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  • Organizing Small Retail Workers in Bengaluru

    Organizing Small Retail Workers in Bengaluru

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)  Here are some pictures of the work of ACORN India and organizer Suresh Kadashan in organizing retial workers in Bengaluru who have to fight against displacement of vendor space and for union recognition.

    Organizing on the city buses . . .

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    Market plans being discussed with Suresh and the K. R. Puram Santhe Maidane Market Association Secretary

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    Farmers’ Market

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    Some of the street vendors with organizer Suresh Kadashan.

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    The third-generation president of the K. R. Puram Santhe Maidane Market Association working with ACORN talks of the next action that is slated to protest displacement and developer plans as a rally where at the end they give blood and donate their eyes to charity, since, yes, the city is taking their very lifeblood and future vision away.

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    Suresh & the Streetvendor President’s Wife

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    Member selling coconuts.

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    Spices from our traders.

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    Goat and her kid frolicking in the streets.

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    Four kinds of chilli.

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    Puja Spices

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    Trading spices with four kinds of vermillion.

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  • ACORN India and Dharavi Kids Featured in Times of India

    Dharavi Kids Create New Sound of Music 

    PUNE: Come Sunday, and Puneites will get a chance to see the performance of a group of children from ‘Dharavi Rocks’, which creates music out of waste material. The uniqueness of the music lies in the instruments used, which are all from recycled plastic, buckets, tin covers, soft cans, water drums, etc. 

    The children, in the age-group of 10 to 17 years, will belt out rap songs and Bollywood numbers. The programme is organised by eCoexist as part of the ‘Beauty of recycling’ event at Fab India Jehangir at 6 pm. 

    The children live and work in Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia and the hub of most of the recycling activities in Mumbai. Some of them are working as ragpickers, while a few go to school and some are school dropouts. They had the opportunity to perform with well known artistes like Shankar Mahadevan, Sunita Rao and other international ones, and with Indian rock band Agnee and Something Relevant, a jam band. 

    Sunday’s programme will be hosted by Taal Inc, a drumming group here. 

    Dharavi Rocks is part of the Dharavi project, an initiative of NGO ACORN Foundation (India). The project works for the rag pickers’ rights. Utilizing artists and social impact programmes, it tries to change the living conditions of rag pickers who are segregating waste in and around the landfills of Mumbai. 

    The foundation has tied up with Blue Frog, an entertainment venue and music club, to bring music in these children’s lives. 

    Vinod Shetty, director of the ACORN Foundation (India) and an advocate by profession, told TOI: “These kids have no formal training. They are aided by musicians Abhijeet and Ayush, who come on a weekly basis to train and guide them. They concentrate on percussion instruments that are traditional and use old water drums, covers of monitors, bottles, plastic waste, among others, to create a rhythm. The shaker is made out of soft drink cans, filled with soil, and the mouth is taped for creating effective music. And the percussion instrument is made from plastic water drums. Thus, they create music from the waste that is available in plenty in Dharavi.” 

    “The performance is for the cause of recycling and to draw the public’s attention towards rag pickers. This will be their first performance in Pune,” Shetty added. 

    “Nearly 40% of those working in the waste business are children and women. We realised that just providing education will not work. Many kids joined us for a few days and left. So, the foundation opted for multimedia syllabus and conducts workshops where young children can get some kind of informal education,” he said. 

    According to Shetty, these children have tremendous self-esteem and confidence. “Most of their families are working in Dharavi as rag pickers or in recycle industries. We want these children to get jobs in offices with the help of our volunteers so that they do not have to face any occupational hazards,” Shetty said.

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Dharavi-kids-create-new-sound-of-music/articleshow/13981238.cms

  • Health Camp and Building Informal Workers Union

    Health Camp and Building Informal Workers Union

    Bengaluru (Bangalore):  As a way to reach informal workers we are organizing into a union, ACORN organizer Suresh Kadashan set up a “health camp” in the construction workers squatting settlement on disputed land between a private holder and the railway. A doctor volunteered and provided health screenings for diabetes, heart, and blood pressure and then out of his pocket provided some simple medicines, the diabetes strips, and referrals if needed to area hospitals. Over 4 or 5 hours we provided 99 screenings without the doctor and his equally volunteering nurse taking a break.  37 of the 99 tested positive for diabetes across all age groups, which was startling. The culprit seems to be diet and the fact that most the cooking oils are not refined making them amazingly dangerous.

