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Society
Apa's Survival Mantra
A Profile of Angela Gomes from
Bangladesh
 Angela
Gomes is a symbol of strength and fortitude for the lakhs of Bangladeshi
women whose lives she had touched. Born on July 16, 1952 in Gazipur,
Bangladesh, Angela was the seventh of four brothers and five sisters.
Resisting her parents' attempts to marry her off early, Gomes managed to
get herself a decent education. She won a scholarship to a mission
school run by the Sisters of Charity in Jessore. At the Sacred Heart
School, Angela was deeply impressed by Father Ceci, a Xaverian priest
who was working with the people in the slums of Jessore.
It was in this phase of her life that she began resenting the secondary
role that women in Bangladesh were relegated to. "At the age of 13, when
I was studying with the nuns, I clearly saw the inequality between the
sexes, especially among the poor. I hated the fact that women were
abused and humiliated and wanted to do something for them - particularly
widows, divorcees and single women," she recalls.
In 1975 - after she had completed her bachelor's degree in economics,
history and geography - Angela finally began her work in the villages.
At one point, an indictment was drawn up against Angela, accusing her of
being a bad influence on the community. Although she fought the charges
successfully, she decided to take up the magistrate's advice that she
would be better equipped to deal with such attacks if she set up an
organization, instead of working alone.
In 1981,
therefore, she set up Banchte Shekha ('learning to survive') in a
small way. She recalls her early years: "The women didn't trust me at
first because I was a Christian. They thought I wanted to convert them.
Some women thought it was bad luck to look at my face because I had no
children. I would try to talk to them about their problems and they
would say 'Where is the problem?' They had all kinds of problems, but
only I was aware of them."
Angela did what she could to dispel these doubts. She changed her name
to Anju, invented a husband (who she said had gone abroad to study) and
finally invented two children (who she said were "back in the village").
She also studied the Koran and comported herself in proper Muslim
fashion. With no resources or staff strength to support her, Angela
visited these villages alone and largely on foot. That wasn't easy. Nor
was gaining the trust of the villagers or resisting the vindictiveness
of local leaders.
One example of such opposition is the time when Gomes set up a
sericulture program. Angela, with many other women, spent 22 days
planting mulberry bushes on both sides of a railway track near Jessore.
But some men, who did not like the idea of women organizing themselves,
destroyed all the plants they had so painstakingly sowed. She was also
accused of trying to convert Muslim women to Christianity, and of
packing her organization with Christians - a charge she firmly refutes,
with evidence that there are very few Christians in her organization. In
yet another instance of sheer perverseness, some persons falsely
claiming to be part of her organization, filed a case alleging financial
irregularities within Banchte Shekha. However, a donor-instituted
special audit put paid to those allegations, when it certified that
Banchte Shekha is "an excellent and well-run organization".
The odds have been heavy. However, with patience and single-minded
devotion to her cause, Angela has made a significant difference to the
lives of lakhs of women in the country. Angela spoke to the women about
the problems they faced as women. "Eventually," she says, "they were
able to see the thread connecting food, work, education and rights."
Today, Angela
is affectionately known as 'Boro Apa' (eldest sister). And
Banchte Shekha operates from a 1.5-hectare training complex in Jessore,
which accommodates 200 live-in trainees and also serves as a shelter for
women. Over 25,000 women in 750 village-based organizations are active
members. Angela estimates that over 2 lakh people benefit indirectly
from Banchte Shekha's comprehensive interventions in village life.
Banchte Shekha also has a range of income generation schemes - including
sustainable agriculture, poultry and livestock farming, handicrafts,
sericulture and pisciculture. The organization also has programs on
reproductive health, primary health care, water and sanitation, health
education, nutritional support, natural disaster relief, basic needs
(food, clothing, medicines) relief, a women and child development
program, and a hygiene program.
Also crucial is the work they do on social and human rights development
and good governance. Angela has instituted programs on social rights
education, which talk about gender issues, democratic and legal rights,
women and child trafficking, and culture. Banchte Shekha also has a
legal aid cell that helps women who are in need of legal counselling or
support. This is the only legal aid cell in the country to be run
entirely by women. The fact that the organization and its members are
aware of the law and their rights has also helped many women negotiate
their own space in their homes. Over 350 village women have been trained
to be paralegal consultants so far.
For Angela, the success of her efforts was recognition enough. In 1999,
when she received the Magsaysay Award, it was a confirmation of all that
she believed in. The Ramon Magsaysay Award citation reads: "The board of
trustees recognizes her helping rural Bangladeshi women assert their
rights to better livelihoods and to gender equality, under the law and
in everyday life."
On a personal front, though, Angela has been going through a difficult
time. She has been fighting ovarian cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.
After the prolonged treatment, she is in a somewhat improved condition
now. Although this has slowed her down somewhat, Angela continues to be
actively involved in the running of the organization, in visiting the
villages and in talking to women about their problems. She makes light
of her own problems: "Oh, when I go to heaven, God won't want me. In
heaven there is no work. I will say, 'God, what is there for me to do up
here? There is no work for me. All the people are happy.' So God will
smile and send me back here, because God knows that I have work to do."
April 9, 2006
(This profile is part of
Women's Feature Service's collaboration with Sangat on the South Asia
chapter of the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize Project.)
By arrangement with
Women's Feature Service
and Sangat
Image courtesy:
southasianmedia.net
The Week of April 9, 2006
United States Congress at Critical Crossroads
with India Dr. Subhash Kapila
Nuclear
Deal Hurdles : It's The Politics, Stupid! by Rajinder Puri
Bangladesh's Foreign Policy Approaches to India
by Dr. Subhash Kapila
US Market Horizon and Gathering Storm Clouds by
Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Indian Federalism in Troubled Waters by
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Jail Di Galli Vich No
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Caste Wars II by Usha Kakkar
Democracy Dying by J. Ajithkumar
The Zero That Was India by Kamesh
Ramakrishna Aiyer
Answer to Puzzlement
About Zero by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Of Spices and Magical Realism by Rajgopal
Nidamboor
Post Colonial India and its Architecture -
III by Ashish Nangia
Ancient Mangroves in the Womb of the Present
by V.K. Joshi
Celebrating Culture by Neha Girotra
Sharing and Young Children by Garima Gupta
The Poetry in the Moors by Dr. Amitabh
Mitra
Ain't No Cure For Love by Vinay Chandran
The 'Feminization' of Menswear by MH Ahsan
Liberating the Nuns by Mehru Jaffer
Smart Streets, Shattered Lives by Nitin Jugran
Bahuguna
Keeping India's Hands Clean by Kaushiki Rao
Power Trip : Bollywood Masala by MH Ahsan
New Generation Sisterhood by Neena Bhandari
Apa's Survival Mantra : A Profile of Angela Gomes
Router : An Introduction by Ruchi
Gupta
Lakhnawi Itar by Rajsaran Varma
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