The Investment in Women – How Yunus’s Grameen Bank Contributed to Eradication of Poverty by Empowering Poor Women.

“The process of breaking down fear was always my greatest challenge and it was made easier by the careful work and gentle voices of my female workers.”― Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

The epidemic of poverty is wreaking havoc across women in different parts of the world. Data are showing a stark discrimination between women and men in terms of earnings and financial autonomy: more women than men work in vulnerable employment with low or no cash returns, and they spend more of their time on unpaid domestic tasks. Proportions of married women aging from 15 to 49 who were employed and earning cash income were significantly of much lower proportions than their married male counterparts. Gender inequality is also skewed in favor of men when talking about the rights of land ownerships and inheritance of properties. 

Mohamed Yunus, the Bangladeshi economist, proposed a revolutionary approach to empower the poor called “microfinance” or “microcredit” offered through the first bank for poor, Grameen Bank. Instead of borrowing money from loan sharks with unjust interests, Yunus offered the poor people, mainly women, small increments of money with much improved payment conditions. The microcredits contributed significantly in helping the poor people to overcome their debts and raise their quality of life. Repayment rates were very high thanks to the “solidarity groups”, where loans were given to people in groups to be self-encouraged to pay their debts collectively to Yunus so as to receive further support. Yunus described the first impressions from his peers upon the commencement of his project “I went to the bank and proposed that they lend money to the poor people. The bankers almost fell over”

Katherine Esty in her book “Twenty-Seven Dollars and a Dream How Muhammad Yunus Changed the World and What It Cost Him” has identified the causes that made women a very profitable choice for Yusuf to rely on: women always make better use of small loans than men as they focus their spending in ways that help to support their families over time not on luxury. Women abided by repayment schedules in a better way than men and thus were candidates to more flexible repayment facilitations when they faced financial hardships. Women also represented an untapped treasure of labor force that could be exploited for achieving sustainable profits. The financial empowerment of poor women was Yunus’s tenet in his economical revolution in Bangladesh. He believed that it is unfair that only rich men can borrow money from conventional banks while letting the population of poor to perish without their basic needs. Women who achieved savings adopted better lifestyles and this may be attributed to their compliance with the “Sixteen Decisions”. These decisions embraced by Yunus and Grameen Bank prompted the people to send their children in schools, keep a smaller family size, behave honestly with each other and maintain a clean environment. As a result, almost all Grameen borrowers have their school-age children enrolled in regular classes, “When a destitute mother starts earning an income, her dreams of success invariably center around her children. A woman's second priority is the household. She wants to buy utensils, build a stronger roof, or find a bed for herself and her family. A man has an entirely different set of priorities. When a destitute father earns extra income, he focuses more attention on himself. Thus money entering a household through a woman brings more benefits to the family as a whole.” said Yunus.

Grameen Bank has achieved outstanding figures, since The Grameen Bank Project was transformed into a formal bank in 1983; US$11.35 billion has been distributed to poor individuals without the need for them to provide collateral. The Bank now has approximately 8.35 million borrowers, 96% of which are women. The Bank claims that approximately 65% of their borrowers have clearly improved their socio-economic conditions and lifted themselves out of poverty. Yunus and Grameen Bank were awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their work in fighting poverty and empowering women in Bangladesh and many followed in their footsteps in different parts of the world. The philosophy that Yunus adopted was replicated by others and showed promising results, “To me, the poor are like Bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a six-inch deep flower pot, you get a perfect replica of the tallest tree, but it is only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted; only the soil-base you provided was inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong with their seeds. Only society never gave them a base to grow on.” said Yunus.

The Bangladeshi Government is trying to seize control over Grameen Bank, thus threatening the sustainability of the project that serves millions of poor women and their families. Yunus was forcefully ousted from his position as a manager for Grameen Bank, and that move was condemned by different bodies all over the world, “I feel extremely sorry that the nation has to go through the unnecessary traumatic experience of seeing a great global iconic institution, created by this nation, be brutally harmed by a group of irresponsible and thoughtless people,” said Yunus.

It is our mission to support what Yunus strived for in the past three decades. The Bank for Poor must continue serving the poor women and developing their lives. The public opinion will be the shield that protects Grameen Bank from the corruption of the Bangladeshi Government. All of us are yearning for the day when global poverty is totally demolished and for the sake of that dream, Grameen Bank will have to flourish!

