monsoon simulation game - michigan state universityeheilman/iss/simluation/monsoon-edit.pdfthe...

Monsoon Simulation Game 1. INTRODUCTION Monsoon is a simulation, which focuses on some of the dynamics of poverty in an imaginary village near Mysore in India. Players take the roles of farmers and experience some of the forces that shape people’s lives in a village. Other major roles include the money-lender and development worker. Dependence on the monsoon, cooperation and leadership within the village, the polarisation of rich and poor, the role of money-lender, the relevance of development programs, the role of the development worker, the effect of irrigation, malnutrition and its consequences, and the pressures of social conformity are some of the issues raised. Any simulation game is a simplification: that is one of its purposes. Monsoon raises many issues connected with the village, some of which are mentioned above; but it does not attempt to raise every issue in development. Nor is it intended to serve as a basis for generalised political or theological analysis: that would run counter to the assumptions behind experience based learning of this kind. Monsoon was originally designed for use by community and development workers who already have some familiarity with Indian village situations. More particularly, it was intended to help them re-examine some of their conscious and unconscious assumptions about the village. TEAR Australia has made significant modifications to the game to make it more accessible for Australian Christians who are seeking to learn more about the lives of some of the global poor and some of the responses that can be made. As with any game or learning exercise Monsoon is more effective if the group itself has already made a commitment to play it – so spend some time at the beginning of the game encouraging people to enter fully into the game’s reality. The game is suitable for adults and older children. It can be played by a group of between 30 and 200 people; but the ideal number is 40 - 70. (We have seen it run for 200!) It takes approximately 3 hours to play. This period is made up roughly as follows: Introduction and briefing 30 minutes Play 1 hour 30 minutes Debriefing 1 hour It is helpful to have a short break (perhaps with coffee or tea) between the end of play and debriefing. If the instructions for the Game seem complicated, readers should remember that they are complete, unlike in many manuals.

2. OUTLINE OF THE GAME Players and Roles: The following persons will be needed in order to play Monsoon: Game Organizer 1 Organizer’s assistants 2 Farmers and their families (7 – 20 families of 3 - 5 members each) 21 - 100 Money lender 1 Goonda 1 Development Worker 1 (Although a team of 2 or more may be needed for larger games) Newspaper Reporter (optional) 1 Businessman (optional) 1 Additional roles, which can be included if there are more than 40 players are: Family Planning Workers 1 Landless families (1 – 3 families of 3 - 5 members each) 3 – 15 Displaced families (1 - 6 families of 3 - 5 members each) 3 - 30 Additional Goonda 1 If there are fewer than 25 players, one Assistant Organizer may be enough. The additional roles, the Reporter, and even the Observer can also be dispensed with. Seven families is the minimum for the simulation to function effectively. It is very helpful if the Organizer has already played Monsoon, or has experience of simulations and group exercises. It is also helpful if the Assistants have played the Game before. It is essential that the Organizer and preferably the Assistants also, should study the whole manual and be thoroughly familiar with the Game beforehand. The Money Lender and the Goonda must also be well briefed. These are not popular roles, and the people chosen should be ready to enter into them. They will be more effective if they are made to feel part of the organizing team along with Organizer and Assistants. They should be encouraged to be firm to the point of ruthlessness in their dealings with the villagers – after all, they are a business, not a charity! The Development Worker should know nothing of the Game beforehand. Ideally s/he should be someone who is not known to the other players. Taking this role can be a disturbing experience. The person who conducts the debriefing (normally the Organizer) should be able to relate the learning in the Game to the reality in the village and the world.

Materials Required: The Organizer should keep a copy of the manual with him/her for reference during the Game. Copies of the appropriate instructions and scenarios will be required for each of the following:

Assistant Organizer A

Assistant Organizer B

The Money Lender

The Goonda

The Development Worker

The Reporter (if any)

The Family Planning Worker (if any)

Dalit Families (Families H and I)

Landless families (if any)

Displaced families (if any) The following materials must also be prepared according to the instructions given in the manual:

Family Badges

Annual Account Forms

Money-lender account forms

Scenario sheets for all characters

Monsoon Cards

Donor Agency Application Forms

The Annual Events

Severe Malnutrition Cards

Mild Malnutrition Cards

Water-Borne Disease Cards (these should be shuffled in with the appropriate Malnutrition cards)

Relief Cards

Rumour Cards

AIDS Cards

Water Supply cards

Non-formal education certificates (for Development worker)

Charts

Wheel and Scythe signs

The following items must also be obtained:

Dice

Bell or gong (or pan with spoon)

Refreshments (flask of tea or soft drinks or sweets or fruits or biscuits or whatever) for 1 – 2 families

Large sheets of paper (e.g. newsprint) for the Reporter

Adhesive tape, drawing pins, felt pen, pencils etc.

A large pile of old newspaper

A sample of Indian cloth or clothing

The Place: see diagram A large room furnished with a portable chair for each player is necessary, together with a dozen or so extra chairs. It is ideal if there are two other adjoining rooms or verandahs which can also be used. During the briefing period all except the Development Worker and the Reporter should be present. It may be easiest if the players gather in a semi circle around the Organizer at this time and if the charts can be displayed accordingly. After briefing the chairs should be arranged by the Assistants according to the instructions and as shown in the diagram. The Money Lender and the Goonda should be established in the adjoining room, preferably in comfortable chairs or behind a desk. No chairs should be provided for those who visit the Money Lender. The Reporter should be given wall space, which is visible or accessible from the ‘village’. The Organizer should stand where s/he can view the village. S/he should have a table nearby with bell, cards, dice, etc. Glossary The following terms are used in the Game and may require explanation for non-Indian groups: Monsoon the annual rainy season Ragi a variety of millet grown in Southern India Dalit literally, “the oppressed” - originally known as "untouchables" - poor, excluded and

marginalized caste Goonda a professional hooligan Bund an earthen dam built to impound a small lake (or tank), the water of which

may be used for irrigation Puja a religious ceremony

Possible layout for hall in Monsoon

Money-lender’s house

A

B C

D

E

F I

H

G

Area for village meetings

K

J

Dalit colony

Displaced families (area strewn with newspaper)

Day Labourers

area

3. PLAYING THE GAME Briefing for the ‘Villagers” The following brief is used to instruct the players in their roles and in the shape of the Game. Before beginning the briefing itself, the Organizer should introduce himself or herself and the Assistants. S/he may also say something in general about simulation games, especially if the players are new to this medium of learning. The Development Worker and the Reporter should be asked to withdraw before the briefing. For the sake of simplicity the brief is written as though spoken by the Organizer. 1. After this briefing we shall ask you to sit in groups of three (up to five is possible). Each group

will represent a family in a village near Mysore in Northern India. For convenience we shall call the families A, B, C, D etc. We shall give out badges, which show the letters of each family. Please pin these badges on your clothes where they can be seen.

2. Each family should elect a head of the family to speak in village meetings.

3. Each one will be a farming family and will have a number of dry land fields. The numbers of fields are shown on the chart. (Indicate Chart I). These fields represent your family’s heritage and security. Losing or giving away fields is regarded as shameful.

4. During the course of the Game the village will pass through as series of consecutive years. Each

year will start with the sowing season. At this time you have to decide which of three crops to sow in each of your fields. (Indicate names of crops in Chart II). Paddy cannot be sown at the start of the game. Paddy requires irrigated fields, which are not available initially.

5. Depending on whether the monsoon is poor, average or good, the three crops produce according to the figures in the chart. The figures are ‘units of production’, which represent both food and currency. Some crops do relatively better when the monsoon is good. Some do relatively better when it is bad. So you can decide on your crops accordingly. The monsoon is unpredictable, but the chances are equal of it being poor, average or good. One point here may be relevant. In the area where this village is situated, the traditional staple crop is ragi.

6. The beginning of each sowing season will be indicated by one stroke of the bell (demonstrate). The end of the season by two strokes (demonstrate and indicate Chart III). Like the season itself, the bell waits for no one. Sowing decisions must be made and recorded before the end of the season. You should enter the number of fields sown with each crop in the table at the top of the Annual Account. (Draw attention to their Annual Accounts and point out that Chart IV is an extract of the Annual Account. Demonstrate ‘sowing’ in Chart IV). Only one person in each family needs to keep the account.

7. After sowing for the season is over, I shall draw a monsoon card and inform the village whether

the monsoon for that year is good, average or poor. After knowing the result of the monsoon, you should calculate the production of your fields accordingly, and enter the total in the table. (Demonstrate on Chart IV).

8. However, this total may not be realized in practice. There are often unforeseen events and

difficulties in farming. There may be some disease or pest in the crops, which reduces production. Such events are also linked to the monsoon so I shall inform you of any events and of their consequences. For example (give example). If there are any deductions to be made, you should enter them at ‘a’ and recalculate your production. (Demonstrate on Chart IV). For year 1 you can ignore ‘b’ and ‘c’, so you now have the total food available at ‘d’.

9. At any time during the sowing season, the head of the family may decide to travel to a large town or city to find work as a daylabourer, working in other people’s fields, in quarries, construction, or on breaking rocks for roads, and so on. When a family decides to send the head

of family daylabouring, during the sowing season and until the end of the monsoon, those people must stand in the daylabouring area (indicate area). Daylabouring will earn the family 150 units regardless of what sort of monsoon it is. Enter this amount at ‘e’. However, because the head of the family is not there, the family can’t plant as many crops, so 2 fewer fields can be cultivated. Make sure you take this into account when you work out the number of fields you are cultivating that year. Also if a village meeting is called (I’ll tell you more about those shortly) while the head of the family is away daylabouring, the family will not be represented at that meeting.

10. Don’t worry if it seems complicated. It becomes very clear once you start playing. Any questions so far? 11. Two families will be Dalit families. Once referred to as ‘untouchables’, these are people who

have experienced a long history of discrimination and exclusion that has a religious and socio-economic basis. Generally, they are regarded as second-class citizens in a community. (After the briefing, they will have to move to the Dalit colony on the outskirts of the village.) Dalits farm normally as other families do.

12. Some families may be landless. These families have to earn money by selling their labour to

assist other families with farming. Wages may be negotiated at whatever level is agreed. During the sowing season, members of landless families should stand behind the chairs of the families that have employed them, to indicate that they are working for them at this time. If a family employs a landless labourer, they will increase the production of your land. This production bonus should be entered at ‘e’ on the family accounts. The wages that you agree to pay to the landless labourer should be entered as a deduction at ‘f’. Only one labourer can work for a given family at any one time. There is not enough work to employ more than one labourer per family.

13. Landless families must attempt to negotiate work and wages before the sowing season during the first year, though they can take up negotiations for future years at any time once the simulation has started. If a landless labourer does not have employment by the time of the sowing season in a given year, then they do not work in that year. Landless families enter their wages at ‘a’ on their own tally sheets, while the employing family must pay them by marking an expenditure at ‘f’ on their tally sheets. Make sure that any wages agreed are actually paid by the end of the year. A family may make an agreement and then find that, because of unforeseen events, they do not have enough to pay the landless labourer what was agreed.

14. The head of the landless family can also go daylabouring outside the village, just as other

families can. If he/she chooses to do this, he must go to the daylabouring area and may enter a daylabouring wage of 150 at ‘e’.