     

    Settlement where workers live is more strongly built by the informal construction workers we organize. 

     

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    Pitching the tent for the health camp depends on helpers both tall and small. 

     

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    Doctor and nurse set up as Suresh Kadashan lends a hand with checking for ear mites. 

     

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    Screenings begin . . . 

     

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    Crowds growing . . .

     
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    The men await their turn last.

     
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    Medications are issued.

     

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  • Akshardham Temple & Metro Site

    Akshardham Temple & Metro Site

    Across the flyover or expressway from our oldest site and part of the ITO slum dislocation, is Akshardham Temple and Metro Site #4.  This homeless shelter managed by ACORN India is at the juncture of the Akshardham Metro stop, the railway line (on whose property it is located), a city water station and washing station for the poor, and an easy parking and resting place for auto rickshaw drivers. ACORN India’s 4 centers are among about 85 that are supported by the Urban Board of the Delhi Government.

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    Pictures of the railroad, the organizing staff with Dharmendra and Wade, the Temple and the Metro.

     

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  • ITO Slum and Commonwealth Games Housing

    ITO Slum and Commonwealth Games Housing

    Oldest shelter operated by ACORN India and a year ago we were operating it only for the winter in tents for some of our rickshaw drivers and other workers.

    Now, like the rest, there is hard siding, solar panels, better restroom facilities etc. We participated in an action today for better electric capacity since the panels hardly power one fan.

    The workers come in at the end of their labor, usually around 11 pm and are up and out right after dawn. In the mornings we read the paper out loud.

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  • Delhi Projects

    Delhi Projects

    Delhi Projects, a permanent shelter managed by ACORN India at Delhi Gate, near Old Delhi & Red Fort.  Capacity 100 people. It was a former matrimonial center.

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  • Azmeri Gate

    Azmeri Gate

    ACORN India homeless shelter called Azmeri Gate.  This Shelter is located not a kilometer from the Delhi Civic Center which is the city hall in central Delhi.  Holds 50 men as a night shelter.  The book they are holding is the registration book required of all every day. We also sign up members in the shelters among our informal workers.

     

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  • Greetings from ACORN Italy on 1 Year Anniversary

    Greetings from ACORN Italy on 1 Year Anniversary

     

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    Associated Dearest, dearest associated

    Article 3 completes 1 year!

    On June 7, 2011 came into force on Leg 23 and Article 3 therein and paragraphs 8 & 9, which gave ‘the’ to our national campaign against rents in black.
    After a summer training and official launch on Sept. 12, we recorded and taken assistire many people throughout Italy, from Turin to Bari, from Palermo to Bolzano from Naples to Florence to Rome to dozens of other centers, medium, small and very small.

    This newsletter is our brief to celebrate the first birthday of this great revolution in small-and thank you for your confidence and of course we do together, remembering also that our homes are part of a house and cause even bigger, and battles always different and always new, but under one big roof of ACORN International.

    Every month, each week you are always more than the previous, and this fills us with joy, than to give us strength, and we thank you from my heart. By now even the top institutions and the media more relevant as the first national channel RAI 1 and one of the largest national news agency Adnkronos dealing with us (http://acorninternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=57&Itemid = 33) and it certainly shows no signs of slow, quite the contrary.

    All this is proof that the battle is just and the revolution is great.
    How to love again, until you will not be alone with us, in any way.

    This is it, and it is so we do not want ‘bother’ in addition to this tour but give you a group hug loud and clear.
    And stay tuned on the website and facebook and spread the word: you are our greatest strength.
    thanks again & always in

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    ACORN Italy

    www.acornitaly.org
    www.facebook.com / acornitaly
    Skype: acornitaly

    Square of the Salesian University, 77
    00139 – Rome

    Carissima associata, carissimo associato

    l’articolo 3 compie 1 anno!

