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Category: ACORN India
ACORN India came into existence when in March 2005 the stage was set by the work ACORN International was doing in partnership with the FDI Watch campaign in India. ACORN India FDI Watch seeks to scrutinize and challenge Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector in India. ACORN India seeks to prevent large multi-national companies like Wal-Mart from entering Indian markets unless they guarantee protection of communities they affect; ensure stability of the existing small businesses and ensure livelihoods of small traders; guarantee fair wages, just working conditions and a right to unionize to all their employees; and ensure that a significant portion of the supplies comes from the Indian markets. LEARN MORE>>>
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Protest at BJP
Bangalore ~ The vendors and farmers of the K.R.Puram market took a protest march from the market to the State BJP unit to submit a memorandum to Mr. K.S. Eashwarappa the BJP State president on the 17th of Dec. The members of Akhila Karnataka Raitharu mattu vyaparigala sangha vendors and farmers of the K.R.Puram market assembled at the market with gunny bag dress started the protest march at 9.30 AM. The march after covering the streets of K.R.Puram, took the Old madras road to reach the BJP state party office at 2.00 PM covering a distance of 30 KM. The media covered the march all along the route. Mr Vice president BJP State unit and President BJP BBMP unit received the memorandum and assured to look into the issue and get back to us with in a weeks time.
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Report from Bangalore December 2011
Weekly meetings at lingarajapuram, Mahadevapura and Ambedkar Nagar were held.
In Hebbal 6 meetings were held. The street vendors met the local Police Inspector to urge him to look in to the police constables harassing them for Haftha. The vendors got registered as Akhila Karnataka raithara mathu vyaparigala sahnga – Hebbal. The vendors also decided that they will contribute money to open a office in Hebbal. It was also decided that there will be some demonstration to urge the government to implement the National Hawkers policy.
In Yelahanka New town I had 1 meeting with the traders in yelahanka New town traders association.
Two meeting with the shivajinagar vendors was held. The vendors discussed about pressurizing the government to implement the National Hawkers policy in the state.
In K.R. Puram 8 meetings was held. On 17th Dec, the vendors took a protest march from the market to the State BJP unit to submit a memorandum to Mr. K.S. Eshwarappa the BJP State president. The vendors wore the gunny bags (bags used to packaging the vegetables and food grains for the purpose of transportation) as the dress and participated in the march. The memorandum was submitted to Mr. Nirmal Kumar Surana, Vice president BJP State unit and Subbaniah, President BJP BBMP unit received the memorandum and assured to look into the issue and get back to us with in a weeks time. The vendors walked a distance of 30 KM from the market at 9.00 Am to reach the party office at around 2.00 PM. On 18th and 19th of Dec, we had a meeting at the Local MLA’s house which the MAL had called and assured the vendors that the market will not be demolished and the commercial complex will not be built. Along with this he convened a press meet and clarified the press about the action taken in response of the protest. The thashildar along with officials of the BBMP, and other officials were present. He also assured the vendors that the facilities at the market place like toilet, drinking water will be provided. In the following meetings it was decided that the vendors will protest to get the National Hawkers policy implemented at the earliest.
I had a meeting with the farmers and the vendors in Hoskote. Here also the discussion was on putting pressure on the government to implement the National hawker’s policy.
Photos from the BJP Protest December 17th, 2011
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Volunteer: Internship Opportunities
If you want to provide community service and even better can get credit or fulfill a requirement, ACORN International would love to be the place for you! Here are a couple of programs that are breaking ground with us already – get in touch right away if you’d like to add your school to the list.
George Brown College – Toronto: “George Brown College- School of Social and Community Services- Students seeking a Diploma in the Social or Community Services fields are able to take advantage of placement opportunities with ACORN International. Students will help with research, outreach and various other aspects of campaigns that ACORN is supporting.”
York University – School of Social Work – Toronto York has approved ACORN International as a placement location for students seeking either a Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) or a Masters in Social Work (MSW) beginning the 2011-2012 school years. Students would help on outreach, communication, and research working with various immigrant communities in Toronto on the Remittance Justice Campaign.
Georgia State University School of Social Work – Atlanta A similar set of placements is being organized in a partnership between GSU in Atlanta and ACORN International on communities in Georgia.
Tufts University – EPIIC Program — Boston Beginning in 2008 we inaugurated a partnership offering opportunities for internships through the program with ACORN International as part of the global studies program at Tufts. One student spent the summer working as an organizer and research with ACORN India in Mumbai.
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Volunteer: A Sabbatical in India
Brad Rockwell is a seasoned environmental lawyer based in Austin, Texas. His firm has a sabbatical program. We were delighted when he approached ACORN International about spending two months with us in what turned out to be a great experience for him and for ACORN India in early 2011 when he spend the time in Delhi helping on everything from the India FDI Watch Campaign to the ITO communities dislocation which our Commonwealth Games Campaign had not been able to stop. -
Video: Is falling foreign investments a reason to worry
ACORN India’s FDI Watch campaign was recently featured on an hour long panel discussion on the current status of FDI inflows to India. -
Times of India: Poor advised against buying property in slums
MUMBAI: The realty market in Mumbai’s slums might be growing but it does not necessarily leave the city’s poor and marginalized better off. Activists and advocates say buying slum tenements is a risky proposition because of a host of reasons.
“A slumdweller who has documents to prove that he has been living on the premises since 1995 is entitled for protection under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority scheme. He can get a flat when the slum is redeveloped. But if he sells the flat to someone else, the sale has no legal validity and the new occupant is not entitled to resettlement,” says Shakil Ahmad, a lawyer and human rights activist who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and continues to live there.
