Shammi David, iLEAP Fellow 2008

Coorg Organization for Rural Development (CORD)

Program Coordinator

INDIA

Organization

Coorg Organization for Rural Development (CORD) emerged in 1981 as a secular and political voluntary organization. Its founders were committed to promoting effective development intervention among the deprived and marginalized sections of the population in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. The driving force behind CORD’s formation was Mr. Roy David. Mr. David has led the organization since its emergence and has worked extensively with marginalized and exploited communities as a social activist all over Karnataka. CORD's ideological base and development philosophy stems out of the group's involvement, experience and understanding of the development needs of the region. The emphasis of CORD is on the needs of those who are socially, culturally, politically, economically and environmentally disadvantaged, with a mission to enable and empower communities to participate fully in their own development.

Work, Accomplishments and Challenges

At CORD Ms. Shammi David is developing educational programs that work side by side with existing food security programs. She created a pre-primary education center and is encouraging children below 5 to attend. Completing this pre-primary education puts students squarely on the path towards continued education, a means to increase awareness of their traditions, values and cultural identity, and to develop their self-respect and creativity.

Shammi is doing similar work with Dongri Gerasia nomadic tribal children's education program. The program works with a community in Koppa, towards the southern boundary of the Mysore district, to develop educational opportunities for children in the area. In the past their most viable option has been to beg or pick waste plastics and rags and sell them to a nearby plastic recycling unit. The program is working to provide greater opportunities for formal education and has already increased parent’s awareness of the benefits of motivating children to go to school rather than to beg.

Throughout her work as an activist, Shammi has shown great concern for women. Shammi focuses on their empowerment, especially of those women closest to her, the Adivasi. The Adivasi community depends on hunting and gathering for sustenance, and is subject to the vagaries of the environment. Literacy presents a major obstacle to a true understanding of this environment, and to an understanding of the struggles future generations will face. Working with CORD for 20 years has forced Shammi to think and re-think about the Adivasi women and their children's future. Her challenge is to see that these women are provided with a more holistic education, and opportunities to empower themselves and to educate and prepare their children for the unpredictable future.

Value of iLEAP International Fellowship

Shammi’s goal is to continue developing educational programs for women and children and to raise awareness in the Adivasi community of contemporary issues and the means of addressing them. CORD has recently been concentrating on the improvement of a number of programs: The Adivasi education and livelihood program, the training and cultural identity program, the herbal medicine and sustainable and organic farming program, and the rights-based training program are all being developed at this time. The iLEAP Fellowship presents an opportunity for Shammi to fortify her knowledge of the bridges between developed and developing countries. What Shammi learns at iLEAP will be invaluable to making informed decisions about the future direction of CORD’s programs. In her own words,

“The thrust to learn is always living in me. I hope to encounter innovative ideas that will inspire the new generation to bring change in their lives, and to challenge society as a whole to live a better and more dignified life. I hope to make myself more responsible in serving marginalized communities and in promoting self determination, creativity and critical consciousness. This is the only way to help to build a society that can make living with dignity possible.”