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SUNDERBAN ADIBASHI MUNDA MOHILA SOMOBAY SOMITI Ltd. Year: 01 SSSAAAMMMMMMSSSSSS NNNEEEWWWSSSLLLEEETTTTTTEEERRR Number: 03 Place: Jisu Nam Ashrom Date: 14-03-2014

Editorial Several important events will be reported in this Newsletter, here they are: 1. Rishilpi Italys and special friends visit 2. Village girls meeting 3. Meeting with a nearby high school

students and teachers 4. News on health insurance 5. Income generating activities 6. Lottery to increase the capital of

SAMMSS Comments, advice and suggestions about our news letter are welcome and can be sent to these email addresses:

chandonamunda@gmail.com champamunda@gmail.com

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1. Rishilpi Italys and special friends visit On the second week of February two visitors from Rishilpi Italy spent four days with us. Their names are Elisa and Edgardo. They came to have a look at the school project run by SAMS (also see next page) and the activities of SAMMSS for which Mr. Ezio Crescentini and Ms. Santa Vetturi and Ms. Denise Giraudo have provided funds sent through Rishilpi Italy. On the occasion of their visit a meeting with Monad village girls was also organized and Bahamoni Munda talked about human rights and teaching materials were distributed among the girls.

Elisa and Edgardo during the meeting

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News about the school project (CTSP) run by SAMS published on Facebook by the Sunderbon Adibasi Munda Sanghasta http://www.facebook.com/sunderbonadibasi.mundasanghasta On 06-03-2014 SAMS has finished the Training and Motivation meeting of CTSP project in SAMS head office, Munshigonj. Here our 13 teachers, 2 supervisors and 5 SAMS staffs were present. Mr. Krishnapada Munda (Executive Director, SAMS), Mr. Md. Abdur Rahman Akash (Executive Director, JOAR), Nilima Munda (Executive Director, SAMMSS Ltd) and Mr. Md. Abul Hossain (Teacher, Tripani High School) were also present there and they have an important class in the session.

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At the end of February two other friends came to visit us: their names are Fiorenzo and Alberto. These two gentlemen arranged a royal accommodation in their town of Forl for Minoti and Nilima during their visit to Italy. We were very happy to see them.

Fiorenzo and Alberto

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2. Village girls meeting On the 8th of March another meeting with the village Munda girls was arranged. During that meeting Bahamoni Munda talked about the history of the International Womens Day. The purpose of celebrating that day is to remind human society that women need and want these four important things : equality-peace-social justice and solidarity. On that day famous women who gave a precious contribution to social welfare were also remembered: we remembered Begum Rokeya (Roquia Sakhawat Hussain), and Mother Theresa.

Statue of Begum Roquia in Begum Rokeya Memorial

Centre, Pairabondh, Rangpur

Begum Roquia Sakhawat Hussain (Bengali: ), (1880 December 9, 1932), popularly known as Begum Rokeya (Bengali: ), was a leading feminist writer and social worker in undivided Bengal during the early 20th century. She is most famous for her efforts on behalf of gender equality and other social issues. She established the first school aimed primarily at Muslim girls, which still exists today. She was a notable Muslim feminist; modern feminist writers such as Taslima Nasrin cite her as an influence. Begum Rokeya also wrote short stories and novels. Her important books are Sultana's Dream and Padmarag. In Bangladesh, December 9 is celebrated as Rokeya Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roquia_Sakhawat_Hussain

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3. Village girls meeting The third important event which took place around the middle of February was a meeting organized by Nilima and Sulota Munda with the students and the teachers of a high school near Sripholkati village where SAMMSS has started an afforestation project. During that meeting Nilima talked about the trees which were planted during the last rainy season and requested both students and teachers to take care of them. Sulota then talked about the importance of trees for the environment, for health and for the economy of a country. Both students and teachers promised to keep an open eye on those trees.

Nilima and Sulota at school with teachers and Fr. Luigi

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4. Health insurance Offering help and assistance to mothers members of the SAMMSS and their children in case of illness is one of the aims of our small co-operative. But we would like to get some kind of contribution from the beneficiaries. Therefore Minoti Munda has taken responsibility to inform all the members of SAMMSS about this project and to collect 20 Taka every month from those members who would like to get this kind of facility. So far 85 members from several villages have shown interest towards this kind of health insurance. The number of women interested on this matter is likely to increase.

Minoti

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5. Income generating activities So far SAMMSS has disbursed loans to about 80 members of the co-operative. These loans are supposed to be used only for productive activities. Also the girls living at the mission outstation (Jisu Nam Ashram) have started small income generating activities. Minoti has been growing vegetables. Sunita is raising ducks and Nilima is getting eggs from her chickens.

Minoti has been growing vegetables

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Sunita is raising ducks

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Nilima is getting eggs from her chickens

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6. Lottery On the 20th of this month (March 2014 ) there will be the draw of the lottery organized by SAMMSS. One thousand tickets have been printed and almost sold out. The price of each ticket is 10 Taka. The purpose of the lottery is to collect local money to increase the fund for the health insurance. The income of the lottery is supposed to be around 10.000 Taka (100 Euro). Expenditures will be 500 Taka only (5 Euro): the cost of printed tickets. There will be 4 prizes: a black and white TV to be run by solar electricity, a digital camera, a solar lantern and a solar cap (the solar cap was a gift from Dino Kaka, the secretary of Munda TV and a sincere and very efficient friend of the tribal Mundas of the Sunderban Forest).

Solar cap with fan, and ticket