Reenita's Wisdom

India might be one of the fastest growing economies in the world but how does an economy keep up with the rest of the world if it cannot fulfill basic human needs that are critical for economic growth? Food and population problems aside, the country faces a massive shortfall of qualified teachers at all levels of primary and secondary education.

According to the Times of India , the country face a shortage of about 800,000 primary and middle school teachers. Given India’s youthful population, the situation doesn’t look promising: 6.5% of India’s teachers retire every year; at this rate the country will be left with 350,000 primary and middle school teachers by 2011 (source: Times of India:India Faces a Drought of Teachers, July 5th 2008).

So how do we address this very serious issue? The Times of India and over sixty Indian NGOs, corporates, schools and social organizations believe that the answer lies in the hands of educated citizens. They have recently put their heads together to launch Teach India, a social initiative from the Times of India that brings together children in need of education and people who can contribute a little time towards teaching them.

Teach India has put a call out to ordinary citizens to spend two hours a week for a minimum of three months to teach underprivileged children who are willing to learn. The initiative aims to help undereducated children through a variety of programs, including basic education, support classes and even story-telling. It emphasizes easy to teach programs in which simple topics are taught to primary school children either on a one-on-one or small group basis.

Given the logistics of matching up teachers with students, the program is available only to those who can stay in India long enough to give a three month commitment. Alas, this is one of the times, when I wish I had the opportunity to go back home and put my skills to use. For more information you can visit www.teach.timesofindia.com .

A continuous increase in global population rates could have an alarming impact on climate change. Leonardo Di Caprio’s documentary The 11th Hour, tells us that “the real problem is that there are too many of us – using too many resources – too fast.” CNN news reporter Anderson Cooper, recently produced a documentary film called Planet in Peril which points out the perils of overpopulation on our planet. “Overpopulation could be people, planet problem.”

But are contraceptives the answer? Not according to Pett Corby, author of e-book, ‘How to Avoid Unplanned Pregnancy Every Time You Have Sex – WITHOUT Using Contraceptive Drugs.’ Corby is actively encouraging women to be aware of the health risks of using contraceptives, especially in the younger years. Her deliberately short book offers insight into researched natural contraceptive methods that offer women advice about avoiding unplanned pregnancies without toxic side-effects. Corby has recently launched an awareness mission on MySpace to inform women around the world about the choices they have. I blogged about on www.ecoworldly.com.

And since it is World Population Day, what better time than now to check out the trailer of The 11th Hour.

The 11th Hour

Eco Child’s Play recently ran a series of stories about women’s birth experiences. As a writer for the column I contributed. Not specifically to share my own childbirth story (I am sure everybody would be happier if I spared the details) but because it drew light on something else: the interconnected bonds between mothers and daughters. Like most incidences in my personal history, my daughter’s birth…ten years ago, was a series of episodes in dysfunctional family behavior. That it engendered another intense mother-daughter relationship in our family is something which I have only recently begun to realize.

My own mother does not visit us as often as I would like. However when she does, then my husband blatantly observes that her highly charged interaction with our daughter and myself, resembles three generations of the same woman debating with herself after a Grande size order of strong coffee. It is enough to make him reconsider his presence and exit for relief through yoga.

My story was picked up by Reuters. So I decided to post the story on my site. Check out the story on Reuters: Labor of Love, A Mother’s Work.

Style anyone? Style with eco-friendly values that is. Gone are the days when the term ‘eco-friendly’ fashion could only be equated with hippie style. Now I am not defending myself just because I am San Franciscan…. the style that is coming out of eco-friendly fashion houses these days promises to set Paris and Milan on fire.

Along with a bunch of other Green Style writers, I have been putting together a bunch of posts related to this on Feel Good Style. Here is a recent post about Eco Zen Boutique, eco-friendly shopping site offers eco chic clothing, organic cosmetics, recycled handbags, earth friendly jewelry and green gifts and goodies at competitive prices.