Parmeena + Girls Bridge School, Mewat, Haryana, India, 2015

In time for this weekend's benefit for the girls' schools, Humana People to People India just sent this testimonial. She attends a Girls Education Centre in Mewat, Haryana… a predominantly Muslim region. This is her story, and I look forward to seeing her in less than two weeks.

Parmeena, the twelve year old daughter of Akhtar and Rahisan, lives in Ghasera village of Mewat. The belief that she has been brought up in a conservative environment was strengthened when the staff of Girls Bridge Education centre approached her parents and they flatly denied the need to educate her. However, with consistent efforts and support of other satisfied parents in the community, the staff could gradually convince them to enrol Parmeena at the Centre. She used to attend the Centre for half a day and then used to leave for her Urdu classes. It was tough with her as the teachers had to start from the scratch in every subject.

The staff started with the basics in every subject and she started catching up at a slower pace. Her parents paid regular visits to the Centre, to ensure whether she is really studying and is able to learn! It has been eleven months that she has been attending the Centre and has started doing basic arithmetic like addition/subtraction and is able to read small words in Hindi. The progress so far, has been able to convince her parents that their decision to send her to the centre was not wrong. She has also started devoting proper time to the Centre and has tweaked the timings of the Urdu classes, which is a fair indicator of her progress and the changed perception of the parents.

Website

Tumblr

Twitter

Young Student, Schools for Girls, Humana People to People India, Mewat District, Haryana, India, October 28, 2013

This is my first time in the villages of Mewat District through my photography. The children are absolutely beautiful, both boys and girls. While I have become accustomed to walking into new scenes, doing such on so many different variables is extremely exciting.

In the beginning it seemed inaccessible, but with the guidance of a few young men from the village as well as the good people of Humana People to People India, all fell into place as the first girls agreed to their portraits with extreme ease. They stepped up onto a landing in front of a closed storefront and waited for the camera to be set up. They then allowed me to photograph them in front of two or so dozen people from their own village, mostly boys and men. The courage of young girls such as this one above never ceases to amaze me, and they offer of themselves like someone placing a message into a bottle for the world to witness in the future.

Just a few hours after this was posted, a dear sister named Tracey shared her kind words:

This beautifully modest young lade sends a silent yet emphatically powerful message. She knows something the world does not yet know. Her smile and brilliant gaze gracefully and unmistakably command attention from the world to understand her clandestine message. She is strong, she is courageous, she is very intelligent. SHE and her fellow sisters of Mewat are resolute, THEY ARE THE FUTURE that brings more light into this world. Her message in the bottle has arrived and is understood.

Humana People to People India has arranged for two schools in this large village, and we can only hope that this young girl and her sisters will find their places within these schools. It's a beginning only but the collaboration holds great promise.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

Three Men, Humana People to People India, Mewat District, India, October 27, 2013

First contact with the new villages was made earlier this afternoon, and we sat down with the elders to gain permission for the photography of their girls. Quite surprisingly they were more than willing to have their portraits made and we started the collaboration on a great note.

Prior to this moment everyone told me this: the new villages promise to be most conservative, perhaps even resistant to both the projects and the photography. This is new territory in my collaboration with Humana People to People India, a predominantly Islamic population in a rural setting. However, all walls disappeared as the clumsy camera was removed from the bag and mounted onto the tripod. Curiosity displaced resistance as usual and all eyes were on this man, the one with the long beard!

Tomorrow morning we return to this village and give the girls their chance in front of the lens… the faces were just out of this world as we walked through the two villages this afternoon!

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography