Help Dhilsha fight for Climate Justice

My name is Jaswanth Dadi and I am doing my MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at the University of Oxford. You can find more about my past work experiences and current commitments here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dadi-jaswanth-001559100/. 

I am fundraising for my friend Dhilsha to study MSc in Climate Change, Development and Policy at the University of Sussex. I’ve known Dhilsha for 3 years now and I can say that she is one of the most passionate people I have met. I have had the opportunity to work alongside her for a significant time and her work was inspiring. I would like to take this opportunity to share her story and request you all to contribute to help Dhilsha continue her higher studies, here in the UK. 

A picture of me and Dhilsha together while working at Barefoot College.

Dhilsha’s journey in her words:

I was born in a small village in God's own country with my house situated in the middle of coconut trees and flanked by paddy fields, raised in the arms of nature. My first tryst with human greed exploiting nature was when the Coca-Cola factory at Plachimada contaminated the nearby water streams with toxic waste. I wondered why people were protesting for days together and my father tried explaining the harsh realities of flawed policies, misguided resource management, and irresponsible corporate actions that can destroy the basic human requirements for survival. In retrospect, these were the seeds of my life-long motivation to work for environment conservation and limiting the impact of human activities on it.

As I grew up, I had to battle the age-old barriers of gender and religion. Women and girls were deprived of means through which they could be empowered like higher education and a dignified job. But instead of losing hope in the situation, I was determined to study and work hard to empower myself. 

 Through formal education, I learnt to raise my voice through actions and fight the social and environmental injustice around me. I took up engineering in Kerala’s most prestigious college with a fully-funded scholarship to further hone these skills. Undergraduate education at a government institution exposed me to a diverse student population coming from all walks of life. This not only enhanced my social development skills but also expanded my horizons like never before. From wearable self-defence devices for women to automatic water dripping systems for organic farming to customised cycles for people with mobility issues, I quickly found myself involved in multiple projects to improve the lives of people around me.

A picture with one of my beneficiaries in rural Rajasthan.

To find practical solutions to grass-roots problems using the skills learned from Engineering, I decided to pursue a rural development fellowship. The villages of Rajasthan shook the very core of me as I witnessed extreme poverty, droughts, biodiversity loss, patriarchy in the form of domestic violence, child marriages, social myths, and taboos to cage women in every conceivable way. The social taboo around menstruation deprived rural women and girls of the basic right to adequate menstrual health and hygiene awareness. I discovered that the usage of reusable cloth pads was not hygienic due to the scarcity of water, an issue likely to be worsened by climate change. Due to the stigmas associated with menstruation, women often dry the cloth pads at places where others cannot see which makes it more unhygienic. To tackle this, I designed a low-cost, eco-friendly disposable sanitary pad through research and collaboration. I raised funds through crowdfunding to set up a production unit and trained illiterate, rural women to run production and sales. This ensured hygienic menstruation to 1000 rural women and has stopped the influx of plastic pads into the village.

Barefoot Staff posing with Sanitary Napkin.

As Program Coordinator of Women’s Health at Barefoot College, I was a part of a global programme building self-reliant and climate-resilient communities through women change-makers. Higher rates of malnutrition and anaemia among women put them at higher risk of climate-driven food insecurity as a result of increased nutrition requirements during menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth. To build health resilience to climate change, I along with my team train rural women as educators, care-givers, and entrepreneurs to raise awareness on menstrual and reproductive health, improve prenatal and postnatal care, address malnutrition, and to develop menstrual and nutritional products.

Health Workers of Barefoot College

 All my work and experiences were put to the acid test as my hometown in Kerala was hit by catastrophic floods, the worst in nearly a century, mainly due to the effects of climate change and irresponsible action of the local authorities. I tried to do my best even during that terrible time by coordinating with volunteer groups in sending essential supplies to the relief camps. I have also been a part of a team in initiating the building of a database of engineers in association with the government. This had a profound impact on me and cemented my belief to further advance my education and bring about the systemic changes required to impede the destruction of the environment and prepare for such cataclysmic events.

The M.Sc in Climate Change Development and Policy at the University of Sussex would be the ideal step forward for me to get a deep understanding of different climate policies and responses to climate change across varied contexts. Access to a diverse community of exceptional individuals at Sussex combined with interactive teaching and learning methods like debates, seminars, and group discussions would help me adapt to a global perspective on the management of climate change.

 On completion of the course, I plan to work on climate change adaptation at a strategic-planning level with a prime focus on the upliftment of vulnerable communities. In the long term, with enough practical exposure and experience, I see myself working with the Government of India to form innovative environment-related policies.

Offer Letter from the University of Sussex

The total tuition fee for the academic year 2020/21 is GBP 18,500. Including all the living costs, the total amount is around GBP 30,000. I have already managed to secure 40% of the total costs. Please refer to the chart below for my expected funding sources. Hence, I would request you to kindly support this campaign and make my dreams come true.