Education Matters

I'm seeing how important an education is here for those who can't afford them. Our housekeeper's daughter is 18 and also cleans houses. Even though I can't really communicate with her I often wonder why she is not going to college like her cousin or trying to get a full time job somewhere. She is so sweet and beautiful--not that those two things make her anymore qualified than someone else--but in my mind she deserves a chance out of the "caste" she has been born into. From what I understand the caste system is not nearly as strong as it used to be and people can rise above it, it's just really hard for the poor. I was thinking maybe it was just assumed that she would also clean houses like her mom does. Well I found out this week that she only finished the 9th grade because her family couldn't afford to send her to school (public school costs money here). Her older brother did finish school. The way I learned this is because Brian's company is hiring data entry positions. To apply you have to have graduated from 12th grade and be able to type. I told Vanajakshi (my housekeeper) about it and offered to help Ramya, her daughter, learn to type so she could apply for the job. It pays 6,000 rupees a month which is ALOT of money for a poor person here. It equals about $154.
That's when I learned she had only gone to 9th grade. Her brother is going to apply for the job. It makes me really sad that she is "stuck" where she is. Not that cleaning houses the rest of your life is a bad thing but it is hard work and with a little money and schooling she could have so many more opportunities. I know there are millions of people just like her here and around the world, in the U.S. as well, but it's hard when you want to help someone and can't do much to solve the problem.
Vanajakshi asked me if people cleaned houses in America. I told her they did but it costs a lot more there to have cleaning help. I also told her some wealthy people hire nannies:) She asked me to take Ramya with us if we move back to the states. She told me I wouldn't have to pay her much and she would take care of the kids. It made me sad. I told her she would miss her daughter very much and Ramya would miss her family. But from what I could gather it would be a very proud thing for them to have someone in their family leave India and go to a "better life". I didn't have the heart to tell her that we can't afford to take her back with us and that she'd face the same problems there. If only I had the money to get her a G.E.D., english lessons, a college education, a good job,etc. But then I have to ask myself is an education and a good job really what makes a person happy? She is a very happy person. Maybe it's about being content where you are...which is easy for me to say since I'm not poor. Ok, enough philosophying and rambling...I'm just confusing myself:) But what I wanted to share is the plight of so many people here...hard work and poverty.