Satinath Sarangi, managing trustee of Sambhavna Trust

There are many different ways that large multinational corporations affect local communities in developing countries- environmentally, physically and psychologically (Labunska et al, 1999; Mitchell, 1996). Yet it is only when this global industrialization results in a catastrophic event where people’s lives and health are at risk that the world’s media and legal systems pay attention. However, such attention is often short-lived and lacks any depth of study to monitor the lasting effects on people and communities. Such is often the story with industrial accidents in the developing world- countries with lower safety measures and a greater economic need to win over a large profitable contract are both more likely to harbor an industrial accident (Mitchell, 1996) and less likely to be able to appropriately manage and deal with one. At Sambhavna Trust in Bhopal, I am looking at issues of social justice and health promotion in the context of developing countries affected by industrial accidents, and in particular, the legacy of the industrial accident in Bhopal. I am looking for a definition of social justice that looks to the future, one that aims for a just reaction and response to industrial accidents. The industrial accident in Bhopal, India and its repercussions has been termed ‘the world’s worst industrial disaster’ (Hanna et al, 2005, p.6) and provides a great starting point to explore such a definition of social justice.

Five past midnight in Bhopal
At five past midnight on 3^rd December 1984 a pesticide plant in Bhopal owned by the American company Union Carbide leaked 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas (MIC) into the surrounding environment (Broughton, 2005; Hanna et al, 2005; Mitchell, 1996). MIC is highly toxic and can be fatal. Short term effects on people’s health include burning in the respiratory tract and eyes, blepharospasm, breathlessness, stomach pains and vomiting. These acute symptoms can lead to death by choking, reflexogenic circulatory collapse and pulmonary pedema, as well as damaging the kidneys, liver and reproductive organs (Sriramachari, 2004). Through the night of 3^rd December 1984 thousands of people died- the official number remains unknown; the Government of India declares the death toll to be at least 3800 (Broughton, 2005), while other estimations by independent organizations, NGOs and the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) vary between 10,000 and 30,000 (ICJB, 2010; Eckerman, 2005). A further 100,000- 150,000 people are estimated to have permanent injuries as a result of the MIC exposure and the stillbirth rate in those affected increased by up to 300% (Eckerman, 2005). The overwhelming majority of those affected were living in bastis (local term for temporary, substandard accommodation communes) surrounding the factory, where birth records were rare and number of inhabitants unknown. Mass cremations and burials began the day after the accident. There are varying reports on the specific causes of the gas leak though it is clear that poor maintenance of the plant since it ceased production months earlier, led to the magnitude of the problem; several key safety systems were switched off under Union Carbide Corporation’s instruction, including the MIC tank refrigeration system, in order to save money (Eckerman, 2005; ICJB, 2010; Hanna et al, 2005).

The Union Carbide Factory now

Ongoing Effects
The deserted Union Carbide factory still stands, unvisited except for the occasional journalist or trespassing children since the accident. The site of the disaster was never cleared or cleaned of its toxic waste. The factory continues to omit toxic, poisonous gases from the many abandoned sheds, storerooms and solar evaporation ponds holding up to 27 tons of MIC and other gases (ICJB, 2010; Hanna et al, 2005). These chemicals have leaked into the soil, contamination the groundwater source for approximately 25,000 Bhopalis who live nearby (Bhopal Medical Appeal, 2010; ICJB, 2010). A Greenpeace study found chloroform, lead, mercury and a series of other chemicals in the breast milk of mothers living in proximity to the factory (Labunska et al, 1999). The factory and the chemicals within continue to cause death, breathing difficulties, damaged eyesight, reproductive complications, growth stunting, accelerated cancers and a range of other ailments and malformations for survivors and their children (Hanna et al, 2005).

Patients waiting for their treatment at the Clinic.