15. There may be displaced families who move to your village. These families have been displaced

by the construction of dams and have been given grants of land by the government on the outskirts of your community. They may farm and interact with other villagers as normal, but may only attend village meetings if specifically invited. Your family depends for food on what you can produce from your fields. If you cannot produce enough, you will be short of food and hungry, and eventually malnourished. If you become malnourished, your resistance to infection will be lowered and you may suffer from some disease.

16. In order to be properly nourished and to remain healthy your family must eat at least 300 units per year. The chart (indicate Chart V) sets out the consequences of eating less than 300 units per year. If you eat less than 200 units you will be severely malnourished and will probably suffer from a serious disease. If you eat between 201 and 300 units you will be mildly malnourished and may get a mild disease. If you eat between 301 and 350units you have enough to eat, but not surplus. You are so hungry you eat it all. Only if you have more than 350 units will you

have more than enough to feed your family adequately. You can then carry the surplus about 350 forward to next year, and enter it in next year’s account at ‘c’. (Demonstrate in Chart IV).

17. The end of the year is indicated by three strokes of the bell. (Demonstrate and indicate Chart III).

18. If you are malnourished at the end of the year, you should ask the Assistant Organizer for a Malnutrition Card. On this you will read the nature of any disease and its consequences. When a family suffers from disease, its members cannot work on the fields properly. The consequences of the disease will therefore mainly be felt in reduced production for the following year. Enter them at ‘b’ for the next year. (Demonstrate).

19. As you can see, the Account form is laid out for the entry of running totals. It will make things much easier if you will please use this layout and enter the running totals. Otherwise, if you do get in a muddle or want to ask a question it is difficult for us to follow your figures. It is only necessary for one person in the family to keep the account.

20. If you are severely malnourished for three consecutive years, you will die of starvation. In that case, your family must withdraw from the Game.

21. On the other hand, if any family manages to accumulate a surplus of 1000 units they can use those units to buy refreshment for the members of the family.

Any questions?

22. Each family has a daughter. Your daughter will be ready for marriage during the 2nd and 3rd years of the Game. If she is not married during these years there will be a scandal. Then there will be social disapproval of your family and the village will ostracize them. There is a tradition in the village that any family that does not marry its daughter at the proper time will suffer for it.

23. Your daughter’s marriage will cost at least 500. If you wish to spend more you can do so. If she is not married by the end of Year 3, the cost of the marriage will go up 100 per year until she is married. Enter the cost of the marriage at ‘f’ in the appropriate year/s. (Indicate on Chart IV). For the purposes of the game, the marriage is not an event you have to roleplay and so nobody will actually leave the family; but for the marriage to go ahead you must pay 500 units at ‘f’.

24. After the monsoon each year you should calculate the total food available at ‘d’. Then, bearing

in mind any other commitments you may have such as the marriage, you can see whether you have enough food to feed your family adequately. If you do not have enough food, you have to decide whether to accept malnutrition and the consequences (Indicate Chart V) or whether to borrow some units.

25. There is a Money Lender who lives near the village. (Introduce Money Lender). (Introduce Goonda and indicate their house). Their house is located outside the village for practical reasons only. The money lender is a full member of the village and either he or his brother the Goonda may join in discussions in the village.

26. Your family can borrow from the money lender on whatever terms are available, and against whatever security he will accept. Please note that the money lender’s brother is an experienced Goonda, and he has the power to enforce any agreement you may make with him.

27. All negotiations with the money lender must be at his home. This is again for practical reasons. If your family wishes to negotiate with the money lender, any member of the family can visit him. The others should remain to sow the fields, etc. as the game will continue in the village. If a loan is taken from the money lender it should be entered at ‘e’ (Indicate on Chart IV).

28. Before you make a request from the money lender you are advised to show him submission. You may touch his feet, or express your submission in any way that seems suitable.

29. If you borrow from him, the money lender may send his brother to your house to check on any repayments which are due. These should be entered at ‘f’. (Indicate). His brother must be given access to your Annual Account.

30. You cannot have a negative amount of production at the end of the year. Anything left after pests or diseases and the effects of malnutrition can be used either to feed your family or repay loans or pay for your daughter’s weddings. If in a given year you cannot afford to repay a loan, then you just have to deal with the consequences.

31. The money lender has the power to prevent other lending in the village. So no family can lend

or borrow either units or fields from any other family. However any field can be bought from or sold to any family in the village at whatever price is agreed. If a family buys or sells any fields it must adjust the number that it sows. Any questions?

32. If any four families are malnourished at the same time, and appeal for relief can be made, either to the local Member of Parliament or to a local voluntary organization or to the local missionary. The heads of the four families have to decide to whom to appeal.

33. Events may also occur in the simulation that need the attention of the whole village. At these

times, a village meeting should be called. Heads of families only should attend the meeting and, as stated earlier, if the head of the family is daylabouring in a given year, he may not attend a village meeting. I will not generally tell you whether or not to call a village meeting, it is up to you to work out what events warrant it and how the village should respond.

34. During the game, different people and groups may enter the village. I will not generally introduce them to you, so you will have to find out who they are and what they are in the village for by yourself.

35. At times there may be an announcement. This will be indicated by four strokes of the bell

(Demonstrate). At that time please listen for an announcement.

36. Although you have 10 years listed on your family account sheets, this does not necessarily indicate how long the game will go for. We may finish before the 10 th year, or we may go longer, in which case I will hand out extra family accounts. So you shouldn’t make your plans or take out loans, assuming that we will finish in the 10 th year.

37. After the Game is over we will have tea and then we will discuss our experiences and what we have learnt.

Any questions?

The Organizer’s Responsibilities: In advance: ♦ Check that s/he understands the Game thoroughly ♦ Check that the materials are prepared and complete ♦ Check the place and plan the layout for the Game ♦ Designate Assistants, Money Lender and Goonda, and brief them thoroughly

Immediately before the Game: ♦ Put up Charts I – V (or write them on blackboards) where they can be seen during briefing and

play. (The glossary may also be put up.) After the players assemble: ♦ Introduce him/herself, the Assistants, and the Game briefly ♦ Designate or ask for an Observer, a Development Worker, a Reporter and a Family Planning

Worker if any ♦ Give the Development Worker and the Reporter their scenarios, and ask them to withdraw out

of earshot ♦ Brief the other players and introduce the Money Lender and Goonda ♦ Call for a grouping into families and oversee this. It may be worth suggesting that players sit

with people whom they don’t already know. ♦ Distribute the family badges. This will determine the number of fields each family has. ♦ Distribute the scenarios for families H and I, and for the landless if any. During the Game ♦ Strike the bell for the beginning of Year 1, and subsequently control the annual cycle with the

bell. ♦ Write the current year on the black board ♦ Draw the monsoon card after two strokes of the bell and announce the monsoon. ♦ Announce the annual events ♦ Oversee and help families filling out their annual account forms ♦ Receive applications from the development worker. See the sixth paragraph in the section “The

mood of the Game”. ♦ Receive appeals for relief from the heads of any four malnourished families. They can be offered

the choice of appealing to a local voluntary agency or the local member of the State Parliament. The appropriate set of cards should then be presented, face down, and one of the four should then draw a card. This can be read aloud to the village.

♦ Circulate the rumour cards ♦ Deploy and oversee the Assistant Organizers. The Organizer must understand the Assistant’s

responsibilities ♦ Influence the mood and tempo of the Game (including choosing when to bring the game to a

halt if it is not played for the full 10 turns) After the Game ♦ Conduct the debriefing ♦ Check that all materials have been collected.

The Assistant Organizers’ Responsibilities Copies of these instructions should be made and given to the two Assistant Organizers for reference during the Game itself. The Assistants should also study the whole manual beforehand. Assistant A ♦ Distribute one Annual Account form to each player before the briefing ♦ Arrange the positions of families A – G and J – K after the briefing. This should have been

decided ♦ with the Organizer beforehand. The distance between families should be 2 – 3 metres, and all

should be within easy earshot of the Organizer ♦ Help families fill out their Annual Accounts correctly. It is important that each family should

understand and use the form correctly during the early years of the Game before there are too many other distractions. It is also important that the running totals be calculated throughout. Spot checks should be made that events such as crop diseases are being correctly recorded.

♦ Distribute malnutrition cards at the end of each year. This should be done after the three strokes of the bell. The Assistant moves around the room asking each family how much food they have eaten in the past year, and where appropriate offering the set of mild or severe malnutrition cards, face down. One member of the family should draw a card. Some cards have to be read aloud and may affect the whole village. The Assistant may need to ask for attention and silence (four strokes of the bell). He and the Organizer can use their discretion as to how far to encourage families to seek (or give) contributions of epidemics are threatened. After the appropriate entries are made in the next year’s account, the card can be taken back, but drawn cards should not be returned to the set until the set is almost depleted.

♦ Adjust the sets of malnutrition cards if medical program is started. If a medical program is started, either by the Health Agency or the Development Worker, the appropriate number of medical program cards should be added to each set so as to represent the percentage reduction in disease.

♦ Substitute a Water-Supply card for a water-borne disease if a well exists in the village, or if the family has a water-tank.

♦ Warn the Organizer if any family has been severely malnourished for two consecutive years. It will be for the Organizer to decide whether to apply the ‘death and withdrawal’ rule strictly if the family continues to be severely malnourished for a third year.

♦ Penalize families that do not marry their daughters by the end of Year 3. The whole family should be moved some distance away from the village after the end of Year 3. Their distance from the village can be increased with each subsequent year the daughter remains unmarried. When she is finally married the family can return to the village, but the Assistant should check that the increased cost of the marriage is correctly recorded.

♦ Collect the family badges and other materials at the end of the Game. ♦ Be responsible to the Organizer and follow his/her instructions

Assistant B ♦ Visit Money Lender to check who has lost fields ♦ Arrange the positions of families H and I. This should be decided with the Organizer

beforehand. (Families H and I should sit separately from the other families to represent the Dalit section of the village. They should be within e arshot of the Organizer.)

♦ Arrange the circle of chairs in the centre of the room. The number of chairs placed in the centre of the room should correspond to the number of families, excluding families H and I. These chairs can be used by the heads of families during village meetings.

♦ Send any displaced families to their fields at the start of the game. ♦ Repeat the annual events for those who have not heard or understood it. ♦ Help families to fill out their Annual Accounts correctly. It is important that each family should ♦ understand and use the form correctly during the early years of the Game before there are

many other distractions. It is also important that the running totals should be calculated through out. Spot checks should be made that events such as crop diseases are being correctly recorded.

♦ Roll the dice when any family head travels to town to become a daylabourer. On a roll of 1, the family head should be given an ‘AIDS card’. For every subsequent year that the head of family does not choose to inform his family that he has AIDS, roll a dice to see if another family member contracts the disease on a roll of 1. After 4 years with the disease, the sufferer will die and should be notified by the assistant. The reason for this dice-roll should not be disclosed!