By Ahmed Magdi Youssef                                                                     

References:

- The World’s Women 2010 – Trends and Statistics. Department of Academic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2010

- Muhammad Yunus: Ending Global Poverty. MIT World, Semptember 14, 2005.

-  5 Reasons Why Muhammad Yunus Focuses on Lending to Women. Katherine Esty, Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation, January 10, 2014.

- Why Muhammad Yunus and the Women of Grameen Matter. Vivian Norris, Huffington Post Business, March 9, 2011.

- Yunus flays Bangladesh's 'destruction' of Grameen Bank. Agence France-Presse, Global Post, November 6, 2013.

Poverty in the USA

Poverty in America has been standing still since the Great Depression.  In August of 1929, the worlds most powerful nation, United States came under a Great Depression where it became the most poorest country in the world. The Great Depression has created economical downfalls that has postponed and helped to reduce spending, falling confidence, and lowered production. ( Says wikipedia. ) 

Wikipedia states that, when recession of 1937 brought back 1934 levels of unemployment, our economy just went back up in a spiral upward back in 2012, when President Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States of America ever in history of nations of Presidents. He is the 44th President of the United States. 

There are many theories that caused the Great Depression back in the beginning of 1929, where our President Bill Clinton grew up during the depression, who then, later in life became the President and later was impeached in 1998. 

The theories behind the Great Depression which lead America in to poverty, has been named as , orthodox classical economics, monetarist, Keynesian, Austrian Economics, and many, many more.

The political results were a great out come during the Great Depression and after. The Great Depression was a tough and a horrible time that when American citizens suffered greatly during the depression. Although, it did more good then bad. Great Depression helped to set minimum wage, says wikipedia. It also helped to encourage unions that it would raise wage to workers and their employers to create possible living wages for Americans that were suffering greatly in the Depression it's self. Like, President Bill Clinton who was born on August 19th, 1946  in Chester Hospital in Hope, of a town of about nine children of a poor farmer in Sherman Texas who later died when his father was seventeen.   ( Says Bill Clinton auto biography. ) 

The crash of Wall street which was titled as " The Great Depression " has downsized the American economy from $103.6 billion  in 1929 to $66 billion in 1934 says a website (www. shmop.com)

By Anastasia Khramova

Poverty, Way of Life

The point of this article is to inform and to ensure that mothers and their young children living on the edge of poverty iwll no longer be faceless strangers. 

On January 20th, 2013, President Barack Obama released his weekly address. He stated that " As part of that reform, we set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the first - ever independent consumer watch dog with one job; to protect families from that sort of behavior. " stated Obama . 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau version 2 was released on October 31st, 2012 of the CFPB. ( says the consumer finance website. ) 

The website lets the citizens acknowledge their information by holding PDF files from Mortgage Originated examination procedures, Education loans, and even RESPA procedures are included as well. 

These laws should be followed by companies of financial protection laws.

The economist states that, " two years after house pries ended their preciption fall, housing across America is beginning to look frothy again. New data released by Standard & Poor's on February 20th showed the Case. Shiller index of 20 cities rising in December at the fastest rate for nine month, in part due  to the bitterly cold weather and higher mortgage rates, prices in some cities continued to increase. In Chicago, house prices rose at their fastest rate since 1988. Could America in the midst of another housing bubble? Stated the economist website. 

Some facts caught my eye from the book " Through My Own Eyes on page four. 

" Children living in single parent homes are much more likely than children in two - parent homes to suffer from the constraints of poverty : almost half of all black and one- fourth of all white females headed households live below the poverty line. The share of children living in poverty has crept steadily upward since the 1960's. 

President Bill Clinton who himself was born of August 9th, 1946 under a clear sky after a violent summer storm to a widowed mother in the Julia Chester Hospital in Hope, a town of about six thousand in southern Arkansas was born there. 

" In , My Life, Bill Clinton " book states that he was raised in poverty during the war when his father, William was raised in poverty during the war when his father, William Jefferson the III went off to war in the invasion of Italy.