Even when it comes to procuring the necessary documents for resettlement, the authorities play a cruel game with slumdwellers. A month ago, the civic body razed rows of hutments along the Dharavi pipeline even though the move went against a state ruling that prohibits slum demolitions during the monsoon. Many of those rendered homeless were found ineligible for resettlement since they did not have the required documents. And yet all of them had voted in the last election.
“It’s ironic that the same people who are not entitled for a home are eligible for a voter ID card,” says Vinod Shetty, an advocate who has worked extensively with Dharavi residents. Shetty adds that it is extremely difficult for slumdwellers to get the right documents for rehabilitation without bribing civic officials.
Since buying property in Mumbai’s slums is such a risky proposition, which brings along with it the constant spectre of demolitions, many slumdwellers are heading to distant suburbs such as Virar and Nalasopara in search of a home.
The flipside of staying so far away, of course, is the long commute to one’s place of employment. But not everyone chooses to continue with his or her earlier employment in Mumbai.
“When it comes to domestic workers or hawkers, their place of work is often fluid, and they find jobs at their new location. The problem is that, much like the middle class, those living in slums for decades build strong community networks, which are shattered when they are forced to relocate to the distant suburbs. Their regular lives and schedules too are disrupted. For instance, women who have worked out an arrangement for getting water in one area may find it difficult to do so all over again in a new location,” says a researcher who recently contributed to a book on Dharavi.
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Nuevo Informe
Buenos Aires, 02 de mayo de 2011
Informe Abril ACORN Argentina
Responsable: Yadira Micolta Victoria
El mes de abril fue de mucha bendición y éxito para Acorn-Argentina. El grupo de personas con la que estamos trabajando se ha ido consolidando cada día más y no solo eso sino que algunas mujeres de la comunidad que no estaban muy interesadas ahora son un miembro importante del grupo.
Por otro lado tuvimos la oportunidad de asistir a la 3 Feria de ONGs en Buenos Aires. Allí conocimos a muchas organizaciones que trabajan ayudando a la comunidad e hicimos lazos con ONGs que puedan beneficiar a los miembros de Acorn-Argentina. Uno de ellos fue el hecho de conocer al Club de Cine infantil La Linterna Mágica de Buenos Aires, quienes les dan la oportunidad a niños de escasos recursos de poder ver cine educativo. La Linterna Mágica de Buenos Aires le ha dado la oportunidad a 20 niños hijos de los miembros de Acorn-Argentina de asistir gratuitamente a ver las funciones todo el año, para nosotros es una alegría muy grande ya que sería la primera vez que estos niños pueden asistir al cine.
Por otro lado estamos haciendo contacto con la Organización Árboles Sin Frontera con quienes podríamos llegar a un acuerdo para iniciar una huerta que beneficie a los miembros de la comunidad.
Otro logro importante es el inicio de las clases de Inglés, Emma, una voluntaria de Estados Unidos dio la primera clase, deseamos la próxima semana continuar con ellas. Solo que el mal clima no nos ha permitido hacerlas con regularidad. También es importante contar la labor de Ali Schwach y su compañero Jessi, dos chicos de Estados Unidos que nos acompañaron un sábado en el Club Acorn.
Por último cabe resaltar el esfuerzo de nuestros miembros Mónica, Verónica, María, Alberto, Dennis y demás que han ayudado a iniciar la construcción del Centro cultural. Con mucho esfuerzo lo hemos iniciado, pero con la fe de que lo ¡Lograremos!, al hacerlo no solo conseguiremos más miembros para la organización sino que también alegraremos el corazón de los niños y jóvenes del Barrio Dorrego en Gonzalez Catán – La Matanza.
Este mes seguiremos trabajando en la construcción, e iremos a escuelas en donde contaremos un poco sobre el eco-ladrillo para iniciar con ellos la campaña e involucrar a estos chicos y a sus padres en la organización. Haremos algunos proyectos para pedir donaciones a las diferentes embajadas y trataremos de hacer muchos lazos con otras organizaciones.
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New Report from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, May 2nd, 2011
Report: April- ACORN Argentina
Person in Charge: Yadira Micolta Victoria
The month of April was very successful for ACORN Argentina. The group of people we have been working with has strengthened day by day, and even some women of the community that were not very interested at first are now an important part of the group.
We had the opportunity to attend the 3rd meeting of NGOs in Buenos Aires. There, we met many organizations that work with the community and we built ties with NGOs that can benefit ACORN Argentina members. One of these NGOs is Club de Cine infantil La Linterna Mágica de Buenos Aires, who give children from low income families the opportunity to watch educational films. La Linterna Magica has offered the chance for 20 children of ACORN Argentina members to attend their films all year long; this is a great joy for us as it would be the first time for these children to ever go to the cinema.
We have also got in touch with Organización Árboles Sin Frontera, with which we might be able to set a community garden that would benefit the members of the community.
Another important achievement has been the beginning of the English workshop. Emma, a volunteer from the United States taught the first class. The bad weather, however, has not allowed us to carry the classes regularly. Ali Schwach and Jessi, both from the United States, helped out with Club ACORN as well.
Finally, our members Mónica, Verónica, María, Alberto, Dennis and some others have helped in the building of our Centro Cultural. With lots of effort we have started it with the hope that we will make it. We believe we won’t only get more people to sign up and become members of the organization but we will also give joy to the children and youth of Barrio Dorrego en Gonzalez Catán, La Matanza.
This month we will continue building, and we will go to schools where we will talk about the ‘eco-ladrillo’ project so as to engage more children and their parents. We wish to do fundraising among various embassies, and we will try to keep on making ties with other organizations.
English