This Spanish Woman Left Everything And Is Helping Dalit Children In Our Country

Raquel Mason Palomeque, a woman from Spain, is serving for the Dalits in our country, something even we don’t do. She made India her home about a decade ago with a vision to offer a better life for Dalit children, senior citizens and underprivileged women.

It’s so appalling that even after 69 years of independence we are still bounded with the shackles of our social vices of stigmatising the people belonging to the lower caste. While this lady from Spain has given up her well-paying job and sold off her belongings to work for Dalits in India.

Raquel’s first came to India in 1998 and came back in 2006 to Bodhgaya ( Bihar) for a Buddhist retreat. When she first met five-year-old Akshay from Amwan (a villager near Bodhgaya), she felt her first awakening. The boy was very sick, and Raquel bought medicines for the child, which cost just over one Euro.

Raquel felt she was a part of the system and she would have to do something. She felt that education is the only way to improve the living conditions of these children. Education will also offer them the opportunity to live a life of dignity.

She leads two initiatives in India- Akshay Educational Centre and Kamal School. 220 children receive education today from her organisation, and half of the seats in both the schools is reserved for girls.

She believes that Dalit children can also have the same opportunities in the future as other Indian children. She feels that if they get a good education, they can get good jobs and their families and communities can prosper. Education will give them a way to stand up for their ideas and discuss their rights as Indian citizens.

She wants this Dalit movement to be non-violent and with respect towards all.

The Logical Indian offers a big salute to Raquel and hopes she gets more courage and power to continue the good work and at the same time requests others to annihilate caste.