♦ Bring the Reporter into the village after Year 1. ♦ Bring the Development Worker into the village after the end of Year 1. ♦ ‘Sell’ refreshments to families that have 1000 surplus units. The family must deduct 1000 units

from their surplus. ♦ Take the dice to all families, except the dalits, if a well is sunk in the village and ask the head of

the family to throw the dice. The results of throwing the dice will be seen on Chart VI. ♦ Brief the displaced families (if there are any) and bring them into the game after Year 3. ♦ Put up Charts VI and VII after the end of Year 5 and Year 8 respectively. ♦ Sell the fields in Year 6, which fields, Auction – 50 units ♦ Be responsible to the Organizer and follow his /her instructions

Simpler distribution of responsibilities for assistant organisers (after playtesting, this has been found to be a preferable way to allocate the duties of the assistants.) Assistant A is given oversight of families A – F. Assistant B is given oversight of families G – M (including any displaced families). Other assistants may be required if there is a large number of families in the game. As well as assisting with set-up and pack-up, both assistants have the same responsibilities to the group of families each has oversight of: ♦ to help families with their accounts and assist them to make entries. ♦ to check families that are taking loans and ensure that they are making repayments. ♦ to check family eligibility to apply for loans. ♦ to penalise families that do not marry their daughters in the third year and to ensure that the

‘double entry’ with loans and marriages is made correctly. ♦ to roll the dice for every family head who works as a daylabourer and give the head of family

an AIDS card if a 1 is rolled. The reason for this dice-roll should not be disclosed! ♦ to hand out malnourishment cards to families (this will require a double set of cards to be

made.) ♦ to adjust the sets of malnutrition cards if medical program is started so that the appropriate

number of medical program cards are added to each set so as to represent the percentage reduction in disease.

♦ to substitute a Water-Supply card for a water-borne disease if a well exists in the village, or if the family has a water-tank.

♦ to warn the organiser if any family has been severely malnourished for two years in succession. ♦ to take dice to all families if a village well is sunk and to check the success or failure of the well

with the family (see Chart VI). ♦ to bring the reporter and development worker in after Year 1. ♦ to brief and bring in any displaced families. ♦ to assist in the auctioning of fields. ♦ to distribute political party signs during year 7. ♦ to assist in putting up charts at the appropriate time. ♦ to follow the Organiser’s instructions.

The Mood of the Game and Variations Apart from their specific responsibilities, the Organizer and Assistants may seek to give a particular direction and emphasis to the Game according to their own objectives and those of the players. Control over the tempo can be kept through the use of the bell. It may be advisable to keep the tempo up. Part of the learning is that farmers – far from sitting in rustic idleness for much of the year – are constantly contending with a press of events, rumours, decisions and deadlines. Therefore the Organizer need not hesitate to strike the bell 3 times (i.e. to bring the year to and end) before agreement is reached over matters such as the Medical Program or dealing with the landslide (Year 6) or the disaster relief (Year 8). This is near reality, because villagers find it difficult to reach agreement in such situations. Keeping the tempo up also makes for a more stimulating game. For the same reason it is important not to tell any of the players when the Game will end. On the other hand too great pressure on time prevents issues and conflicts being explored and discussed fully, and can reduce some of the learning. The following approximate timings have been recorded with typical groups playing the Game: Year 1 5 minutes from the first bell to the bell for the following year Year 2 4 “ Year 3 12 “ Year 4 8 “ Year 5 15 “ Year 6 10 “ Year 7 8 “ Year 8 20 “ Year 9 7 “ Year 10 1 “ As for the mood, it is often a ‘cheerful pessimism’; but the important thing is for the Organizer to watch the player’s attention and interest, and to use his/her discretion and opportunities for intervention accordingly. S/he should be aware in advance of the major events of the Game and in the year in which they come about. This requires studying the Annual Events before the Game. The length of the Game can also be varied, depending on the original objectives o f the group, and the mood during play. If it is evening and the players have already spent a day at work, their energy may flag by Year 6 or 7. Much of the learning of the Games is achieved even of the Game is ended after Year 7 or 8. However, if the game is ended before Year 10, the Organizer should decide which annual events should be included as creating the best learning outcomes for the group. The Development Worker’s applications, if any, can be used to control the mood of the Game, although it is probably best if his/her programs do not distort the other dynamics too far. The choice of program should be left entirely to the Development Worker; the Organizer is concerned only with actual applications to the Donor Agency. Such applications can be answered immediately, or only in the following year, or even later. They can be approved in full, or in part. Grants can be made immediately, or they can be made effective only from some specified subsequent year. Or the application can be refused or postponed, with comments such as: ”The Donor Agency’s priority is development not relief”, “This application can be considered if the families concerned (or the village) contribute 50 per cent of the cost”; “This village has had enough assistance already”; “This village already has had a well installed, it is not cost-effective to install water-tanks also”; “The well-drilling equipment is not able to reach the village this year due to flooding and damage to roads”; “The Donor Agency has no funds this year. Try again later”; or even “This application is confusing. Please clarify it and resubmit”. The Organizer can also make use of reminders. For example, players can be reminded about the possibility of selling fields, or appealing for relief when four families are malnourished. They can be reminded about the possibility of sinking further wells after Year 5. The Organizer can also

emphasize the possible consequences if there is the threat of an epidemic. On the other hand it is generally better to leave the heads of families to decide for themselves whether to call village meetings or not. Similarly it may be better not to suggest that the wealthy families should contribute more towards the welfare of the village. Such initiatives should be left with the players or the Development Worker. Another way of intervening, and adding to the interactions, is to pass round rumour cards from time to time. The Organizer can use discretion to introduce optimistic or pessimistic rumours and to draw in any families that seem to be outside the main interactions of the Game. Other changes can be made in the sizes of deductions in the Annual Events, or the deductions can be dispensed with, and the harvest declared normal for the monsoon from, say, Year 6. It is also possible to allocate initial balances and debts to families at the beginning of the Game. If debts are allocated, the families concerned and the Money Lender have to be informed of the terms of repayment. The addition of landless families may be best done when the Organizer is already familiar with the game; when the players number more than 40; and the interest of the group suggests it. If the group is large enough to make up, say 15 families, family K can be given 25 fields, L 15 fields, and families M, N and O can be landless. If you wish to guarantee employment for the landless families, additional scenarios can be written explaining that those with more than 5 fields cannot cultivate them unless they employ landless labourers year by year. The terms of employment can be left to those concerned, but all other requirements of the Game should be applied. Displaced families can be added when the group is large, but should also be done only when the Organizer is already familiar with the game. This can be a good way of incorporating latecomers. (An alternative way of incorporating latecomers is to send them to individual families to be briefed.) Displaced families enter the game en masse at any time and are forced to clear land before they can begin farming. This is done by clearing an area that has been strewn with newspaper and stacking the newspaper neatly in piles. Another possibility is the occasional event for individual families: the cost of educating children, a ceremony to be performed, the inheritance of another field, and so on. Some exhortation may be necessary to persuade all families to marry their daughters in time. The Assistants can be asked to help by going round and saying to those families, “People are beginning to talk about your daughter”, “You had better see if the Money Lender can help you out”, etc. In Year 3 itself the players can be reminded of the tradition in the village that disaster comes if customs are flaunted. If some families have still not married their daughters off by Year 4, the discretionary monsoon card can be used for a poor monsoon. The poor monsoon – and the consequent suffering of the village – can then be attributed to this failure to conform. This ‘persuasion’ should be combined with the ‘ostracism’ of the particular family or families that Assistant B will be arranging. However, it is good if a few families do not get their daughters married in time, as it opens up options for other learning through the arrival of the business-man in Delhi. Game Organizers are encouraged to make changes, adaptations and simplifications to Monsoon to suit their particular purposes and the requirements of particular groups. Scenarios for additional roles:

Money-Lender

1. You are a money-lender. You have a younger brother who can help you with part of your work.

2. You and your family are part of the village, but your ‘house’ is separate so that you can conduct your business without interruption. People who wish to borrow will come to you. All negotiations for loans must be done at your house.

3. Your objective is to make your family as rich as you can as quickly as you can.

4. You have a capital sum of 5000 units (or 10,000 if there are many players), but you do not have any fields to start with.

5. You can lend to farming families on terms agreed between you, but there are certain minimum rates of return, which are set out as per the sheet.

6. Once repayment rates are agreed, you should enter these in the appropriate years on your accounts sheet. You should also fill in a family loan agreement form for each family that takes a loan and give this to your brother. It is your brother’s job to ensure that the repayment schedule is adhered to and to enforce the consequences if it isn’t.

7. You can accept fields as security for loans and should make a note of how many fields each family has offered as security.

8. You may lend money to landless families, but they obviously cannot offer fields as security. Instead, if a landless family defaults on a loan repayment, they should be directed to provide one family member to you at a time of your choosing (ie. when you have fields of your own to farm) to work as a bonded labourer. This family member should work for you during every sowing season until the end of the game and may not receive any other income.

9. If loans are not repaid and fields come into your possession, you will be able to farm them. You and your brother do not farm fields directly, but must use village labour to assist you with this. There may be landless families who will do this work or you may extend the term of a family’s loan if a family member will work for you.

10. If you are also employing labourers who are not from the landless families, then for every 2 fields that you have, you will need 1 labourer. Consequently, for each family member that is labouring in your fields, that means 2 fewer fields of their own that the family can cultivate. You must explain this to them.

11. You are protected from malnutrition and its consequences on account of your non-farming wealth.

12. During the game, some families may irrigate fields through either a village well or a water-tank and pumpset. You can ignore these improvements themselves when arranging security for loans; fields will be either dry -land or irrigated, and can be valued accordingly. Irrigated fields produce roughly three times as much as dry-land fields. 13. Your brother will insist that people with requests show submission to you, for example by bowing or touching your feet. Unless they are submissive you should not deal with them, or should charge them higher rates.

14. You should arrange your ‘house’ so that you (and your brother) can recline comfortably, or sit behind a desk when receiving borrowers. Borrowers must either stand, or kneel on the floor, or sit on a stool. There should be no chairs for them.

15. Families H and I are Dalits. Their members may not talk with you if other people are waiting to talk with you. Other people may not realise this, and they should be asked to come forward.

16. If there are any displaced families in the village, the Government will have provided them with 5 uncleared fields which they will have to prepare for crops. Owing to your political connections, you have been able to gain the title to one field from each displaced family. Once the fields are cleared, your brother should take possession of these fields. Your family may then begin to farm these fields for yourselves.

17. You brother is an experienced Goonda, and will visit the village to collect any payments due to you. Borrowers should be clearly told this at the time of taking a loan.

18. When you wish to be represented in any discussion in the village, your brother must actually be present there before speaking. There can be no direct communication between your house and the village.

19. You are able to benefit from the irrigation effect of a village well and should roll the dice with the other families if a village well is sunk.

20. You have a daughter who must be married in Year 3, 4 or 5. Her marriage will cost at least 1000, which is more than any other marriages in the village. (You may like to inform other villagers of this heavy responsibility.) If you wish to spend more you may do so.

21. If you have sufficient funds your brother may bid for any fields that are auctioned.

22. There is no maximum rate of return on loans but the minimum rates and schedules are shown on the sheet. No loan may be extended over more than five years. Borrowers should be told this. The shorter the period the better. (Experience has shown that it is most practicable to use this pattern of lending for the Game, although it is not the pattern followed in reality.)