Differently abled boy who receives therapy at Chingari Trust

Union Carbide’s response
Since December 1984 Union Carbide has consistently refused to identify the chemical agents that caused the accident for legal liability reasons- making effective treatment for survivors difficult (Bhopal Medical Appeal, 2010). In addition, the corporation has still not confirmed what was in the toxic cloud in December 1984 (Dhara & Dhara, 2002). There is a chance that the cloud also contained HCN (hydrogen cyanide- a more deadly gas formed when MIC reached 200 degrees Celsius) so patients were originally administered with sodium thiosulfate- a known therapy for cyanide poisoning but not for MIC exposure. Despite patients responding well to the sodium thiosulfate, Union Carbide withdrew an initial statement recommending its use when they realized the extra legal implications of cyanide poisoning (Mangla, 1989; Varma, 1989; Anderson, 1989; Dhara and Dhara, 2002). This is one of the many claimed ways Union Carbide attempted to manipulate, disguise and withhold scientific data to the disadvantage of victims (Broughton, 2005). To date no comprehensive scientific research has been funded or carried out into effective treatment for those affected by the accident in Bhopal (ICJB, 2010).

The lab at the factory, abandoned

The American chairman of Union Carbide in 1984, Warren Anderson was arrested for culpable homicide just days after the disaster but paid USD 2000 in bail then fled India and has yet to return. Warren Anderson, along with other Union Carbide workers from the American contingent, continues to escape criminal charges. Major questions regarding safety, negligence, causes and clean up remain unanswered by those responsible.

The Indian Government declared itself the sole representative and legal spokesperson for the Bhopal ‘victims’ in an Act passed in 1985 (Broughton, 2005; Hanna et al, 2005). Union Carbide successfully brought the case to Indian courts, and after a five year legal battle made an out-of-court settlement payment to the government of USD 470 million (Broughton, 2005). Compensation channels were rife with corruption and incorrect data. Survivors facing chronic illnesses due to the gas leak received a maximum of USD 500 as compensation, if they were granted anything at all, which in most cases was not enough to cover the medical costs alone (Sarangi, 1995; ICJB, 2010). Outstanding criminal charges against Union Carbide and Warren Anderson regarding cleanup of the factory have ben brought to New York but never come to fruition. In February 2001, Dow Chemicals merged with Union Carbide forming the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world. Dow Chemicals (the name retained) claims not to accept any responsibility for a factory it never owned (despite paying liabilities for previous Union Carbide cases based in Texas, America) (ICJB, 2010).

Sambhavna Trust
Lying in the heart of the community of those affected by the Bhopal disaster of 1984 is the Sambhavna Trust. Just 200 meters from the abandoned union carbide factory, the Sambhavna (meaning ‘possibility’) Trust Clinic is the only facility providing free treatment to both gas and water affected persons. Since its establishment in 1996, it has provided free Western medicine, Ayurvedic and Allopathic treatments to those affected by the industrial disaster. Sambhavna also does community health outreach programs for those unable to travel to the clinic and records health data on patients to assist research studies.

Sambhavna is internationally funded by private donors and is locally managed. The clinic is also a member of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) and provides a key hub for people to obtain information and resources regarding the ongoing legal claims and their rights.

Researchers and volunteers in the library at the Clinic.

Social Justice in Bhopal
Talking to the victims of the disaster as well as the staff members, volunteers and doctors at Sambhavna, I am beginning to form a clear definition of what social justice means for the twenty five year long Union Carbide case in Bhopal and the health and wellbeing of those affected.

– Alina Pokhrel

References:

• Anderson, N. (1989) Long term effects of methyl isocyanate, in Lancet, Vol.2, Issue 8662, p. 1259
• Bhopal Medical Appeal, (2010) Online Updates and historical information. Accessed July 2013 from: http://www.bhopal.org
• Broughton, E. (2005) The Bhopal Disaster and its Aftermath: A Review, in Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 4:6, accessed July 2013 from: http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069X-4-6.pdf
• Dhara, V.R & Dhara, R. (2002) The Union Carbide Disaster in Bhopal: A review of health effects, in Archives of Environmental Health, p. 391-404.
• Eckerman, I. (2005) The Bhopal gas leak: Analyses of causes and consequences by three different models, in Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industry, Vol 18, p. 213-217
• Hanna, B; Morehouse, M & Sarangi, S. (2005) The Bhopal Reader, New York, The Apex Press
• International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB), (2010), Online updates and historical information. Accessed July 2010 from http://bhopal.net/

