Introduction – Tree of Hope, Honnusi Village, Koppal

A “Tree of Hope” with girl children from the Devadasi community was organized by Bandhavi-Visthar on 4 April, 2014 at Honnunsi Village, Yalaburga Taluk, Koppal District.

The programme began at 4.30 p.m. with a procession.

With beating of drums and dancing the children and the villagers gathered under a tree.

Children wrote slogans and captions about their needs and aspirations on strips of paper and hung it on the branches of the tree.

Around 250 people gathered. Children sang songs on issues like child marriage, denial of education, rape, child rights, discrimination against girl children, and their dreams for a new society.

The theatre presentation by children depicted denial of education to the girl children, child marriage and need for preventive measures.

There was a magic show on the election which highlighted the need for awareness building and mobilization of voters.

The discussion that followed highlighted the following demands in the context of the forthcoming elections:

• Implementation of the RTE act
• Protection of child rights
• Equal wages for women under NREGA
• Toilet facilities for all the houses in the village
• Pure drinking water in the village
• Address violence against women
• Toilet for girls in the school
• Water facilities in the school

The programme concluded with a song by children on their dreams and forming themselves into a tree pattern under the tree.
 

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