Loan in Year Repayments in Years A B C D E F

100

100 100

100

100 150

200

100 200

200

100 100 150

300

100 100 100 150 150

300

100 200 200

400

100 100 150 200 200

400

200 200 200

500 200 200 200 200

Money Lender’s Accounts

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Loans Given Loans Given Loans Given Loans Given Loans Given

Family Amount Starting Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Total (a) _______ Subtract Subtract Subtract Subtract Subtract total total total total total loans loans loans loans loans from from from from from starting starting starting starting starting total total total total total (a) - (b) (a) - (b) (a) - (b) (a) - (b) (a) - (b) Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____

Repayments Repayments Repayments Repayments Repayments Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Add Add Add Add Add total total total total total repay- repay- repay- repay- repayments ments ments ments ments to (c) to (c) to (c) to (c) to (c) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) Total (d) ________ _______ Total (d) ________ _______ Total (d) ________ _______ Total (d) ________ ______ Total (d) ________ _____

Money Lender’s Accounts

Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Loans Given Loans Given Loans Given Loans Given Loans Given

Family Amount Starting Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Total (a) _______ Subtract Subtract Subtract Subtract Subtract total total total total total loans loans loans loans loans from from from from from starting starting starting starting starting total total total total total (a) - (b) (a) - (b) (a) - (b) (a) - (b) (a) - (b) Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____ Total (b) ________ (c) ____

Repayments Repayments Repayments Repayments Repayments Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Family Amount Add Add Add Add Add total total total total total repay- repay- repay- repay- repayments ments ments ments ments to (c) to (c) to (c) to (c) to (c) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) (c) + (d) Total (d) ________ _______ Total (d) ________ _______ Total (d) ________ _______ Total (d) ________ ______ Total (d) ________ _____

Goonda 1. You are the money- lender’s brother. You can help with any part of the money-lender’s work which he asks you to do. 2. Your family is part of the village, but your house is separate so that you can conduct your money-lending without interruption. People who want to borrow will come to your house. All negotiations must be done there. 3. The objective of your family is to become as rich as possible as quickly as possible. 4. When people come to borrow they must show submission to the money- lender, for example by touching his feet. It is one of your jobs to see that they are submissive. 5. Families H and I are Dalits. Their members may not talk with you or the money-lender if other people are waiting. Other people may not realise this, and they should be asked to come forward. 6. You can visit the village and tout discreetly for custom among families in difficulties. However you should not discuss any requests, but should direct people to your house. 7. You should ‘collect’ the repayments due in the village by checking that borrowers have entered the appropriate amounts in the appropriate years in their Annual Account at ‘g’. For this purpose you will be given access to each family’s Annual account upon request. You should not discuss any request for postponing payments or for new loans, but should direct people to your house. 8. When your family wishes to be represented in any discussions in the village you must actually be present in the village before speaking. There can be no direct communication between your house and the village. 9. You are advised to oppose or subvert any suggestion of a health scheme, as this will be bad for your business. 10. If you acquire land and want to start cultivating it, you can visit the village and find labourers who will work for you. You are protected from malnutrition and its consequences on account of your non-farming wealth. 11. If you have sufficient funds you may bid for any fields that are auctioned. 12. It is your responsibility to keep the money-lender informed of events in the village, of repayments, of any fields acquired or purchased, of any expenditure, of any loans received, etc. 13. If there are any displaced families in the village, the Government will have provided them with 5 uncleared fields which they will have to prepare for crops. Owing to your political connections, your family has been able to gain the title to one field from each displaced family. Once the fields are cleared, you should take possession of these fields and inform each displaced family that they have one fewer fields to farm for the rest of the game. Your family may then begin to farm these fields for yourselves.

Family __ Amount loaned ________ Security offered _____

Amount due Paid? (y/n) Security taken ? (y/n)

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Family __ Amount loaned ________ Security offered _____ Amount due Paid? (y/n) Security taken ? (y/n)

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______


Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______


Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______


Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Year ______

Development Worker 1) You are a community development worker and have chosen to work in the particular village simulated in the game. 2) The other players in the game represent families who live in this village. 3) During the course of the game the village will pass through a series of consecutive years. 4) You may visit the village at any time after the 1st year. (This interval is simply to give the other players time to learn their roles in the game). The Assistant Organiser will inform you when the 1st year ends. 5) The villagers will not know who you are, nor why you have come. You will have to introduce yourself and explain your intentions. 6) You will also have to find out for yourself about the village, the villagers and their problems. You may wish to do this by speaking with people individually, but you may also wish to call a village meeting. 7) You have no financial or other resources yourself, but if you wish you can apply on one of the prescribed forms to a donor agency for ‘units’ for a program. These unit costs are borne by the donor agency, villagers do not have to pay (except in the case of the medical program, where they may make a contribution.) There are certain procedures of the donor agency to be followed:

a) An application must be submitted in writing. It should be handed to the organiser of the game. b) You will be informed of the agency’s decision on the application after some time. c) If you receive a grant you can use it only for the purpose requested. If you want to change the purpose you must apply again and wait for the agency’s decision. d) You can make more than one application, but only if you have spent or returned the previous grant.

8) You can plan any of the following possible programs:

a) Relief – up to 1000 units can be requested for direct distribution. If a grant is made, this program can be implemented immediately.

b) Medical – 1000 units can be requested for a medical program to build a small clinic and train village health workers. If this program is implemented it will reduce the risk of malnutrition and disease by 25%. However, if the village is willing to contribute another 1000 units, the risk can be reduced by 50%. If a grant is made, this program can become effective in the following year.

c) Education – 750 units can be requested to teach numeracy and literacy to village women, paying a trainer and providing basic reading and writing materials. You will need to designate a ‘classroom’ area to run this program. In the year this program is run, any family that participates will need to send one family member away to the designated ‘classroom’ and they will not be able to help in sowing or harvesting. The family will lose 60 units of production in that year. However, in each subsequent year, the family should gain units through extra productivity, better health, agricultural techniques and animal husbandry that have come as a result of these non-formal education classes.

d) Village water supply – An application can be made for 1 well to serve the entire village, costing 5000 units. For this grant to be approved, the village must nominate 5 people from separate families to form a Maintenance Committee. If the grant is approved these people will

need to spend some time in training, so their families must plant 1 fewer fields in that year. The well can be sunk in the year following this training period. A well will reduce the incidence of water-borne disease in the village. Additionally, families that are close enough to the well will be able to irrigate some fields and grow paddy. Paddy will normally produce 150 units, regardless of the quality of the monsoon. There is no way of telling which families will be close enough to the well until it has been drilled.

e) Household Water-Supply – An application can be made for 3 water-tanks and pumpsets costing 300 units each. One water-tank and pumpset will serve one family. If a grant is made these can be installed immediately, however each family that will benefit from these water-tanks and pumpsets must contribute the labour towards building them. This means that they will plant 2 fewer fields in the year they receive the water-tanks. With a successful water-tank and a pumpset, 2 fields can be irrigated. Also, a family that has a water-tank should experience a reduction in the incidence of water-borne diseases. f) Goat-breeding – An application can be made for a pair of breeding goats (or 2 pairs if the village has more than 10 families), costing 200 units each. Each pair is given to a single family for one year. At the end of the year, the family must return the breeding pair to the program and they may be loaned out to a new family and so on. The kids that the pair produce during the year belong to the family. The extra nutrition and income that these kids will provide through milking and further breeding will amount to 50 units per year for the remainder of the game.

9) Note that the outcome of most development projects cannot be predicted with total accuracy. You may encourage villagers to expect to see benefits in all cases, but should not offer greater certainty than is actually possible, nor promise benefits that may not be delivered.

Application to Donor Agency Program for which units are requested: Number of units requested: Year in which application is submitted: Additional information:

Donor Agency’s Decision The grant has/has not been approved Reason for disallowing (if applicable): Number of units granted: Phasing of the program: Additional comments / conditions:

Certificate of Completion This is to certify that ___________________________ has completed the Community Adult Literacy course and has passed all assignments and exams. Course topics covered:

• Basic literacy • Basic numeracy • Budgeting • Family planning • Nutrition • Agricultural extension • Sanitation & hygiene

The combination of these skills along with new-found confidence allows your family to earn 50 extra units each year. Enter at ‘e’.

Newspaper Reporter 1) You are reporter for the Deccan Herald, a local newspaper. 2) The newspaper has ‘adopted’ a village. 3) The other players in the game represent families who live in this village. 4) During the course of the game the village will pass through a series of consecutive years. 5) You may enter the village after the beginning of the first year. (This interval is simply to give the other players time to learn their roles in the game). The assistant organiser will inform you when the first year begins. 6) The villagers will not know who you are, nor why you have come. You will have to introduce yourself and explain your intentions. 7) You will also have to find out for yourself about the village, the villagers and their problems. 8) Your editor has instructed you to visit the village every year and write a report on the important events and changes there. 9) Your reports (or at least the headlines) are to be written on the paper displayed on the wall. Please write legibly!

Businessman 1) You are the owner of several business in Delhi. Some of them are legitimate, such as a ragpicking business (collecting scrap cloth and other materials, such as glass or tin, from the streets to be sorted, cleaned and recycled) and a cloth and garment manufacturing business. Some, however, are not legitimate, such as several brothels in the city. 2) You have travelled to the village in search of young women to work in your businesses (both the legitimate and illegitimate ones.) 3) You must find families who have an unmarried daughter and persuade them to allow their daughter to travel with you back to Delhi to work. To do this you may describe your legitimate businesses. You will have a sample of cloth or clothing to demonstrate your business. 4) If a family agrees to send their daughter with you, you will give them an immediate cash payment of 200 units (which they may enter at ‘e’). In each subsequent year they may enter a payment of 50 units at ‘e’ as their daughte r sends back part of her wages. 5) Many families will already have married their young daughter off. To make sure that they still have an unmarried daughter, check their family tally sheets – a payment of 500 at ‘f’ in Year 3 may represent the cost of the wedding. 6) You may enter the village at the beginning of year 4 and must leave by the end of year 5. Families must agree to send their daughters with you by the end of the year, otherwise the option to send them will lapse.

Family Planning Worker 1) You are a family planning worker. 2) You have to get 2 people to agree to sterilisation every year or you will lose your job. 3) You should explain the benefits of smaller families to your clients. 4) The Government gives 100 to each person who goes fo r sterilisation. 5) If someone agrees to go for family planning he/she has to sit on the steps outside for five minutes. It is your responsibility to see that he/she does this. The person may not re -enter the game until the 5 minutes is up. 6) Those who do this can add 100 to their Annual Account for the year concerned at ‘e’. 7) No more than 2 members from each family may accept sterilisation. Any other family members are not yet old enough. 8) You must keep records of your work. Your supervising officer may visit you and inspect your work and records at any time.

Tally of sterilisations performed in each year Family Name

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Total per family

Dalit Families 1) Yours is a Dalit family. You are members of the village, but your house is situated some distance from the others. 2) You may not initiate or attend any discussion in the village unless you are specifically invited to do so. 3) You may not bid if fields are auctioned, nor take the initiative in requesting relief. However, if relief or loans are made to all the families in the village you can also receive them. 4) If you visit the money-lender you must wait until everyone else has finished their business before you begin yours.

Landless Families 1) Your family owns no land. 2) You are full members of the village and may participate in village meetings. 3) The head of family may work as a daylabourer to earn income. 4) In addition, each member of the family may hire itself out to another family in the village as a

labourer. The wages to be paid are to be negotiated between both families. You may conduct these negotiations at any time during the year.