By Anastasia Khramova

Poverty in France: women on the edge

Every year, Ipsos/Secours Populaire publishes figures allowing us to review the issue of financial insecurity in France - how it is defined and experienced in the French psyche. In its seventh year, the Ipsos survey on poverty conducted from July 12 to 13, 2013, highlights the increasingly devastating effects of an economic crisis with pretty much no end in sight.

The Secours Populaire, a non-profit that comes in aid of the poorer population strata, has also sought to delve particularly into the theme of poverty among women, finding a growing number of women were turning to their services.

Since 2009, the survey has highlighted the relentless rise of poverty in France, however this year showed a marked growth acceleration: 41% of French people admit to not being able to make ends meet – a 4-point hike in one year (against 2 points per year on average since 2009). The lingering crisis has meant already vulnerable populations saw the bottom fall out of their budgets thereby tipping them from borderline to poor.

These borderline groups showing an increased risk of poverty include women and most especially those raising their children alone. These women experience greater financial difficulties, many major, go without every day to meet more basic needs concurrently running the risk of plunging a little deeper into a spiral of social exclusion.

To fight against the risk of deep-seated and durable financial insecurity among women, French survey respondents considered the wage gap between men and women in equivalent positions a primary issue. However, the factors contributing to an increased risk for women are nevertheless much more profound and multiple.  

Differences between men / women as regards the present difficulties and concern for the future are multiplied when one considers the situation of single mothers. 

Let’s look at the figures:

60% of women heading single-parent families say they experience distress with regard to their current situation and their future (compared to 44% of all women). They are also more likely to feel anger (25% compared to 16% of women), or even despair (17% against 12%). In total, 72% of them cite at least one negative emotion to describe their feelings (compared to 54% of all women) .

They are unsurprisingly more anxious than the average women in terms of their retirement plans (95%, including 45% who are "extremely concerned"). Their current standard of living is also a source of stress: 77% of them are dissatisfied (compared to 48% of women in general). Among them, 30% are not "not at all" happy (compared to 14%).

They are also much more likely than average to have experienced significant difficulties in many areas over the last 12 months: access to basic cultural activities, sports and recreation (86%), purchasing adequate clothing (81% including 26% who experience it "often") or taking care of their physical appearance (76%). If hiring help to care for the children is not much more difficult than it is for other women (46% compared to 41% overall), dealing generally with expenses related to their children is much more problematic (79% against 43% of mothers on average).

Meeting basic needs such as food, shelter or care is also problematic for many single mothers with their children: 62% have experienced significant financial difficulty in maintaining a healthy and balanced diet over the last 12 months (including 23% stating this is "often" the case), 61% in paying their rent, mortgage or their housing charges and 49% in paying for certain medical procedures (including 12% who experience it "often").

A majority of women heading single-parent families also deprive themselves "often" when it comes to leisure and recreation (51%), clothing (53%) or going to the hairdresser / beauty salon (58%) in favor of their children or simply to provide them with good living conditions. Nearly one in two also foregoes medical care (48% including 12% who do so "often") or food (49% including 11% "often") for the same reason.

These privations are of course a reflection of the more difficult objective financial situation of these women: only 21 % of them are able to put money aside (compared to 46% of all French people), 34% just manage to make ends meet (compared to 36 % on average) and over 45% do not manage it (compared to 18% overall). Among them, 15% state that it is increasingly difficult and fear the specter of dire poverty (compared to 5% overall).

Personal sacrifices made by these women are probably also a reflection of their desire to protect their children from financial insecurity, or in some cases to compensate for the emotional or material living circumstances they feel are less favorable. However, they nevertheless increase the risk of social exclusion (and insecurity) of these women in the shape of untreated medical problems, unkempt physical appearance which means they are passed up for jobs and isolation due to the absence of leisure activities, to name a few.

By Candice Lewis

POVERTY IN NIGERIA

In the global economy, Nigeria is known to be one of the largest countries when it comes to the production of oil. Nigeria is rich in mineral resources, one that serves as a major role in the global economy is “OIL.” Poverty is a major global issue affecting all parts of the world especially developing countries. This essay discusses the issue of poverty in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country rich in mineral resources such as oil, yet majority of its population live below the poverty line. This essay provides an analysis of how oil and corruption have played a major role in the poverty rate in Nigeria.

