For more than three years, a hospital remains unbuilt, and it’s killing the people of Raithan village.

About The Video: For more than  three years, the walls of the Primary Health Center in Raithan village in Jammu Kashmir have stood in unfinished silence. Halted in mid-construction, the hospital was supposed to serve 10 villages in the area, but has instead lain abandoned, contributing to the illnesses and deaths of residents, all of whom have no access to nearby, affordable healthcare, and many of whom cannot afford to travel to hospitals further afield. Thousands of people in the area fear for the lives, and rightly so.

The absence of basic healthcare is only the beginning of what often results in a tragic ending. Emergency cases and pregnant women need to be carried on charpoi (wooden beds), bad weather prevents people in need being reached before they die, the absence of doctors and medicine is often the only thing residents find when they are able to reach dispensaries and hospitals, and the 2000 rupees taxi fare to distant hospitals means many people who can’t afford the trip remain sick or succumb to their illness.

Residents, who are fed up with the government’s profound lack of interest in developing healthcare in their area, wait anxiously for the day when the health care center is complete so they can walk to receive care, and have access to doctors, medicine and technologies such as x-rays. But how long that wait might be remains unknown.

Community Correspondent says: Community Correspondent Sajad Rasool calls upon the District Development Commissioner of Budgam and other officials to take action to complete the construction of the hospital, which has been pending for three years, and provide basic healthcare facilities for community members of Raithan and other adjacent areas.

The Government of Rajasthan supports farmers to learn new techniques of farming

About the video:In Karauli district, Rajasthan about 50 farmers are convinced that organic farming is much better than using chemical fertilizers. Their reasons comes the the fact that even after many season, the soil remains fertile. Their yield of wheat, bajra, mustard and potatoes retains more flavor than chemically grown produce. Consumers and farmers are both enjoying the merits of this new and ‘green’ farming.

Previously, the use of artificial fertilizers increasingly have harmed the environment and the people. And after an initial increase in yield the outcome of the production decreases. Reports say that the use of chemical fertilizers can result in various diseases such as kidney failure, calcium deficiencies and bone diseases.

The regional agriculture department in Karauli is well aware of the negative side-effects from chemical fertilizers. To safeguard the soil health and the quality of the products the government promotes the use of harmless organic fertilizers. On a regular basis they offer workshops to local farmers to introduce them to the method.

Thanks to these efforts at awareness, farmers from the Karauli area report that they have learned to make their own organic fertilizers purely from natural ingredients like cow-dung, water and worms. The process involves a more time, work and resources, but it is worthwhile as in the long-term, the crops, soil and people stay healthy.

Our Community Correspondent says: For our Community Correspondent Sunita Kasera the maintenance of the environment is crucial for a healthy future. In her video she not only highlights issues of pollution but looks for alternatives and solutions.

“I hope organic farming will be increasingly used throughout my district to keep our land and people well. I avoid buying chemicaly grown vegetables. Apart from being unhealthy they taste like water. I much prefer purchasing vegetables from farmers who use organic manure. My curries taste much better and I like my children growing up on healthy nutritious foods.”

Sunita went to the regional agricultural office to show them her video. The officials liked her video and with her permission started to use it in their training workshops on organic farming. Sunita says: “The video has been shown in six other villages and I am very happy that farmers in the surrounding areas are introduced to this sustainable farming method. We will all profit from this.”

22 families left homeless by corruption in Ramgarh, Jharkhand

Seven years have passed and the 22 structures have begun to come apart.  The families have been left helpless.

Our Community Correspondent says: Community Correspondent Manju Kisku is one among the 22 families. She says that there have been no dearth of official promises to release the remaining amount but after all these years, it is hard to keep hopes up. “Where we do we turn to?” she says. “No one is willing to look into the matter. The families have given up.”

Call to Action: Manju asks you to call The Sub Divisional Officer, Jaago Mahato  on 9934189981 and pressurize him to look into the matter, punish the corrupt officials, release the remaining money and help 22 families find shelter in their homes.

This is Community Correspondent Manju Kisku’s first video. IndiaUnheard asked her about her experience and how she felt the camera would contribute to her activism.

“My first video is on an issue which deeply affects me. My community has tried everything we could but we have failed. I have made the video in the hope that I can reach out to others who can perhaps help us find a solution to our problem.”

“It was not easy for my people to open up in front of the camera. They were scared. What if their testimonies got them in trouble?”

“I told them that we are not alone in our suffering. There are millions of people who are having similar issues. There are some who have been through similar hardships but have successfully come out of it. It is important that our voices reach them. If we are looking for answers, we must first learn to speak out with questions.”

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Indira Awaas Yojana

About the Video: If you find yourself looking to hail a taxi in the quaint temple town of Jejuri in Pune District, ask for Ranjana Chawan. She is in her early 30s, a proud mother of two who got married off early as is custom in her region and her biggest regret about it remains that it severely cut short her education. Then, she says, fate and circumstances brought her to a crossroad where she made the choice of taking up an unlikely profession. She became a rare woman in the male-dominated domain of public transport in rural India.

The taxi belongs to her husband but as he kept spiralling down the rabbit hole of alcohol addiction, Ranjana took over the driver’s seat. She plies her four-wheeler down the potholed winding roads around Jejuri ferrying her passengers to their destinations and back. It’s a hard days living but she’s happy with what it gets her. It keeps the stoves burning, her children go to school and the household is running efficiently.