5) If a family member does not gain employment before the start o f the sowing season, then that family member does not work during the year and will earn no wages.

6) Negotiations for work may take place at any time during the year.

7) Each family member may only work for one family 8 ) Each individual in the family will increase the yield of your employer’s land by:

• 150 in a good monsoon • 110 in an average monsoon • 70 in a poor monsoon

9) The name of the family that is employing each member and the wages agreed for each should be

entered and totalled at (a) on your family’s account sheet. 10) If you work for the Moneylender, then you will be able to sow 2 fields for him with whatever

crop he chooses. You may negotiate a wage for this work or it might be part of a loan repayment.

Landless Family Contract & Account Sheet Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Familymember names

#1 ___________ #2 ___________ #3 ___________ #4 ___________ #5 ___________

Employing/Wage family ___/_______ ___/_______ ___/_______ ___/_______ ___/_______

Familymember names

#1 ___________ #2 ___________ #3 ___________ #4 ___________ #5 ___________


Familymember names

#1 ___________ #2 ___________ #3 ___________ #4 ___________ #5 ___________


Familymember names #1 __________ #2 __________ #3 __________ #4 __________ #5 __________

Employing/Wage Family ___/_______ ___/_______ ___/_______ ___/_______ ___/_______

Familymember names

#1 __________ #2 __________ #3 __________ #4 __________ #5 __________


(a) Total wages earned _______

_______

_______

_______

_______

(b) Enter consequences of any malnutrition or disease in previous year - ________

=________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

(c) Enter any surplus from previous year + ________ = ________

+ __________ = __________

+ __________ = __________

+ __________ = __________

+ __________ = __________

(d) Total food available this year = ________

= _________

= _________

= _________

= _________

(e) Enter any proceeds of + _________ daylabouring, = _________ loans, grants, gifts, etc

+ _________ = _________

+ _________ = _________

+ _________ = _________

+ _________ = _________

(f) Enter any loan repayments, cost of marriages, wells, bunds, etc. - __________ = __________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

(g) Food eaten by - __________ family this year = __________

- ___________ = _________

- ___________ = _________

- ___________ = _________

- ___________ = _________

(h) Surplus carried to next year (enter at ‘c’) ____________

___________

___________

___________

____________

Landless Family Contract & Account Sheet Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Familymember names

#1 ___________ #2 ___________ #3 ___________ #4 ___________ #5 ___________


Familymember names

#1 ___________ #2 ___________ #3 ___________ #4 ___________ #5 ___________


Familymember names

#1 ___________ #2 ___________ #3 ___________ #4 ___________ #5 ___________


Familymember names #1 __________ #2 __________ #3 __________ #4 __________ #5 __________


Familymember names

#1 __________ #2 __________ #3 __________ #4 __________ #5 __________


(a) Total wages earned _______

_______

_______

_______

_______

(b) Enter consequences of any malnutrition or disease in previous year - ________

=________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

(c) Enter any surplus from previous year + ________ = ________

+ __________ = __________

+ __________ = __________

+ __________ = __________

+ __________ = __________

(d) Total food available this year = ________

= _________

= _________

= _________

= _________

(e) Enter any proceeds of + _________ daylabouring, = _________ loans, grants, gifts, etc

+ _________ = _________

+ _________ = _________

+ _________ = _________

+ _________ = _________

(f) Enter any loan repayments, cost of marriages, wells, bunds, etc. - __________ = __________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________

- __________ = _________


- ___________ = _________

- ___________ = _________

- ___________ = _________

- ___________ = _________

(i) Surplus carried to next year (enter at ‘c’) ____________

___________

___________

___________

____________

Displaced Families 1) Your family has been moved from the village you once lived in because the area was flooded to make way for a hydro -electricity scheme. 2) You will be given 5 fields to farm a short distance away from the village. Farming should be done according to the family account sheet you will be given. 3) The head of family may also work as a daylabourer to earn income if you wish. 4) Before you are able to begin farming, you must clear the land of the rocks that currently render it unusable. To do this, all displaced families will need to move the ‘rocks’ into 20 neat piles of equal size. Until this is done, no farming is allowed.

5) You are allowed to attend village meetings in your new village, but may not speak unless you are specifically invited to and you may not vote on any village decisions even if they affect you.

4. Gameplay with Organizer’s Announcements Year 1 Start of sowing season:

• Families must decide which crops to plant . • Heads of family going daylabouring should leave the village. • landless labourers must stand with the family that is employing them.

End of Sowing season: Draw Monsoon card

Good Monsoon Parrots have eaten the maize. Deduct 40 per field of maize.

Average Monsoon Parrots have eaten the maize. Deduct 30 per field of maize.

Poor Monsoon Parrots have eaten the maize. Deduct 10 per field of maize.

End of year: • Those who went daylabouring should put their hands up and leave them up until one of

the assistant organizers has come around to roll a dice. • Those who are malnourished should put their hands up and leave them up until one of the

assistant organizers has brought around a malnourishment card.

Year 2 Start of sowing season:

• Families must decide which crops to plant . • Heads of family going daylabouring should leave the village. • landless labourers must stand with the family that is employing them.

End of Sowing season: Draw Monsoon card

Good Monsoon Rats have eaten the groundnuts. Deduct 60 per field of groundnuts.

Average Monsoon Rats have eaten the groundnuts. Deduct 30 per field of groundnuts.

Poor Monsoon Rats have eaten the groundnuts. Deduct 10 per field of groundnuts.

End of year:

• Those who went daylabouring should put their hands up and leave them up until one of the assistant organizers has come around to roll a dice.

• Those who are malnourished should put their hands up and leave them up until one of the assistant organizers has brought around a malnourishment card.


• Families must decide which crops to plant . • Heads of family going daylabouring should leave the village. • Landless labourers must stand with the family that is employing them. • This is the year in which your daughters should be married.

End of Sowing season: Draw Monsoon card Good Monsoon Stem-borer has attacked the maize. Stem borer gets worse year by year. If you did not grow maize at all last year, deduct 40 per field of maize this year. If you grew maize last year – any maize at all – deduct 60 per field of maize this year.

Average Monsoon Stem-borer has attacked the maize. Stem borer gets worse year by year. If you did not grow maize at all last year, deduct 30 per field of maize this year. If you grew maize last year – any maize at all – deduct 50 per field of maize this year

Poor Monsoon The monsoon is so poor that there is a drought. Production of all crops is reduced. Deduct 40 per field of maize; 20 per field of groundnut; and 10 per field of ragi

During the year: Government inspectors have visited the homes of families A, B, G and J and have discovered that these families have daughters of school age who are not attending school. They have directed these families to send their daughters to school. If the family chooses to send their daughter to school, she will not be able to contribute to productive work and the family will lose 30 production each year for the next two years. If a family chooses not to send their daughter to school, there are no consequences but the inspectors have warned that they may be fined if it is discovered they have not enrolled their daughter in school. End of year:




• Families must decide which crops to plant . • Heads of family going daylabouring should leave the village. • Landless labourers must stand with the family that is employing them. • Any family whose daughter did not get married last year, must move their seats one pace

towards the edge of the hall to symbolize the social exclusion they are experiencing .

End of Sowing season: Draw Monsoon card Good Monsoon

The maize seed, which was sold in the village, was adulterated. Deduct 40 per field of maize. Wild pigs have eaten some of the groundnuts. Deduct 40 per field of groundnuts.

Average Monsoon The maize seed, which was sold in the village, was adulterated. Deduct 30 per field of maize. Wild pigs have eaten some of the groundnuts. Deduct 30 per field of groundnuts.

Poor Monsoon The monsoon was so poor that there is a drought. If it is the second consecutive year of drought, maize and groundnuts are a total loss. Deduct 20 per field of ragi. Otherwise deduct 40 per field of maize, 20 per field of groundnuts, and 20 per field of ragi.

During the year: (use this event only if you do not have the businessman acting as a character in the game. Otherwise substitute one of the events from Year 6 or Year 7.) A businessman visits the village. He claims to have a prosperous rag-picking and clothing business in Delhi. He is prepared to pay a family 200 units now and guarantee an income of 50 units per year to any family who will send their unmarried daughter with him to Delhi. Villagers know of businessmen running brothels with girls and young women but this businessman has a sample of the clothes he claims his factory makes. If a family accepts the arrangement, they may enter a 200 unit payment at ‘e’ and then a 50 unit payment at ‘e’ every subsequent year. If the family has not decided by the end of the year, the businessman leaves and the family may not send their daughter to Delhi. End of year:




• Families must decide which crops to plant . • Heads of family going daylabouring should leave the village. • Landless labourers must stand with the family that is employing them.


Due to changes in Government policy, the price of grains has fallen. Deduct 30 per field of maize and 10 per field of ragi.

Average Monsoon Due to changes in Government policy, the price of grains has fallen. Deduct 20 per field of maize and 10 per field of ragi.

Poor Monsoon Due to changes in Government policy, the price of grains has fallen. Deduct 10 per field of maize and 10 per field of ragi.

During the year: A landslide has occurred. Thankfully, no one died in the incident, but one field belonging to Family D has been rendered unusable. Furthermore the road to the village has been seriously damaged at the point of the landslide. Until the road is repaired, all families in the village will lose 50 units each year (as a deduction at ‘f’.) because of lack of access to markets and necessary goods. To repair the road will require at least 6 labourers. Every family that provides a labourer will lose 100 units in the year that the work is done, but after that the road is repaired and no more losses are incurred. These labourers must go to the daylabouring area and their families must deduct 100 units at ‘f’ by the end of the year. End of year:

• If the road has not been repaired, then all families must lose 50 units this year and recalculate their nutrition status. If the road is repaired, there are no further consequences.






Leaf-spot has infected the groundnuts. Deduct 40 per field of groundnuts.

Average Monsoon Leaf-spot has infected the groundnuts. Deduct 30 per field of groundnuts.

Poor Monsoon The harvest is normal for the monsoon.

During the year: 1. Family E’s cattle have strayed in the fields of families F and H, and have eaten part of their crop. Families F and H must deduct 50 from this year’s production. Compensation can be negotiated. Any compensation must be entered at ‘e’ and ‘f’ respectively.

2. Assistant B is selling a dry land field. (The field can be auctioned by Assistant B. This is a useful device for focusing the attention of the players and dramatizing the disparities in wealth. However in reality fields would not be auctioned, but would be sold by mutual agreement in accordance with a variety of local factors. So, alternatively, those who wish to purchase can be asked to negotiate with Assistant B. Enter purchases at ‘f’). End of year:

• If the road has still not been repaired, then all families must lose 50 units this year and recalculate their nutrition status. If the road is repaired, there are no further consequences.






Thieves have stolen part of the maize and groundnut crops. Deduct 40 per field of maize and groundnuts.

Average Monsoon Thieves have stolen part of the maize and groundnut crops. Deduct 30 per field of maize and groundnuts.

Poor Monsoon The harvest is normal for the monsoon.

During the year: Party activists from one of the opposition parties have become active in the village, seeking membership and hoping to influence upcoming local elections. Due to low literacy rates in rural areas, all parties are represented by easily-recognizable symbols.

Families are asked to display prominently the symbol of the party they support on their house. Those who support the government party should display a wheel sign, while those who support the opposition party should display a scythe sign.