When I first decided to teach in India, I thought I could do a lot for the kids there: I could tell stories about the world as well as teach them classes like what my professors had lectured me in college. I believed everybody had a sense of critical-thinking and I could cultivate that by leading class discussions like what in my college classes. Also, I knew that kids were eager to learn knowledge from outside world, based on my somewhat similar volunteering experience in China. When I was teaching in a middle school in Guizhou, China, one day, I was in charge of a self-learning class in which usually kids did their homework and I read. When I took out my magazines, some kids rushed to my desk and asked to take a look. The next day, I brought some other magazines and the kids again took them away. I could tell that kids were eager to learn new knowledge and I firmly believed this worked out the same in India. Therefore, I felt I just needed to bring myself there and give them useful and interesting lectures to help them learn something. But once I went there, I found my expectation would be hard to come true because there was something I missed in my plan. The first and the most obvious part was the language gap. Before I went to India, I thought English worked as an official language there, so the kids should be able to understand most of what I said in English. However, this proved wrong at a school in a rural area. The program I was working with was the Love Volunteer program and the local NGO I was working with was Sankalp which is an India-based organization that has many projects, including educational projects in Dharamshala and Jaipur, and developmental projects in Maharashtra. What I did was teaching computer skills and English at a local elementary school in Bundla, Dharamshala, where most of the villagers could not speak much English. Most of the kids in my class aged from seven to eleven, and their English level was only limited to daily talks, like “how are you,” or “where are you from.”

Secondly, it really takes time to understand the local culture and to get along well with the kids. It is not only about loving them, buying them snacks and playing with them, but also understanding what they like or dislike, knowing the ways of their lives, and appreciating the local culture. There are so many things for us volunteers to learn from the local area and it takes much time to understand, to accept and to feel comfortable with it. For example, when I had my first day in class, all of the kids came to surround me and asked me to dance for them. I said, “What? Shouldn’t we sit nicely and I speak, you listen?” I expected to give them a good lecture but they just wanted me to dance. It was like a culture shock to me but I still did it for them. Gradually, as I stayed in India longer, I realized that dancing was one of most significant part of Indian culture. The dancing images are everywhere, from god statues to TV programs, and everyone is born a dancer; even young kids wave their bodies step by step with the music. After knowing more and more elements about Indian culture, I started to feel comfortable and then to appreciate what my kids did, although in my own culture people do not dance very much but sing a lot. Later, we had a picnic, and we danced there for hours during the lunch break. Although I was still not good at it, but I did not feel uncomfortable when my students asked me to dance in front of them anymore. After all, it takes time for one to accept new ideas from another culture. Still, though the volunteering experience was totally different from my expectation, I learned a good lesson from that. Then I further considered what role we volunteer from abroad were and what we could bring to the kids in India. There is something we cannot do, like what I expected teaching sophisticated concepts, but there is other thing we can do for them. For example, we can teach good behaviors and habits. This could be like teaching them do not litter, since some little kids believe that it is ok to throw trash anywhere. Rather than taking it for granted, we should remind them to pick it up and put in a trash can. Even though it is a small thing, we should take it seriously, and further educate them the importance of protecting the environment and keeping the public space clean.

I also suggest that those who really want to do something for the kids to apply for a longer program. One-month program is definitely not long enough. I would recommend staying there for at least three month, which could be useful in helping a foreigner to better understand the Indian culture and kids so that he can figure out the best teaching strategies. I took a one-month program, which was only a good start for me to make friends with the kids and then we waved good-bye. However, if under a longer program, on the one hand one can learn some Hindi to better communicate with the kids, staying longer results in more interaction with the kids, no matter through in class or leisure time, and better friendships. In the end, you are more likely to find out an appropriate way or approach to teach kids and help them really learn something – and you will learn a lot too!

