and People (are organised in a snowflake, non-hierarchical structure, so even if a few people drop out, there are others to step in and keep the ball rolling)
Strategizing (Identifying local resources and determining how best they can be used to create change)
Action (through programmes that build leadership as opposed to delegating)
Applications for Haiyya's third round of fellowships close on 5th November 2013. If you'd like to be part of the change apply soon at www.haiyya.in/campaign/fellows
The Harrass Map
Mumbai now has its own Harass Map at https://akshara.crowdmap.com, where you can document unsafe areas, physical, verbal and visual abuse and even incidents of stalking in complete anonymity. Your report just may help someone else stay safe. Moreover, Dr Nandita Gandhi, Co Director, Akshara, the creators of the map told us, “The Mumbai Police has promised to take note of the trends that the map reveals and act appropriately.”
Based on Egypt's HarassMap born as a response to the persistent problem of sexual harassment on the streets of Egypt, you can report an untoward incidents by sending a message to 9920103103, using an app (available for iPhones and Androids) and filling an online form. You can also read about unsafe areas and avoid them or read the most recent reports in chronological (present to past) order.
So what does Mumbai's HarassMap look like as we go to print? Visit https://akshara.crowdmap.com
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