Families may choose not to display either sign.

End of year: • Those who went daylabouring should put their hands up and leave them up until one of

the assistant organizers has come around to roll a dice. • Those who are malnourished should put their hands up and leave them up until one of the

assistant organizers has brought around a malnourishment card.




The rain this year has been so heavy that there is flooding. Crops have been washed away. Deduct 60 per field of ragi, 80 per field of maize, 90 per field of groundnut and 100 per field of paddy.

Average Monsoon There is an epidemic among the animals, and the bullocks have died. Deduct 100 units.

Poor Monsoon The monsoon this year is so poor that there is drought. Production from all dry land fields is reduced. Deduct 20 per field of ragi; 40 per field of maize; 20 per field of groundnuts. Paddy will only produce 50 per field.

During the year: In view of the disaster the Government is giving a grant of 100 for each family. The head of family C, who is a member of the governing political party (or another family if C have chosen to display the opposition symbol), has been chosen to distribute the funds. He or she may distribute these funds, or even retain some of them, as they see fit. The decisions must be made before the end of the year. If you receive any relief enter at ‘f’. End of year:






Grasshoppers have attacked the maize. Deduct 40 per field of maize.

Average Monsoon Grasshoppers have attacked the maize. Deduct 30 per field of maize.

Poor Monsoon Grasshoppers have attacked the maize. Deduct 20 per field of maize.

During the year: Choose one of the families whose unmarried daughter went with the businessman in Year 4. Hand the head of the family the Year 9 supplement to read. (NB this additional event should be scheduled earlier if the game is not played for the full 10 years.) Year 9 supplement (to be read out loud by the head of the nominated family after 4 bell strokes) “Our unmarried daughter has returned from Delhi. She says that after working for a year in a garment factory she was forced to work as a prostitute in a nearby brothel. She was chained to a bed and beaten when she disobeyed. She recently became seriously ill with tuberculosis and was put out on to the streets. She was finally able to make her way home after begging and hitching lifts. She has not seen any of the other girls who travelled with her to Delhi (if there were any) after she was removed from the factory.” Year 10 Start of sowing season:


End of Sowing season: Draw Monsoon card Good, Average or Poor Monsoon The harvest is normal for the monsoon. This is the last year of the Game. Please calculate your family’s position at the end of the year. (Strike the bell three times to end the Year and the Game.)

Malnutrition, Relief and Rumour Cards And Charts Severe Malnutrition Cards 50 Cards of one colour (e.g. dark yellow) are needed for severe malnutrition and 50 of a related colour (e.g. pale yellow) for mild malnutrition. The texts of 30 of the severe malnutrition cards are given in the pages that follow. Each of these texts should be copied onto a card of the appropriate colour. In addition, 20 cards of the same colour should be prepared with the text given below. These cards are to be added to the set (approximately pro-rata for the reduction of risk of disease) only if and when any medical program is started in the village. (See Assistant A’s Responsibilities).

We have been saved from disease by the medical program. Mild malnutrition cards The texts of 30 mild malnutrition cards are given below. Each of these texts should be copied onto a card of the appropriate colour. Rumour cards Some suggested texts are given on the pages that follow. Others can be improvised. The texts should be copied onto cards. AIDS card The text given below should be written onto about 4 separate cards:

You have contracted HIV/AIDS, while working in town. Your family’s production will fall by 20 next year, by 40 the following year and so on. Because AIDS carries an enormous social stigma, you may choose not to inform your family of the real reason you have become sick. However, every year that you do not tell your family, there is a chance that someone else will contract the disease.

Education card The text below should be written onto about 6 separate cards:

You have received basic literacy and numeracy training and this has been the basis for lessons on health, nutrition, sanitation, agriculture and animal-rearing. Your family will benefit from 50 extra units each year thanks to your new knowledge. This should be entered at ‘e’.

Charts Chart I Put up before briefing the players. It should be large enough for everyone to see. If there are more than those listed, the chart will have to be extended. Families A, B, C, D 5 fields each E 7 fields F 5 fields G 8 fields H & I (Dalits) 5 fields each J & K landless L 10 fields M 4 fields N 6 fields O 12 fields P & Q landless R & S (Dalits) 5 fields each T landless U 10 fields V 5 fields W 7 fields X, Y, Z (Displaced) 5 fields each Chart II Put up before briefing the players. It should be visible from all parts of the village. Two copies, at either ends of the room, may be helpful. Poor Average Good Ragi 40 60 90 Maize 50 80 100 Groundnuts 30 90 120 Daylabouring (for head of family only) 150 regardless of monsoon quality but 2 fewer fields must be planted this year Chart III Put up before briefing the players. It should be large enough for everyone to see. 1 stroke of bell Beginning of sowing season 2 strokes of bell End of sowing season; monsoon; harvest 3 strokes End of year 4 strokes Announcement

Chart IV Put up before briefing the players. It should be large enough to be visible by all during the briefing itself. It may be beneficial to have this chart on overhead transparency. Year _____ Choice of crops Fields Production Ragi: ______ __________ Maize: ______ __________ Groundnuts: ______ __________ Paddy: ______ __________ Total = __________ (a) Enter any loss to crops from - __________

diseases, pests, drought, etc. = __________

(b) Enter consequences of any - __________ malnutrition or disease in any = __________ previous year.

(c) Enter any surplus from previous + __________ year . = __________

(d) Total food available this year. = __________

(e) Enter any proceeds of borrowing, + __________ selling land, grants, gifts, wages = __________ for daylabouring etc.

(f) Enter any loan repayments and - __________ cost of any marriages, wells, = __________ bunds etc.

(g) Food eaten by family this year - __________ = __________

(h) Surplus carried forward to = __________ next year (enter at ‘c‘)

Chart V Put up before briefing the players. It should be visible from all parts of the village. It may be helpful to have more than one copy. 351 + Surplus 301 - 350 Enough to eat, but no surplus 201 - 300 Mildly malnourished; risk of disease 0 - 200 Severely malnourished; risk of disease

If severely malnourished for 3 consecutive years - death from starvation. Withdraw from game.

If surplus of 1000 - refreshments for your family.

Chart VI Assistant should put up after the Development Worker establishes a village water-supply program. Well sinking Throw dice 1, 2 Family is close to well – 2 fields are irrigated 3, 4 Family is some distance from well – 1 field is irrigated 5, 6 Family is too far away from well to irrigate any fields N.B. Dalit families (and displaced families) are too far away from the well to benefit from any irrigation.

5. DEBRIEFING The debriefing is an essential part of the game. It gives players an opportunity to discuss their experience, to exchange perceptions, to extract learning and insights, to share them and to relate them to the real world. The debriefing is best done with the whole group. It should be informal but it may be helpful if the Organiser or the Observer guides the discussion by asking questions and mentioning topics. The Observer should also describe his/her observations and impressions. As far as possible, the learning should be related to the village reality. It is useful to utilise the reporter’s headlines as a basis for some of the discussion. At least the reporter should be asked what seemed to him/her to be the ‘big’ stories in the village. The following topics can be discussed: 1. The overall objective/message of the game. What does it show?

2. What did it feel like to be a farmer? The multiplicity of forces acting on farmers and their relative importance. Is the farmer in control of his own life? If not, is this due to natural or man-made causes? Did players find it easy or difficult to accept dependency?

3. How were people’s view of poverty and its causes influenced by the game?

4. The degree of individualism or cooperation in the village and the reasons for it. Did any leadership emerge in the village? What was the e ffect of leadership or lack of leadership?

5. The role of the Money-lender? Was he friend or exploiter? What did people feel when visiting him? How much profit had he made by the end of the game? How does a money-lender operate in reality?

6. What happened to families which had more land? How many fields – dry and wet – and how many units – with or without having spent on refreshments – did all families have by the end of the game? Did the rich get richer? And the poor get poorer? What led to this?

7. What effect did successful wells have? And dry wells?

8. What was the Development worker’s view of the village? What were his/her feelings about what he was able to do there? What was his experience of the donor agency?

9. What was the villagers’ view of the Development worker? Was he/she relevant and able to help? What was the effect of any development program that was started? Was the whole village helped or only individuals? Were the programs seen to belong to the Development worker or to the village? Was there any prospect for long-term change in the village through the Development worker’s work?

10. How did the villagers feel about other external agencies and institutions, such as government, charities, newspaper? Did these have much influence on village life?

11. Which families participated in the non-formal education classes? What was the effect of this?

12. How did the Dalit families feel? What did others feel about them?

13. What was the experience of landless families? How did they survive? 14. What was it like to be a displaced family? Did they feel like they managed to integrate effectively in their new environment? How were they treated?

15. Did people know what was going on all the time? Did they get all the information they needed? Was the information accurate? Did people miss chances because they were not properly informed? Were there any rumours in the village? What effect did rumours have?

16. What effect did the daughter’s marriage have? What did anyone who was ostracised feel?

17. Did anyone send their unmarried daughters with the businessman in year 4? Why or why not? How did they feel when they did this? How did people feel when one daughter returned?

18. Were the daughters of families A, B, G & J sent to school? Why/why not?

19. Did the village arrange to have the road repaired? How did they do this?

20. Did the bund proposal go ahead? Why/why not? How were different families affected?

21. What did people feel about the role of family C in year 8? What did family C feel and do?

22. What happened when family E’s cattle strayed?

23. Did any families buy extra fields?

24. Which crop did people find was best to plant?

25. Did those with sick children spend to have them treated? How did they feel about that? Was there any difference over the treatment of boys and girls?

26. What happened when there was a threat of epidemic? What were the main health concerns in the village?

26. Did any families receive sterilization? Why? How did you feel about this? What are the cultural, economic and social factors that contribute to large family sizes?

27. Did the heads of any families travel to town to work as a daylabourer? How did they and the family come to this decision? What were the consequences of this? Why?

28. What were the village’s main problems? How far did these problems represent reality?

29. What are the possibilities for change in the village? What is needed most for change?

6. TEAR LINKS In following on from the simulation, it is good to highlight the work of TEAR partners who are actively involved in integrated rural community development which incorporates health, agriculture, education, sanitation and environmental initiatives. A good example of this is UMN’s work in Nepal. Involvement with TEAR’s partners supports community-based development which addresses the needs of communities like the one represented in the simulation.

TEAR’s video “Beyond Survival” 2001 focuses on UMN’s work in Mugu district in Western Nepal and is available for loan from the TEAR office.

TEAR’s “Really Useful Gift Catalogue” is also a valuable tool for following on from playing Monsoon. There are numerous examples in the catalogue of projects with positive impact on poor rural farming communities such as the one simulated in Monsoon. It also provides a simple, practical response that participants can make immediately.

