Daphira Pyngrope is 24 and talks with the obvious exuberance of a youth. She does not have the usual guile or diplomacy in choosing words and yet she recently headed one of the diplomatic power houses in Delhi for a day with aplomb and spoke her mind out during one of her speeches.
“What happens when girls take over? Today, on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child, we got a glimpse of it when 24-year old Daphira from the Plan India community took over the Belgian Embassy as the Ambassador for the day,” said a post on the Facebook page of the Embassy of Belgium.
Daphira, who is associated with Jesus Youth India since 2011, became the ambassador of Belgium for a day on October 11 under a central programme to make a better India.
“When the Plan India (a child rights organisation) staff called up from Delhi for the International Day of the Girl Child, we thought it would be some kind of a mock drill. But when we went to Delhi we found out that our names had already been sent to the embassy. There were girls from other states too like Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. They (the Plan India staff) trained us and asked us to study those countries with difficulties similar to India,” she said over phone from Kerala where she is doing her field work.
On the final day of the training, the youngsters were taken to the Belgian embassy where “we took over” the office.
Daphira was among the 17 girl changemakers from 10 states who stepped into the shoes of high commissioners and ambassadors of various countries.
“It was a nice experience. I was really scared but those at the embassy made us feel comfortable. When we reached there we found out that they already knew about ‘a girl’ being the boss for the day,” she said with palpable excitement in her voice.
It was a full day of power and Daphira got the chance to sit on Ambassador-designate HE François Denhaye’s chair and interact with his staff members. The postgraduate student of Social Work at Bosco Institute Jorhat said she got an insight into the political, economic and trade affairs though “many things went over my head”. She also got the chance to approve two visas.
But power comes with responsibility and Daphira was well aware of that. So she had listed the key and contentious issues which she highlighted during her “informal interaction” with the embassy staff. She spoke on gender equality, especially at workplace, and enquired from the female staff about the work condition in the office. “It was nice to hear that they do not face such problems. On enquiring, they said there is a person who looks into all these issues and lends an ear to the problems of the women staff,” she said. A ‘Pledge for Women’ was taken for gender equality.
Education was another important topic of discussion and Daphira was ready with her points. She flagged the problems faced by children in villages not only in Meghalaya and the North East but also other parts of the country. Her involvement with Jesus Youth India, a missionary movement panning across 35 countries, gave her an edge.
“I frequently visit villages. I have even seen schools which have classes till standard five but two teachers and there are no partitions between classes. Many children living in remote areas with tough terrain in Meghalaya and other northeastern states drop out of school and girls are not allowed to traverse the path through forests,” explained Daphira, an alumnus of Auxilium Convent School.
Lavinia Shadap, another girl changemaker who attended the programme at the Embassy of the Netherlands, echoed Daphira’s views on the quality of education and appalling infrastructure in villages. The 23-year-old post-graduation student of Social Work who is also associated with Jesus Youth India said she had seen midday meal being served to children on newspaper. “I could not raise my voice then and was waiting for the right platform. The programme gave me the chance to raise these problems,” she said.
Both agreed on the problem of discrimination against girls in imparting education.
Daphira also spoke on female genital mutilation, “which is practised in some parts of Belgium as well as in India”, and the intermingling of different cultures in India.
The young outspoken woman said she was hopeful that these issues would be prioritised and addressed. She informed that during their training she had queried about the dedication of the resource persons in following up the various problems and chalking out solutions. Daphira was assured that “this time” there would be follow-ups. “I was convinced and saw sense in the whole exercise. Besides the government, individuals too should be proactive to work towards bettering things,” she said.
Lavinia, who took over the chair of Ambassador Designate Marten van den Berg, said she was told at the embassy that they would call her up after six months.
Daphira joined Jesus Youth India after finishing her graduation in Social Work from St Mary’s College. In her third semester of masters degree, she attends the missionary project during vacations. When asked about Shillong, Daphira said she always looks forward to coming home during vacations. “In fact, I will come home in December.”
The student of social work said she took up the subject because it gives her immense satisfaction to help a person. “I want to start an NGO. But with recent interaction at the embassy, I saw administration also gives the power to make a change. So let’s see,” she said about her career plans.
Lativia, who is from Ummulong, is in the same college as Daphira. The economics graduate said she took up Social Work for masters after her visits to villages in different parts of India.
“People of our age are unemployed. Even if they want to study they cannot because of financial problems. Some do not want to go till higher studies because they are unsure about employment. I thought of gaining more expertise in this particular field so that I can help people in whatever way possible,” said the alumnus of Adventist Training School Thadlaskein and St Mary’s College.
The young women from the state showed their sincerity in studying the problems of India as well as foreign countries and also showed the sensitivity to sympathise with those who cannot fight for their rights. They became their voice to alert the authorities about the urgency of the situation.
Unlike many of their age, the two future social workers are aware that the system is fraught with problems and the government should get its act together. At the same time, they understand individual duty and are aware of the responsibilities of a citizen. The changemakers unanimously agreed that the programme was purposeful. “The experience in the embassy was first of its kind and if the opportunity is given to other girls then it will impart a sense of responsibility in them. This is just the starting point and we have to do so many things,” said Daphira.
“If all of us try hard, I am sure there will be a difference,” Lavinia concluded.
~ NM