Paper Kite Children's Foundation :: Give Dreams Flight

• Home
• Who We Are
  • History
  • Leadership Team
  • Featured Volunteer
• What We Do
  • Our Four Programs
  • Orphanages We Support
  • Bihar, India
• Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
  • Field Work – Bihar 2012
• Bihar, India
  • Bihar
  • India
• News
  • Current Events
  • Field Blog
  • Stories From India
• Resources
  • Annual Reports
• Contact

• Our Four Programs
• Orphanages We Support
• Bihar, India

Bihar, India

The State of Bihar is part of the tribal area, one of the most impoverished regions of India.  The majority of people in this area belong to the disadvantaged tribes and castes.  This means they have added social stigmas holding them in poverty.  The vast majority of the State is in agricultural production which only provides low-paying jobs.  Adding to the social strain, there also exists a conflict between the Indian government and rebels that sometimes flares into armed conflict.

Facts about Bihar

• Population is over 100 million people.
• Nearly 20% of the total population is under the age of 7.
• Bihar is in northeast India and is divided into 38 districts with the capital being Patna.
• Total literacy rate is 47% – Males literacy rate is 59.% and Females literacy rate is 33.1%.
• 40% of the population live below the poverty line.
• More than three quarters of children under three are anaemic, while more than 90 per cent of adolescent girls are deficient in iron.
• Bihar has among the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality in India, largely due to inadequate health services in rural areas.

INDIA

Located within South Asia, India is the 7th largest nation in the world in terms of area.  It is divided into 28 states and 7 union territories with New Delhi being the nation’s capital.

Facts about India

• Has three distinct seasons, winter, summer and monsoon – thus,  India frequently experiences natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, landslides and droughts.  This includes parts of Bihar which are prone to severe flooding, raising the need for emergency assistance.
• Second most populous country on Earth with a population of 1.21 billion people.
• 22 officially recognized languages with Hindi being the most widely spoken.
• 1 in 3 people live in urban areas and living conditions vastly differ between rural and urban areas.  Generally, there are a wider range of services available in urban areas and living conditions are better.
• Total population literacy rate is 61% – Males literacy rate is 73.4% and Females literacy rate is 47.8%.

Source: UNICEF