It is also important to encourage Biblical reflection on people’s experiences and learning. Useful Bible passages to reflect on include: ♦ Deuteronomy 24:10-22 ♦ Psalm 146 ♦ Isaiah 58:5-11 ♦ Matthew 25:31-46 ♦ Luke 12:13-34 ♦ Acts 4:32-35 ♦ 2 Corinthians 8-9 ♦ 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Connections need to be made not only between these passages and behaviour of people in the simulation, but to our contemporary priorities and lifestyle as well.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Choice of crops

Ragi: Maize:

Groundnut: Paddy: Total:

Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

(a) Enter any loss to crops from diseases, pests, - ____________ droughts, etc. = ____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

(b) Enter consequences of any malnutrition or disease - ________ in previous year = ________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

(c) Enter any surplus + __________ from previous year = __________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

(d) Total food available this year = ___________

= _____________

= _____________

= _____________

= _____________

(e) Enter any proceeds of daylabouring, wages, + ___________ loans, grants, gifts, etc. = ___________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

(f) Enter any loan repayments, cost of marriages, - __________ wells, wages paid, etc = __________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________


- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________


____________

____________

____________

____________

Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Choice of crops

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

Ragi: Maize:


Fields/Production

____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________ ____/________

(a) Enter any loss to crops from diseases, pests, - ____________ droughts, etc. = ____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

(b) Enter consequences of any malnutrition or disease - ________ in previous year = ________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

(c) Enter any surplus + __________ from previous year = __________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

(d) Total food available this year = ___________

= _____________

= _____________

= _____________

= _____________

(e) Enter any proceeds of daylabouring, wages, + ___________ loans, grants, gifts, etc. = ___________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

+ _____________ = _____________

(f) Enter any loan repayments, cost of marriages, - __________ wells, wages paid, etc. = __________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________


- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________

- _____________ = _____________


____________

____________

____________

____________

Severe Malnourishment Cards One of our family has leprosy. The prejudice against leprosy is so strong that he is staying at home instead of working in the fields. Treatment takes a long time. We must deduct: · 20 next year · 10 the following year

One of our family has leprosy. The prejudice against leprosy is so strong that he has been asked to leave the village. Without his help we will be unable to cultivate our fields properly. Treatment takes a long time. We must deduct: · 30 next year · 20 the following year

The head of our family has tuber-culosis. He no longer has the strength and stamina needed for farming. Treatment and recovery take a long time. We must deduct: · 30 next year · 20 the following year · 10 the year after that


READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “Our family’s plight has come to the notice of a local church. If we are willing to listen to talks about Christianity, the pastor will give us enough food to save us from malnutrition and disease this year. If we are not willing, we will risk a severe disease.” (And must take another card)

READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “Our family has caught cholera. Treatment for the family will cost 100, to be paid next year. If the disease is not treated, one of the family will die. (One member will have to withdraw from the game.) In addition, if the disease is not treated, there will be an epidemic and other people in the village will catch it. Each family will then have to spend 50 next year on treatment.” We must decide what to do

SS Water Water--borne diseaseborne disease READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “A local temple is offering free meals for anyone who requests them. If we are willing to go to the temple every day we will be given enough food to save us from malnutrition and disease this year. If we are not willing, we will risk a severe disease.” (And must take another card)

READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “Our family’s plight has come to the notice of a local charity. If we are willing to be photographed holding out our bowls, the president of the trust will put enough food in them to save us from malnutrition and disease this year. If we are not willing, we will risk a severe disease.” (And must take another card)

READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “Our family has caught typhoid. If the disease is not treated, there will be an epidemic. Other people in the village will catch it. Families A, B, C (and our own) will each lose 50 next year. If the disease is treated, there will be no epidemic, but treatment and loss of production next year will cost us 150.” We must decide what to do

READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “Our family has caught typhoid. If the disease is not treated, there will be an epidemic. Other people in the village will catch it. Families D, E, F (and our own) will each lose 50 next year. If the disease is treated, there will be no epidemic, but treatment and loss of production next year will cost us 150.” We must decide what to do

READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “Due to unclean drinking water our family has gastro-enteritis. We must deduct 40 next year. Gastro-enteritis is contagious, and the neighbouring family to our left also gets the disease. That family must deduct30 next year.” We must decide what to do. SS Water Water--borne diseaseborne disease

READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “The children in our family have caught measles, which is a serious disease when they are malnourished. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 40 next year. Measles is highly infectious and the children of our neighbours on either side have caught it from our children. These families must deduct 40 next year.”

The head of our family has tuber-culosis. He no longer has the strength and stamina needed for farming. Treatment and recovery take a long time. We must deduct: · 40 next year, · 30 the following year · 20 the year after that


The head of our family has tuberculosis. He no longer has the strength and stamina needed for farming. Treatment and recovery take a long time. We must deduct: · 50 next year, · 40 the following year · 30 the year after that

The head of our family has tuber-culosis. He no longer has the strength and stamina needed for farming. Treatment and recovery take a long time. We must deduct: · 30 next year, · 20 the following year · 10 the year after that


READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “The children in our family have caught measles. The doctor says it is a serious disease when they are malnourished. He says treatment will cost 30. However, people in the village say that measles is a divine visitation and need not be treated at all.” We must decide whose advice to rely on


READ ALOUD TO THE VILLAGE “The children in our family have caught measles. The doctor says it is a serious disease when they are malnourished. He says treatment will cost 30. The priest says that measles is due to the anger of a goddess. He offers to perform a religious ceremony which will satisfy her. This will cost 20.” We must decide whose advice to rely on

“Our youngest son has protein-calorie malnutrition. If we want to have him treated and restored to health and normal growth, it will cost 60. If we do not (or cannot) afford this, he will survive, but his growth may be permanently damaged. If we decide upon treatment, we must deduct 60 next year.”

“Our youngest daughter has protein-calorie malnutrition. If we want to have her treated and restored to health and normal growth, it will cost 60. If we do not (or cannot) afford this, she will survive, but her growth may be permanently damaged. If we decide upon treatment, we must deduct 60 next year.”

“Our youngest girl has protein-calorie malnutrition. If we want to have her treated and restored to health and normal growth, it will cost 40. If we do not (or cannot) afford this, she will survive, but her growth may be permanently damaged. If we decide upon treatment, we must deduct 40 next year.”

“Our youngest son has protein-calorie malnutrition. If we want to have him treated and restored to health and normal growth, it will cost 60. If we do not (or cannot) afford this, he will survive, but his growth may be permanently damaged. If we decide upon treatment, we must deduct 60 next year.”



Due to insufficient and contaminated food our family has gastro-enteritis. If it is not treated we must deduct 40 next year. To travel to the nearest hospital to pay the fees and buy the medicine will cost 30 to be paid next year. A travelling doctor offers to sell us a cure for 20. We must decide which alternative to choose

Due to contaminated drinking water our family has terrible dysentery. If it is not treated we must deduct 30 next year. However they say that there is an old woman in the village who knows an ancient remedy for dysentery. If we can find her quickly we may be cured. SS Water Water--borne diseaseborne disease

Although our family is severely malnourished we have not caught any disease this year.

Although our family is severely malnourished we have not caught any disease this year.

Moderate Malnourishment CardsModerate Malnourishment Cards Our family is deficient in Vitamin A. We all have night blindness. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our family is deficient in Vitamin B. Our children have mouth sores and the adults have backaches and joint pains. We must deduct 10 next year.

Our family is deficient in Vitamin A. We all have night blindness. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our family is deficient in Vitamin B. Our children have mouth sores and the adults have backaches and joint pains. We must deduct 10 next year.

Our family is deficient in Vitamin D and calcium. They have rickets and need extra time and attention. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our family is deficient in Vitamin D and calcium. They have rickets and need extra time and attention. We must deduct 20 next year.

The spring where we go for drinking water has become dirty. We have caught dysentery. Without enough food we have little resistance to disease. We must deduct 20 next year.

SS Water Water--borne diseaseborne disease





Due to insufficient and contaminated food, our family has diarrhoea. We must deduct 10 next year.



Our family has intestinal worms. Norm-ally there is enough food for us and the worms, but now food is scarce. We must deduct 10 next year.

Our family has intestinal worms. Norm-ally there is enough food for us and the worms, but now food is scarce. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our family has intestinal worms. Normally there is enough food for us and the worms, but now food is scarce. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our family is deficient in iron. With repeated pregnancies, the mother of our family has become anaemic. She cannot work efficiently. We must deduct 30 next year.



The children of our family have a mild attack of measles. If we look after them properly it will take time. If we do not look after them they will suffer more but eventually will recover. If we decide to look after them, we must deduct 20 next year.

The children of our family have a mild attack of measles. If we look after them properly it will take time. If we do not look after them they will suffer more but eventually will recover. If we decide to look after them, we must deduct 30 next year.

Our children have no resistance to infections. They are suffering from coughs, colds and flu. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our children have no resistance to infections. They are suffering from coughs, colds and flu. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our children have no resistance to infections. They are suffering from fever. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our children have no resistance to infections. They are suffering from whooping cough. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our children have no resistance to infections. They are suffering from fever. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 20 next year.

Our children have no resistance to infections. They are suffering from whooping cough. Looking after them takes time. We must deduct 20 next year.

The fodder from our crops was poor this year. As a result our cow has become malnourished. She will not give us milk next year. We must deduct 30 next year.

The fodder from our crops was poor this year. As a result our bullocks have become malnourished. They cannot plough our field properly. We must deduct 30 next year.

Although our family is malnourished we have not caught any disease this year.

Although our family is malnourished we have not caught any disease this year.

Medical Program CardsMedical Program Cards We have been saved from disease by the medical program.

We have been saved from disease by the medical program.







Government and Charitable Relief CardsGovernment and Charitable Relief Cards For use if at least 4 malnourished families apply for relief. The local Member of Parliament has visited the village. He promises that relief food will arrive soon.

The local Member of Parliament belongs to the party in power, but this village voted for another candidate at the last election. He will not do anything for your village.

The local Member of Parliament has arranged for some relief. The money-lender is a member of the same political party. He has received 1000 units ‘for the relief of distressed families’. He can distribute this in whatever way he chooses, including the settlement of debts. If your family receives any relief, enter it at ‘f’.

The local Member of Parliament belongs to the party in opposition. He cannot obtain any relief for you.

The local Member of Parliament has approached Government and some relief food is coming. But by the time the food reaches the village, there have been so many ‘deductions’ that there are only 20 units for each malnourished family. Enter at ‘f’

According to rumour, the voluntary organisation has appealed on behalf of the village to a foreign donor agency. It seems that relief will be coming soon.

This village has a reputation for being uncooperative and backward! Organisations are not willing to start any relief program here.

The voluntary organisation has appealed on behalf of the village to a foreign donor agency. The agency’s representative has visited the village; but the agency is not willing to help you. Conditions are not bad enough, they say.

The voluntary organisation has appealed on behalf of the village to a foreign donor agency. The agency has made a rapid decision and some relief food, at least for the children, is available. Every malnourished family in the village will receive 100 units. Enter at ‘f’

The local voluntary agency is sympathetic to the village’s plight but it doesn’t have enough staff to organise a program.

AIDS and Rumour cardsAIDS and Rumour cards The AIDS cards are given if a head of family contracts the virus while daylabouring (1 in 6 chance). Rumours are given at the Organizer’s discretion. You have contracted HIV/AIDS while working in town. Your family’s production will fall by 15 next year, 30 the following year and so on until production loss reaches 60 at which point the head of family dies. The family must then plant 2 fewer fields permanently until the end of the game. Because AIDS carries an enormous social stigma, you may choose not to inform your family of the real reason you have become sick, however every year that you do not do so, there is a chance that someone else in the family will contract the disease.

