VODI history

‘WEST BID TO HELP EAST':- 1999

Back in the UK, within few days, Irene made a Press conference which was reported in the Grimsby Evening Standard on April 1999. The newspaper carried an article with title ‘WEST BID TO HELP EAST'. (Click News for details).

Irene also contacted the Charity Commission, obtained documents for the registration of a Charity and passed it on to India and then back to UK. As this procedure was time consuming, Eugene came over to UK in July 1999 for the registration of the Charity. But the registration procedure took long time. Meanwhile both Irene and Eugene with their friend Ms. Kathleen Bernard, who are the initial Trustees of the Charity, started contacting individuals, church and community groups by providing information on Dalits. However the local community was unwilling to accept the existence of Dalits, the “Untouchables of Hindu caste system”. This posed the first obstacle for the new organisation.

History-1999

In January 1999, Ms. Irene from Grimsby, UK visited India as a tourist. While in India, she happened to met Mr. Eugene Culas and Mr. George V.J. who were working together among the marginalized people of Kerala, India. They introduced her to different development projects with which they were associated. Several years of work among the people, to their credit, they were convinced that in India, a great amount of developmental work was wasted in combating oppositions against development. This was due to the peculiar mindset of the people of India based on centuries old caste belief and practices.

Having studied Dr. Ambedkar's thoughts, they were of the opinion to form an international platform to explain to the outside world about the caste phenomena as the best way to address the problem of the ordinary Indian masses, of whom 90% of them are Dalits, "the historically broken people”.

irene visit to india

VODI

VOICE OF DALIT INTERNATIONAL

History-1999