    Il 7 giugno 2011 entrava in vigore il D.lgs 23 e in esso l’articolo 3 e i commi 8 & 9 che hanno dato il ‘la’ alla nostra campagna nazionale contro gli affitti in nero.
    Dopo una preparazione estiva e dal lancio ufficiale il 12 settembre scorso, abbiamo registrato e preso ad assistire tantissime persone in tutta Italia, da Torino a Bari, da Palermo a Bolzano, da Napoli a Firenze a Roma a dozzine di altri centri medi, piccoli e piccolissimi.

    Questa nostra breve newsletter è per celebrare il primo compleanno di questa piccola-enorme rivoluzione e ringraziarvi della fiducia accordataci e del percorso che facciamo assieme, ricordandovi altresì che le nostre case fan parte di una casa e di una causa ancora più grandi, e di battaglie sempre diverse e sempre nuove ma sotto l’unico grande tetto di ACORN International.

    Ogni mese, ogni singola settimana siete sempre più della precedente, e questo ci riempie di gioia, oltre a darci forza,e di questo vi ringraziamo dal profondo del cuore. Ormai anche le massime istituzioni e i media più rilevanti come il primo canale nazionale Rai 1 e una delle maggiori agenzia stampa nazionali Adnkronos si occupano di noi ( http://acorninternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=57&Itemid=33 ) e la cosa non accenna certo a frenare, anzi, al contrario.

    Tutto questo è la dimostrazione che la battaglia è giusta e la rivoluzione è grande.
    Come amiamo ripetere, finchè sarete con noi non sarete soli, in alcun senso.

    Questo è quanto, ed è tanto: non vogliamo ‘disturbarvi’ oltre a questo giro ma darvi un abbraccio collettivo forte e chiaro.
    E continuate a seguirci sul sito e su facebook e a diffondere la voce: siete la nostra più grande forza.

    grazie ancora & a sempre

    —
    ACORN Italy

    www.acornitaly.org
    www.facebook.com/acornitaly
    Skype: acornitaly

    Piazza dell’Ateneo Salesiano, 77
    00139 – Roma

  • Adnkronos, 4/6/2012

    Lazio

    Roma: Acorn Italy su casa devastata a Fiano, inquilino protestava per affitto in nero

     

    6/2012

    Roma, 4 giu. (Adnkronos) – “L’aggressione a Emil M.”, vittima di un agguato a colpi di motosega e spranga di ferro, da parte di padre e figlio romeni proprietari dell’immobile in via Fermi, a Fiano romano, in cui l’uomo abita “non deriva da dissidi tra proprietari, i quali hanno compiuto di comune accordo l’assalto, bensi’ dalla volonta’ di legalita’ dell’inquilino”. E’ quanto sostiene in una nota Acorn Italy, associazione per i diritti dell’abitare che tutela e rappresenta Emil M., il quale, spiega l’associazione “si era rivolto a noi per regolarizzare la propria situazione di affitto in nero, grazie al D.lgs 23 del 2011 che prevede questa rivoluzionaria possibilita’ e che Acorn Italy applica a chi e’ stanco di versare nell’illegalita’ e senza slcun diritto, ottenendo peraltro una forte riduzione del canone di locazione per legge”.

    “Una legge – sottolinea l’associazione – che qualche padrone di casa evasore disonesto e in questo caso eversivo violento, non vorrebbe rispettare, e che invece avra’ un processo per direttissima. Per Emil invece, e per tutti quelli che si vogliono come lui mettere in regola, la nostra tutela e un contratto di affitto regolare e con canone ribassato dell’80%”.

    http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/1031318/Roma-Acorn-Italy-su-casa-devastata-a-Fiano-inquilino-protestava-per-affitto-in-nero.html

  • Dharavi Rocks on MTV

    Check out these videos of ACORN India’s Dharavi Rocks project on MTV! 

    They are called Sound Trippin.

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    Scrap Rap

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    Dharavi Promo

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