She is proud and content and wishes for just two things – that the traffic department forego her lack of education and finally recognize her right to drive and earn a livelihood. And grant her the licence that she has been trying for.  And that her husband would quit his addiction.

Community Correspondent Says: Video Volunteers’ Community Correspondent Rohini was visiting her village when she happened to hail Ranjana’s taxi. Rohini is in her early 30s, a proud mother and her early marriage had cut short her education. Most importantly, Rohini has always been a working woman – first as a field labourer, then as a worker in a pharmaceutical factory and also as an assistant to her videographer husband.  The two self made woman bonded on the journey and by the end of it, Rohini found herself making a video on Ranjana.

“She is a fantastic woman,” says Rohini. “In fact she is one of the bravest women I have met. Just like the camera has empowered me, the taxi has brought Ranjana out of her household, into the world and empowered her.”

“The policemen of the region know her and her situation so they are not fining her but she would be so much more secure if she had a licence. The Road Transport Rules say that you have to pass the 10th grade to be eligible for a licence which is what prevents her from getting one. But Ranjana is a great driver. Travelling in rural India is very stressful for women with all the eve teasing and unsavory that goes on  but travelling with Ranjana is the safest I have felt. It was bliss.”

Call to Action: Rohini asks how we can help Ranjana get a license. If you know of any options we can explore please get in touch with us at info@videovolunteers.org and put “Ranjana” in the subject.

Christian Dalits are not allowed to sing in churches. They are buried in separate graves. Government of India recognizes Untouchability as an exclusively Hindu- Sikh phenomenon. But in reality, Untouchability knows no religion. For a ‘traditional’ atrocity, it is remarkably secular.

A young man speaks of the indignities and hazards of being a sanitation worker. The caste system in India prescribes that all menial and filthy jobs be done by the ‘lowest’ caste. In continuation of this ‘tradition’, sanitation workers around the country are almost always Dalits. This we believe is a continuation of untouchability practices.

This is unacceptable. Sign the Petition.

ARTICLE 17

A Campaign to End Untouchability

ARTICLE 17 is a campaign launched by Video Volunteers on April 14^th, 2012, to urge the National Commission for Schedule Castes, (the government body that is constitutionally appointed to direct and implement the safeguards against untouchability), to prosecute cases of untouchability. Community Correspondents across the country are documenting video testimonies of different forms of untouchability. The first 22 videos are featured here and more will be added as the campaign continues.

We want to give viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age-old oppression once and for all.

Sign the petition being sent to the National Commission on Scheduled Castes.

Even the smallest of villages are laid out along caste lines and the Dalit community is confined to its own ghetto, which in all probability will be the filthiest part of the village. Very little of the prosperity and development is allowed to trickle down the caste hierarchy into the ghetto.

Stop Untouchability. Sign the Petition.

ARTICLE 17

A Campaign to End Untouchability

ARTICLE 17 is a campaign launched by Video Volunteers on April 14^th, 2012, to urge the National Commission for Schedule Castes, (the government body that is constitutionally appointed to direct and implement the safeguards against untouchability), to prosecute cases of untouchability. Community Correspondents across the country are documenting video testimonies of different forms of untouchability. The first 22 videos are featured here and more will be added as the campaign continues.

We want to give viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age-old oppression once and for all.

Sign the petition being sent to the National Commission on Scheduled Castes.

Sanitation workers make a demand for basic safety equipment as they enter stagnant pools of waste. The caste system in India prescribes that all menial and filthy jobs be done by the ‘lowest’ caste. In continuation of this ‘tradition’, sanitation workers around the country are almost always Dalits. This we believe is a continuation of untouchability practices.

This is unacceptable. Sign the Petition.

ARTICLE 17

A Campaign to End Untouchability

ARTICLE 17 is a campaign launched by Video Volunteers on April 14^th, 2012, to urge the National Commission for Schedule Castes, (the government body that is constitutionally appointed to direct and implement the safeguards against untouchability), to prosecute cases of untouchability. Community Correspondents across the country are documenting video testimonies of different forms of untouchability. The first 22 videos are featured here and more will be added as the campaign continues.

We want to give viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age-old oppression once and for all.

Sign the petition being sent to the National Commission on Scheduled Castes.

Barbers refuse to service Dalits for fear of being ‘polluted’.

Prosecute Untouchability. Sign the Petition.

ARTICLE 17

ARTICLE 17 is a campaign launched by Video Volunteers on April 14^th, 2012, to urge the National Commission for Schedule Castes, (the government body that is constitutionally appointed to direct and implement the safeguards against untouchability), to prosecute cases of untouchability. Community Correspondents across the country are documenting video testimonies of different forms of untouchability. The first 22 videos are featured here and more will be added as the campaign continues.

We want to give viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age-old oppression once and for all.

Sign the petition being sent to the National Commission on Scheduled Castes.

Dalits are openly shunned by the other castes. They are ghettoized in their communities where access to basic amenities like water is an everyday and arduous struggle.

End Caste Discrimination. Sign the Petition.

ARTICLE 17

A Campaign to End Untouchability

ARTICLE 17 is a campaign launched by Video Volunteers on April 14^th, 2012, to urge the National Commission for Schedule Castes, (the government body that is constitutionally appointed to direct and implement the safeguards against untouchability), to prosecute cases of untouchability. Community Correspondents across the country are documenting video testimonies of different forms of untouchability. The first 22 videos are featured here and more will be added as the campaign continues.

We want to give viewers the responsibility, as witnesses, to end this age-old oppression once and for all.

Sign the petition being sent to the National Commission on Scheduled Castes.