Corruption has played a major role in the economy in Nigeria and the effect on the society in the global economy of the modern world. The biggest single problem Nigeria faces today is the thriving corruption both past and present, which is hanging over its future. It has divided the country and kept two-third of the population under poverty line. Due to the exploited oil that has ruined the local environment and caused huge poverty with people living near the oil rigs, this has caused kidnapping and violence in the Niger Delta. The corruption in Nigeria also has an effect on “ Boko Haram” a Muslim sect/group causing havoc in the North with its recent terrorist attack on the united nation, although Boko Haram which means no western education exists because of its radical view of Islam but the root cause of the existence of boko haram is the vast poverty suffered in the northern part of Nigeria. The governor in a northern state said: Out of 4 million citizen about 1 million are beggars written in the economist magazine, naturally violence is not the way out but this is the height of everything and the only way is to make the rich reason with the poor.

Nigeria as a leading oil exporting country which its vast majority of its revenues has no limit to its resources or its limit to its talent and potentials,  but the fact that the country is rich does not mean that our people are not facing a major challenge. Nigeria as a country has so many problems, to top it up our leaders don’t have respect for the rule of law. Theodor quotes: “ No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it.” Here in Nigeria you will definitely find people who are above the law, they make sure they get what they want at all cost. One reason for the failure to bring offenders to trials is, of course fear concerning who else might be implicated in any testimony given. Corruption is an enemy of democracy, for Democracy lives on trust and corruption destroys trust. Till date corruption is like a deadly virus amongst all Nigerians, obstructing Nigeria’s path towards  development rather than decrease, corruption is becoming a way of life. Since independence, every government has made one promise or the other to make Nigeria a better country (reforms) but all goes to no avail. About 45% of nigerians are still poor, lack access to clean water, consistent electricity, education, job opportunity, unhealthy, exposed to various diseases (HIV/AIDS), lack access to medical healthcare. 

The spread of poverty and break down of infrastructural facility is really becoming alarming also, how leaders are not helping matters to make situations better. The rate of corruption has discouraged countries into lending loans and involve in investments. Except the oil sector; that’s because developed countries are exploiting us (the developing country), reason being that our leaders are not wise enough and can’t apply wit in decision makings. Our national reputation for corruption encourages further abuse since, no one’s reputation suffers through acting dishonestly. Most of our ex-public officials are shameless looters. Since 1970, both military and civilian, have promised to raise ethical standards and eliminate corruption, but any success? no, Corruption seemed to be common in the fourth Republic until the EFCC and other anticrime agencies were created. You may wonder why protesters are not spilled into the streets of Nigeria cities, that’s because the citizens of Nigeria are full of decency and morality. We are a peace making country that’s satisfied with what we’re being fed with rather than making situations worse. There was thrive of a very serious allegation of looting against former Governor James Ibori,which played out in London Courts. The governor took care of himself, but he shamelessly forgot the citizens of Delta State with the flamboyant lifestyle he lived. It is a story that embarrasses a nation that holds itself with so much pride.

One solution which is essential is bringing the criminals to justice, recovery of the money and assets, also the execution of the criminals. These assets cannot be overlooked because they are meant for public funds $4 billion with the Abachas, $12billion with the Babangidas e.t.c. The dangers in failing will lead to a further decline of the national economy, poverty has provided the rationale for outsiders to exploit us. We do not need International interference to makes us realize it, it has been there and if we don’t eradicate it now it might lead to a more alarming situation. Since the political class has become a constant in the nation’s corruption, the Nigeria Diaspora, must take up the challenge.

By Bolanle Adekunle

Feminisation of Poverty!

UNIFEM states that more women compared to men are likely to be poor due to disproportionate opportunities for education, healthcare, employment and control of assets between the two genders. Poverty also increases their chances to the risk of violence among other things and they get deprived of basic rights such as freedom and respect.  

Within India and other developing countries, most of the problems are societal. In such countries, where basic sustenance for all members of the family is sometimes difficult, women have to bear the brunt of the shortage of funds for education, food, health and so on,  most of the time. Also, social norms in such societies, dictate women to give up careers and education in order to take up household duties, where they probably work harder than the men, but don’t receive any remuneration for it.  Even if women are allowed to work formally in many occasions they are usually paid less than men. Compulsory primary school education help to a certain level, but most of the developing countries are unable to afford this set-up.