You have contracted HIV/AIDS while working in town. Your family’s production will fall by 15 next year, 30 the following year and so on until production loss reaches 60 at which point the head of family dies. The family must then plant 2 fewer fields permanently until the end of the game. Because AIDS carries an enormous social stigma, you may choose not to inform your family of the real reason you have become sick, however every year that you do not do so, there is a chance that someone else in the family will contract the disease.

It seems that the development workers have a lot of money for the families in the village, but they are keeping it for themselves instead of giving it to the people.

They say that after year 7 Government is going to cancel all debts with the money-lender

Any people who claim to be development workers are really tax officials. When they have found out everything about the village they are going to impose heavy taxes on you.

Other families have been given food and money secretly by the development worker. Your family should also be given some food and money.

Many people have died during the sterilisation operation but the family planning workers pretend that it is safe.

The Government and some large foreign companies are planning to build a giant dam for hydroelectricity in Year 6. The dam will flood the land your village is on and everyone will be forced to move.

The Government is planning an export drive and will pay double for crops of maize this year.

There is going to be a heavy Government tax on groundnuts this year.

Water Supply CardsWater Supply Cards

S Clean water supplyClean water supply Thanks to the provision of clean, safe

drinking water. Your family is safe from the effects of disease.



















Monsoon CardsMonsoon Cards

Good MonsoonGood Monsoon



Average MonsoonAverage Monsoon



Poor MonsoonPoor Monsoon



DiscretionaryDiscretionary

Indian Drinks and Sweets to have with Monsoon

CHAI Ingredients 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom 4 cups water 3 teaspoons tea leaves 2 ½ tablespoons sugar 2 ½ cups milk Method In a saucepan boil water and cardamom together for about 5 minutes. Add tea leaves and cook 3 minutes more. Lower heat, add sugar and stir until it dissolves, then pour in milk. Simmer for 10 –15 mins before serving. Strain into cups. Makes: 6 cups. BURFI Ingredients ¾ cup butter 1 ¼ cups sugar 1 ½ cups fresh milk 3 ½ cups powdered milk 1 cup desiccated coconut Pistachio nuts (optional) Method Melt butter. Add sugar and milk together. Add the fresh milk, stir and bring to the boil on medium heat. Lower heat and add powdered milk, a little at a time. Keep stirring and add coconut and nuts. When all the powdered milk is added, stir to remove all lumps. Use an electric beater if necessary. Lightly butter a rectangular or square biscuit tray. Pour Burfi mixture onto the tray and refrigerate. When cold and hard, remove Burfi form tray and cut into small diamonds. If desired, sprinkle finely chopped pistachios on top. BANANA FUDGE Ingredients 2 small bananas 4 cardamom pods 25g butter 75g semolina 50g brown sugar 3 tablespoons water 100g creamed coconut 1 tablespoon flaked almonds Method Mash the bananas with a fork and crush the cardamom. Put to one side. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the semolina. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, until the semolina turns a golden brown. Stir in the bananas. Mix the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the creamed coconut and stir until it is completely mixed into the liquid. Add the semolina and banana mixture and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly.

When the mixture thickens and comes away from the sides of the pan, spoon it into a greased tin and spread evenly. Sprinkle with crushed cardamom seeds and flaked almonds and push down into the fudge. Leave the cool and keep in the fridge. Cut into 2cm serves to serve. Makes about 30 squares. MILKY RICE BISCUITS Ingredients ½ cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons nutmeg salt (if desired) 2 cups rice flour ½ cup milk up to ½ cup powdered milk if needed Method Heat oven to 180oC Cream together butter, sugar, nutmeg and any salt. Add flour and milk and mix to a stiff dough. If the dough does not seem stiff add milk powder as needed. Heap teaspoons of dough onto greased biscuit tray and flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in flour to stop it sticking. Make biscuits as thin as possible. Bake for 10 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown. Makes: about 4 dozen

COCONUT CRUNCHIES Ingredients: 1 cup sugar ½ cup water 3 cups grated coconut ¼ teaspoon cardamom 3 eggs 2 cups uncooked cream of wheat Method Combine sugar and water in saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes to make a thin syrup. Add coconut and cardamom and cook over low heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool. Add eggs and cream of wheat to cooled mixture. Mix well. Preheat oven to 190oC. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake 5-10 mins, until golden brown. Makes: 4 – 5 dozen Other snacks Popcorn Spicy snack mix (from Indian shops) Pan-Roasted Soy Seeds Samosas Chapatis

Family A

5 fields

Monsoon

Family A

5 fields

Monsoon

Family A

5 fields

Monsoon

Family A

5 fields

Monsoon

Family A

5 fields

Monsoon

Family B

5 fields

Monsoon

Family B

5 fields

Monsoon

Family B

5 fields

Monsoon

Family B

5 fields

Monsoon

Family B

5 fields

Monsoon

Family C

5 fields

Monsoon

Family C

5 fields

Monsoon

Family C

5 fields

Monsoon

Family C

5 fields

Monsoon

Family C

5 fields

Monsoon

Family D

5 fields

Monsoon

Family D

5 fields

Monsoon

Family D

5 fields

Monsoon

Family D

5 fields

Monsoon

Family D

5 fields

Monsoon

Family E

7 fields

Monsoon

Family E

7 fields

Monsoon

Family E

7 fields

Monsoon

Family E

7 fields

Monsoon

Family E

7 fields

Monsoon

Family F

5 fields

Monsoon

Family F

5 fields

Monsoon

Family F

5 fields

Monsoon

Family F

5 fields

Monsoon

Family F

5 fields

Monsoon

Family G

8 fields

Monsoon

Family G

8 fields

Monsoon

Family G

8 fields

Monsoon

Family G

8 fields

Monsoon

Family G

8 fields

Monsoon

Family H

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family H

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family H

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family H

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family H

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family I

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family I

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family I

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family I

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family I

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family J

Landless

Monsoon

Family J

Landless

Monsoon

Family J

Landless

Monsoon

Family J

Landless

Monsoon

Family J

Landless

Monsoon

Family K

Landless

Monsoon

Family K

Landless

Monsoon

Family K

Landless

Monsoon

Family K

Landless

Monsoon

Family K

Landless

Monsoon

Family L

10 fields

Monsoon

Family L

10 fields

Monsoon

Family L

10 fields

Monsoon

Family L

10 fields

Monsoon

Family L

10 fields

Monsoon

Family M

4 fields

Monsoon

Family M

4 fields

Monsoon

Family M

4 fields

Monsoon

Family M

4 fields

Monsoon

Family M

4 fields

Monsoon

Family N

6 fields

Monsoon

Family N

6 fields

Monsoon

Family N

6 fields

Monsoon

Family N

6 fields

Monsoon

Family N

6 fields

Monsoon

Family O

12 fields

Monsoon

Family O

12 fields

Monsoon

Family O

12 fields

Monsoon

Family O

12 fields

Monsoon

Family O

12 fields

Monsoon

Family P

Landless

Monsoon

Family P

Landless

Monsoon

Family P

Landless

Monsoon

Family P

Landless

Monsoon

Family P

Landless

Monsoon

Family Q

Landless

Monsoon

Family Q

Landless

Monsoon

Family Q

Landless

Monsoon

Family Q

Landless

Monsoon

Family Q

Landless

Monsoon

Family R

5 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family R

5 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family R

5 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family R

5 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family R

5 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family S

4 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family S

4 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family S

4 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family S

4 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family S

4 fields

Dalit family

MonsoonMonsoon

Family T

Landless

Monsoon

Family T

Landless

Monsoon

Family T

Landless

Monsoon

Family T

Landless

Monsoon

Family T

Landless

Monsoon

Family U

10 fields

Monsoon

Family U

10 fields

Monsoon

Family U

10 fields

Monsoon

Family U

10 fields

Monsoon

Family U

10 fields

Monsoon

Family V

4 fields

Monsoon

Family V

4 fields

Monsoon

Family V

4 fields

Monsoon

Family V

4 fields

Monsoon

Family V

4 fields

Monsoon

Family W

7 fields

Monsoon

Family W

7 fields

Monsoon

Family W

7 fields

Monsoon

Family W

7 fields

Monsoon

Family W

7 fields

Monsoon

Family X

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family X

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family X

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family X

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Y

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Y

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Y

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Y

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Y

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Z

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Z

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Z

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Z

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family Z

5 fields

Displaced family

Monsoon

Family AA

5 fields

Monsoon

Family AA

5 fields

Monsoon

Family AA

5 fields

Monsoon

Family AA

5 fields

Monsoon

Family AA

5 fields

Monsoon

Family BB

5 fields

Monsoon

Family BB

5 fields

Monsoon

Family BB

5 fields

Monsoon

Family BB

5 fields

Monsoon

Family BB

5 fields

Monsoon

Family CC

5 fields

Monsoon

Family CC

5 fields

Monsoon

Family CC

5 fields

Monsoon

Family CC

5 fields

Monsoon

Family CC

5 fields

Monsoon

Family DD

5 fields

Monsoon

Family DD

5 fields

Monsoon

Family DD

5 fields

Monsoon

Family DD

5 fields

Monsoon

Family DD

5 fields

Monsoon

Family EE

7 fields

Monsoon

Family EE

7 fields

Monsoon

Family EE

7 fields

Monsoon

Family EE

7 fields

Monsoon

Family EE

7 fields

Monsoon

Family FF

5 fields

Monsoon

Family FF

5 fields

Monsoon

Family FF

5 fields

Monsoon

Family FF

5 fields

Monsoon

Family FF

5 fields

Monsoon

Family GG

8 fields

Monsoon

Family GG

8 fields

Monsoon

Family GG

8 fields

Monsoon

Family GG

8 fields

Monsoon

Family GG

8 fields

Monsoon

Family HH

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family HH

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family HH

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family HH

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family HH

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family II

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family II

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family II

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family II

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family II

5 fields

Dalit family

Monsoon

Family JJ

Landless

Monsoon

Family JJ

Landless

Monsoon

Family JJ

Landless

Monsoon

Family JJ

Landless

Monsoon

Family JJ

Landless

Monsoon

Family KK

Landless

Monsoon

Family KK

Landless

Monsoon

Family KK

Landless

Monsoon

Family KK

Landless

Monsoon

Family KK

Landless

Monsoon

Family LL

10 fields

Monsoon

Family LL

10 fields

Monsoon

Family LL

10 fields

Monsoon

Family LL

10 fields

Monsoon

Family LL

10 fields

Monsoon

Family MM

4 fields

Monsoon

Family MM

4 fields

Monsoon

Family MM

4 fields

Monsoon

Family MM

4 fields

Monsoon

Family MM

4 fields

Monsoon

Family NN

6 fields

Monsoon

Family NN

6 fields

Monsoon

Family NN

6 fields

Monsoon

Family NN

6 fields

Monsoon

Family NN

6 fields

Monsoon

Family OO

12 fields

Monsoon

Family OO

12 fields

Monsoon

Family OO

12 fields

Monsoon

Family OO

12 fields

Monsoon

Family OO

12 fields

Monsoon

Family PP

Landless

Monsoon

Family PP

Landless

Monsoon

Family PP

Landless

Monsoon

Family PP

Landless

Monsoon

Family PP

Landless

Monsoon

monsoon simulation game - michigan state universityeheilman/iss/simluation/monsoon-edit.pdfthe...

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