Some projects we are looking at

Science/Health
Causes and prevention of disease, focussing particularly on Malaria, Cholera and Polio. Is there a child vaccination programme in West Bengal? Infant mortality. Does the government have a birth-control policy? How are older people cared for? What is the life expectancy of people in India and in this area in particular? How is the mental health of people, especially teenagers, in West Bengal? Does the pressure of the education system create unbearable stress for many Indian young people? i.e. rates of suicide and depression.

Geography/Social
The need for schools inrural India. How will the school we are building help the people of Lanchipur? How will greater education affect people here in the country-side? Tsunamis and hurricanes. What long term effects did the 2005 tsunami and last year’s hurricane have on this area? Is there now an early warning system for tsunamis? How might global warming affect this area? Types of transport.Roads and road building in West Bengal. Cattle and oxen – uses. Wild life and plants.

History/Social/General
How the past affects the present and what the future holds for India. Aspirations of Indian teenagers. Women in indian society. Family life in Indian countryside. Compare life in Kolkata and villages. With ‘progress’ will the Bengali people lose their charm? Will India become completely westernized? Will ‘progress’ harm rural village life? The day of a typical village child in rural West Bengal. Arranged marriages...are they still the norm and what benefits are there in them? How does democracy work in India? Did India benefit from English government and colonisation?

We will be reporting to you under these headings the results of our ‘on the ground’ research from rural India during the coming week. Please keep in touch and help us by asking questions or sending something you may have discovered. Be patient because the internet facility here is basic and a long way from where we work