Exclusion

Exclusion- process of exclusion from full participation in society. By definition there is a group of people that live by this definition as their reality. These people are the inhabitants of the Red River. I had the opportunity to speak to couple of the families and gain a better perspective of what their lives are like.

Question 1. In what ways do they experience exclusion?
Before becoming an inhabitant of the Red River, these family used to live a normal life on land. They had jobs and was able to rent houses, and afford certain necessities. But, as living standards go up their laborious intensive jobs weren't able to keep up and they lost their way of living. They had to resort to living on floating houses along these river banks. One major way they experience exclusion is that in the past the government did not tolerate this way of living, so they forced these family out of their homes and chased them away. Some families even had their floating house ripped apart. Without a home, symbolically how can they feel like they are a part of anything.

Question 2. In what ways do they experience inclusion?
These families of the Red River experience inclusion through help of NGO's. One family spoke personally of SJ (a french NGO) helped them by giving their children an opportunity to go to school and gave them supplies to help them maintain their floating home.

Question 3. Do they want different development or just a different path to the same development?

Question 4. What sort of government policy/ program changes might increase their inclusion?
To increase their inclusion, these people wants government to ACCEPT their existence and INCLUDE their living area as part of society. They feel that they carry out their duties as citizens, such as voting and contributing to society, and thus, they deserve to be treated as citizens. A policy/program that can help them is anything that can create and give them an opportunity to work and add some progress to their lives. Most of the families here have been living there for more than a decade and nothing has changed.

Question 5. What sort of community NGO policy/ program might increase inclusion?
Similar to what SJ is doing, I think that by reaching out to the kids of these families there is a higher chance for the kids to make something out of their lives and in return help their own family. Teaching the kids how to read and write, or helping the older ones to go to vocational school and acquiring skills that allow them to get better jobs and improve their living situation.