The Hunger Project compiled the seven major reasons for discrimination against women that leads to hunger and poverty for them in India; malnutrition, poor health, lack of education, overwork, remaining unskilled, mistreatment and powerlessness.  Some of these reasons they found not only endanger a woman’s life but also the lives of her children. Such as, the social norm of eating less by women is one of the reasons behind child malnutrition, as they eat less even while pregnant and lactating.

Eradicating this nature of poverty is difficult and will take a long time.  We need to work from the roots, where women specific poverty reduction measures are employed. Such as increasing opportunities for education, proper health care and so on for poor women.  A paper based on a field survey in India finds that the major obstacle behind reducing female poverty in India is the emphasis on women labourers and inadequate economic opportunities for them (Nadal, 2005). So, we need mechanisms to ensure more participation of women in the earned income bracket as well.

Some governments have introduced compulsory quotas in parliaments and private businesses for promoting more women in the workforce. But, unfortunately in many places, the appointment of women stops once the quota requirement is filled, thus not altering the problem to a great extent. What we lack today is a balance and just showing the importance of participation of women in professional arenas may not make much of a difference. Perhaps, it’s equally pertinent to highlight the importance of participation of men in domestic fronts or studying their behaviour in limiting entry for women in professional fronts? For example, Bjarnegard (2009) instead of focusing on women studied how male parliamentary dominance is maintained in Thailand, which points us to reasons why men are preferred over women in such areas. She mentions that the presence of homosocial capital (comprising of the needs to build links with those having important resources and a psychological liking to join people who can be easily understood, predicted and trusted), which is a political capital accessible only to men makes their dominance possible.

Also, property laws cross country should promote equality among both genders.  They are more female headed households in India today, and societies need to make provisions for this increasing trend in future, by ensuring equality in pay, promotions and resources between both the genders.

It’s obviously easier said than done, but the more we say, the more we tend to approach a solution. Thus, by assembling these bricks together today, we hope that tomorrow we might be able to ensure every female in India and other developing countries have economic freedom and prosperity.

References

1.      Nadal, Santosh (2005) Extent and Causes of Gender and Poverty in India: A Case Study of Rural Haryana, Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 7, no. 2, pp.182 – 190.

2.      Bjarnegard, Elin (2009) Men in Politics. Revisiting Patterns of General Parliamentary Representation in Thailand and Beyond. Department of Government. Uppsala, Uppsala University.

3.      http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/women_poverty_economics/

4.      http://www.thp.org/reports/indiawom.htm

 By Parama Bal

Justice Access Is Human Right - Women in Poverty Challenges -

Sourced from here

 

 

In her report the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty highlights the particular problems faced by women in seeking justice and formal legal redress.

 

JUSTICE ACCESS IS HUMAN RIGHT FOR ALL, INCLUDING THOSE IN EXTREME POVERTY - WOMEN - UN SR POVERTY

NEW YORK (5 November 2012) – “Access to justice is a human right in itself, and essential for tackling

 the root causes of poverty” said today the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, 

Magdalena Sepúlveda, in her report to the UN General Assembly*. “Without access to justice, people 

living in poverty are unable to claim their rights, or challenge crimes, abuses or violations committed against 

them, trapping them in a vicious circle of impunity, deprivation and exclusion.”

The UN expert emphasized the many obstacles faced by those living in poverty in seeking legal redress 

through the formal judicial system. They include a lack of financial resources and awareness of legal rights;

fear of reprisal or further stigmatization; and inadequate capacity of the judicial system (often resulting in 

under-prioritization of cases and the imposition of unaffordable fees). These obstacles are compounded by 

deeply entrenched societal prejudices and stereotypes against the poor.

“There are a number of worrying trends impeding those living in poverty from enjoying the same rights 

as others in accessing justice” said Ms. Sepúlveda. In her report she highlights the particular problems

 faced by women in seeking formal redress. “Inadequate legal frameworks fail to recognise the financial 

impediments they often suffer as well as social and cultural constraints which may prevent them from 

speaking out against abuses or seeking justice” said the UN expert.

She also notes that “the provision of free and competent legal advice and assistance to those who are 

otherwise unable to afford it is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring that all individuals have fair and 

equal access to judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms”. Ms. Sepúlveda highlighted the need for States 

“to ensure that free legal aid is provided in both civil and criminal cases where the rights and interests 

of persons living in poverty are at stake”.