– Xiaoyu Liu

After an entire semester abroad in Nepal centered around studying Tibetan, I was nervous to move on to another adventure in India. But somehow here I am, in the 110 degree New Delhi heat.  After my arrival, I found myself wandering the streets of Mahipalpur, South Delhi, searching for Ritinjali, the NGO I would be working with for the next 5 weeks.

Ritinjali is a small, volunteer based organization dedicated to rehabilitating young people and helping them to achieve success.  It has five learning centers in slums across New Delhi and Gurgaon, in addition to two centers catered to young adults. My curiosity peaked as I approached the office and two seemingly Tibetan boys passed me on the way. Intrigued, I continued on to the office and learned more about what the coming weeks had in store for me.  Rather serendipitously, the residential center, also known as the Second Chance School, where the office is located, which houses boys as they receive educational and vocational training to ready them for jobs, just three weeks prior received 21 Tibetan boys! Feeling confident and somewhat star-crossed, I took my work with Ritinjali with stride. Since it is the hot season, many learning centers and schools are closed as many families return to their villages to escape the unforgiving Delhi heat.  Due to this, my responsibilities in the NGO are focused on administration and marketing work, in addition to some independent research.  For starters, I have begun compiling information for their annual report. With 9 different projects in addition to special events, it took time to go through the monthly reports and gather the pertinent information to neatly compose a concise annual summary of each project.  While it was not particularly exciting work, it was definitely an important step towards learning the ins and outs of the non-profit sector.  My final product can be found here.

As for daily life in Delhi, I rent a room just opposite the Second Chance School in Mahipalpur, Mata Chowk. I eat my meals with the boys of the Second Chance School, who cook wonderful food every day! There are 21 Tibetan boys and 15 Indian boys, making my total number of current brothers a whopping 36.  The Tibetan boys are attending Pallavanjali School and are enrolled in a job ready program that is aimed at doing just that. The Indian boys have been residing longer and are all in job trainings, internships or have secured their own permanent jobs.

Some of the Tibetan boys outside Pallavanjali school in Gurgaon

My spare time has been centered around helping those Tibetan boys with less English skills with their homework, as they’re a bit behind since they don’t speak either English or Hindi well. This endeavor is both challenging and rewarding, especially since they insist on returning the favor and extending my Tibetan language learning.

I have begun going to Pallavanjali School with the Tibetan boys in the morning, which is an hour and forty minute commute involving a bus, the metro and a school bus. The commute alone is a cultural experience. Something about transportation in India never leaves me bored. The alternative to taking the first bus from Mahipalpur to the metro station, as it appears to me, is essentially just flagging down a seemingly random vehicle, offering 10 rupees per person, and then packing as many of us in as possible. I usually try to do a headcount, just for my own curiosity. The record remains at 15 of us in a tempo. Not including the driver. Me and 14 Tibetan boys. I imagine we make for quite a scene on the streets of New Delhi.

But anyway, the administration at Pallavanjali asked me to create marketing material for the PIAIP program, which the Tibetan boys are participating in. Pallavanjali is a school that was created for young people who do not function optimally in a traditional academic set up.  This could be because they are differently abled, have special needs, have never previously attended school or have more specific needs. The PIAIP program, or Pallavanjali Institute for the Actualization of Individual Potential, was created specifically for young adults to help them hone soft skills and set them up with internships to develop the hard skills that allow them to be successful in the outside world. Some of the material I created can be found here.

Didje to-fa dzindi ghee-ka: Donate blood, save a life!
Ya “Blood Donate” carne aye gha!: Come Donate blood now!
Also… Apke sahg-nam kiya-he? : What is your name?

me at the blood donor rally

The following day, I visited a local ashram/orphanage with Dove volunteers to create a skit for a street theater performance with the young children for the Dove Foundation’s World Blood Donation Day rally. For this, I learned more lines in Hindi, and felt warmed by the bright faces of the young boys.

