I must admit that things got off to a very slow start for me here in my volunteer life. It has been a bit surreal to be living and working out of a small and hot room, little contact with colleagues and very little to do.
However, finally things seem to be happening.
After moving apartment and just beginning to settle in, I was off for a three-day field visit to some of the RTI coalition partners to see the work they have been doing and talk the people who have used RTI.
RTI is the Right to Information Act, 2005. It is a law passed recently in India to give people the right to access government information. In the past, every government document was a secret and many things are still treated that way. However this new law helps people figure out what their entitlements are and why they aren't receiving them.
The Odisha RTI Coalition is a group of 24 NGO's here in Orissa (Odisha) who work with the poorer classes. Many of these people are BPL (below poverty line), Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste. Education levels tend to be very low and illiteracy is common, making it difficult for these people to complete an RTI Application Form.
I'll be posting some of the stories from RTI as the year progresses but in the meantime please enjoy some photos of the lovely folk at Raghupati Colony in Berhampur and the Tumba project community in Ganjam district, just near the border of Andhra Pradesh.
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