While the world continues to suffer the consequences of the global financial crisis, with persons living 

in poverty enduring the most devastating impacts, the Special Rapporteur opened her statement today 

by welcoming the adoption of the Guiding Principles on extreme poverty and human rights (see below) 

by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2012.

“This is a small but significant step forward,” the expert said. These Principles could play a key role in 

protecting and empowering those who are hit hardest by the global economic crisis, by tackling obstacles 

which obstruct their enjoyment of rights, including access to justice.”

“The Guiding Principles provide the first global policy guidelines applying States’ human rights obligations 

to the specific situation of people living in poverty,” said Ms. Sepúlveda. “This is a practical tool for 

policy-makers to ensure that public policies (including poverty eradication efforts) reach persons living in 

poverty and respect and uphold all their rights.”

The independent human rights expert called upon the UN General Assembly to endorse the Principles 

and take concrete measures to ensure their widest dissemination and implementation at the domestic level.

Magdalena Sepúlveda (Chile) was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human 

rights in May 2008 by the United Nations Human Rights Council. She is independent from any government 

or organization. 

Learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/SRExtremePovertyIndex.aspx

Beggar Girl

She was invited to a party, for the first time in her life. She was what everyone thought to be 'the dirty girl'. It was never her fault that she was born to a poor family, to a mother who was an ayah in the big school, to a drunk father who beat her and her mother mercilessly every night after dousing his insides with spurious alcohol.

The Principal was kind enough to let her study in class 4. The teachers loved her too. But the other children? Not so much. Her torn uniforms, oily pigtails and rough hands were always a subject of laughter for the others, much to her chagrin. 'Beggar girl-Beggar girl', they chanted each time they saw her. Each day of going to class was like running the gauntlet of a field full of landmines, waiting to explode at the footfall of an unassuming soul.

She was surprised, one morning, when the prettiest of all the girls in class called her to her birthday party, that evening. Perhaps the invitation was out of a need to be nice, the girl thought. She was excited, to the point of breaking into rambunctious giggles, which was quite unseemly for the otherwise calm child.

Her mother was pleasantly overjoyed with the child's infectious enthusiasm, but not with a sense of foreboding. Her daughter's understanding nature precluded the child from asking her to buy a present. She willingly decided to part with a pretty pair of earrings the headmistress gifted her on children's day, along with a few Gulmohars, she picked from the tree outside her house. 'Let the child have the joy of going to a party' her mother thought, while shunning fearsome thoughts of what her husband might do to the child.

The child flew through the rest of the day, paying no attention to the choruses of 'beggar girl'. She would wear her 'nice dress', the one that her mother bought with the hundred rupees she saved, the one that her father knew nothing about. That evening, after what seemed like a prolonged prink, the poor soul emerged, beaming at her mother like a magician would, after a razmatazz of prestidigitations. It was her first shindig, of course. The child had every right to be happy. She was dressed in a bleak pink dress, her best. The dress did little to augment her appearance, but the sheer happiness at being able to dress up and attend a party beautified the child, giving her an angelic aura.

She was just about to step outside the door, when two hands held her by the shoulders and pushed her to the floor. She fell back on her mother's feet, and looked up at her drunk father. He was swaying madly, muttering incoherently.

'Where do you think you're going dressed like that? Who are you selling yourselves to, you whores?' he spat.

'Appa.. My friend.. Birthday.. I want to go', the child pleaded, her voice thick with fear.

Not pausing to listen, her father kicked her on the stomach and pushed his wife against the wall. The child screamed in pain, but he only saw that as a cry for more beatings. He pounded her back, ripping her dress up as he dragged the child.

The helpless mother cowed down on the ground, dizzy and blinded with pain. She could do nothing to help the child. In a fit of rage, he shut the door behind him and left the house. Perhaps to drink some more.

It was long before the girl got up from her concussions. The Gulmohars lay strewn, trod underfoot, already beginning to wilt. The earrings were nowhere- her father must have taken it along to sell it for a drink. She dragged herself to a mirror. A tear-stained face, reflecting a broken heart stared back at her. She looked at her reflection pathetically.

'Beggar-girl, beggar-girl', she cried softly, letting huge teardrops soil the once 'nice-dress'.