The rally was the most exciting part of my first week. An open-backed van mounted with several large speakers pulled into our office parking lot for the rally event. We decorated the van with vinyl posters and white and red balloons on all sides. The van blasted music as it drove towards the IP Sigra mall, where it a large crowd gathered. After we performed our skit for a hundred or so pedestrians, the van drove to its second destination, the gates of Benares Hindu University, for a flash mob performance to promote World Blood Donation Day 2013. A procession of motorcycles roared along the van’s path and volunteers holding signs followed the van as it reached the destination. As the van made frequent stops to announce its campaign to the community, volunteers distributed informational pamphlets and free coupons to a local restaurant.

At the gates of the university, loud music began to play and a group of fifteen dancers gathered behind the van. The crowd circled around them, and the dance troupe broke out in a choreographed hip-hop piece. In addition to publicizing World Blood Donation Day, and passing out pamphlets, and acting in a Hindi skit at the rally, I also took pictures.

Overall, my first week at the Dove Foundation made me even more excited to be working for a group of energized creative individuals for the rest of my summer. I anticipate learning much about how non-profits function in non-western countries, in addition to understanding the conditions and issues facing the marginalized populations the Dove Foundation assists. However, I did not anticipate donating my own blood for World Blood Donation Day.

– Aliza Gans ’15

After landing at the Delhi airport and stepping foot on Indian land for the first time in three years, I had experienced a wave of heat that I had not anticipated. The final destination, Varanasi, where I had once studied before was a 12-hour train ride away and I was getting very excited to work on the computer game I planned to develop over the summer.

Everyone was telling me, “Don’t go to Varanasi, it is too hot,” or “Monsoon coming- two months is too long in Varanasi.” Especially with the heat I had experienced in Delhi, I was getting a little anxious. I had hoped for slightly better weather, as I knew the weather would have some impact on my daily energy, mood, and workflow. Now I realize, monsoon season is not so bad. After all, millions of people are living through the monsoon conditions every year, so I figured I could do the same.

Weather aside, it has been great here in Varanasi. I have been reconnecting with many friends, teachers, and families, and making new friends. At the Little Stars School, I got to work right away. However, there have been a few drawbacks which have changed the direction of my original project.

I had anticipated the internet to improve in the city since the last time I visited; it hasn’t improved at all. Electricity outages are also a common problem, and this has greatly impacted my ability to work on desktop computers in the school. Every time there is an outage (which averages three to four times a day), the computers shut off immediately. This stops any updates or installations from completing, and more importantly, it damages the file system halting functionality of many of the computers. Nevertheless, computers have been repaired, largely on my part (thanks to skills gained via LTS helpdesk at Brandeis) and a computer repair man who has made one appearance.

Due to these hurdles, it has been difficult to work on the game. The game, originally called SnappyQuiz^©, was designed as an online interactive and social quiz game to learn English. No internet meant no quiz game. I certainly could have continued to work on the game, but it would not have served the same purpose since the internet connections were so poor. It is important to know, though, that each computer in the computer lab at Little Stars School does have internet capabilities. So, the opportunity was there, and had the internet connection been reliable SnappyQuiz^© would have been a reality.

I quickly changed the game to be locally run on each computer. The new game, which produces a random word from a dictionary of 20,000 words and times how fast you can type that word, is called TypeTime^©. The rough, original, game was a great success. Three versions later, the game now saves high scores and has been widely praised at the school and at some of the homes in the surrounding community. While the game was designed exclusively for Little Stars School, people unaffiliated with the school have asked me to install the game on their personal computers, which has been flattering.

I designed the game according to what the kids at the school wanted. They said, “A typing game to learn how to type in English faster.” As it turns out, the people who found this game most difficult were the parents of some of these children who are even less educated and less familiar with computers. So, I made an “easy” and “hard” version of the game.

Despite the hard work and having made this game entirely from scratch on my own, I had so many ideas for new games. So, I began work on ABC Race^©. Following the same structure of TypeTime^©, ABC Race ^©, times how fast you can type the letters of the alphabet, randomly arranged on the screen each time. The kids at Little Stars School loved this one!

As of now, the games are installed on the working desktops on the computer lab at the school. I come periodically to make changes, updates, and show new kids how to play. The kids at the school really get into the game and try to help each other, which has been an entertaining scene to watch (video evidence available).

Other days, I help Asha, the school founder, with administrative work, which is certainly a large part of donations and the overall success of the school. This includes redesigning the school’s logo for professional use, constructing the annual report for the recent year, making answer keys for English class books (this took a lot of time), reaching out to donors and organizations via email, and assembling a short film about the school, including interviews from important figures behind the scenes at Little Stars School.

This work has already proved to be helpful to the school and rewarding for me.  Not to mention, it is always fun to interact with the kids at the school. I anticipate the remainder of my work making an equally positive impact before I leave.

As for the city of Varanasi, it feels like another home and it will be sad to leave a place where so many people have acted as a family to me here. Though, I have left before and I will probably return again. Maybe Varanasi will see some new Brandeis students in the future. I expect that I have established a welcoming environment for them.

One of the girls at little stars playing the updated version of TypeTime.

A girl from Little Stars playing ABC Race

Girls collaborating together to type words and keeping scores on the board.

After a year of hiatus, the Hariana Marginalized Community Empowerment project is successfully underway. Hariana is a city in Punjab, India and the migrants we work with are originally from Rajasthan and have been living at the outskirts of the community for years, unable to successfully integrate due to caste and migrant status. We work to empower these communities through educating them on health, nutrition, their governmental rights, environment and building their livelihoods through relevant activities.

The After School Fun Club with their masks

At our initial meeting with the Hariana community (days after my initiation) they were very excited to be working with us again and have been incredibly receptive and welcoming towards the interns and our endeavors. On Mondays we work with the children in an After School Fun Club. Our objective for this project is to build the kids grasp of English and math skills through fun learning activities. The children really love learning and are always anxious, sometimes overly, to show us what they can do. Since many of them are unable to attend school, this is the highlight of their day and certainly ours too! This past month we focused on building their math skills through dice and matching games. In addition, we had fun painting pictures of their families and making cool masks.

Next month we will continue have fun with the kids and improve their basic skills. As we are still in the trust building phase, it is a slow climb towards progress, but already some of the children can recite their ABC’s and numbers 1-15 without any of our assistance so the potential for growth is great.

On Wednesday afternoons, we work with the Young Women’s Association Self-Help group. The Self-Help group is a savings/loaning program in which the women save a specified amount weekly and can use this money towards loans paid with interest. The savings part is still underway, but we have made strides with the Young Women’s association.

Some members of the Young Women’s Association

Our primary objective is to empower them to utilize their own skills and resources to improve their livelihoods through education, communication, self-esteem building, nutrition, and sanitation. Sanitation and health issues are a large problem with the young children, so to improve these conditions I plan to implement some sanitation and nutrition workshops. After some learning experiences we found out that the women are particularly interested in learning Hindi, as interns with a vague grasp of the Hindi language we have engaged our logistics coordinator, Gulshan to teach them every other week or so. When they are not learning Hindi, we enjoy doing activities such as making friendship bracelets and learning English. As we continue to build their trust, I am eager to see what the women have to offer EduCare and what we can do for them.

This month also marks the end of Katrina’s internship. Katrina was my counterpart In the Hariana Camp and took the initiative to re-establish it before I arrived. She has been an integral part of rebuilding the project and will be missed dearly by the community and her fellow interns. For the next six weeks I will take over as the Project Manager of Hariana Marginalized Community Empowerment project – I am very excited to see our progress continue and have many activities for the Fun club and Young Women’s Association.

– Ariel Magid, MCE Project Manager

Ariel with three girls

Katrina and one of the girls

–

Read more about Ariel’s volunteer work in India at her blog: http://indiaari.wordpress.com/