The most difficult part is writing the paper. I have a ton of information and insight, but it is always difficult to start, especially when I must still decide precisely how to approach the information at hand. I've been doing research for hours, trying to find general information on NGOs in India and specific information on the role that women play in grassroots organizations. This has been difficult because Wofford does not carry much information on this topic. After searching I found nothing too helpful which is available here, but have a list of books to find elsewhere. I believe most can be found at Barnes and Noble or the public library so I am going to take trips there to look through some of these books for the information I need.
I am trying to organize my thoughts about the specific three organizations that I studied while in India. I feel that I learned a lot about the internal workings of each, but must decide what is most important and how to present it.
At the moment I am thinking of writing the first portion about NGOs in India in general, specifically details such as: the biggest problems in India, how NGOs have (or have not) addressed these issues, how the presence of NGOs has effected India, the complexity of issues like poverty and women's rights in India, the limitations of NGOs, and the trend for NGOs to be grassroots organizations run by women. The second portion will deal with the complexity of the interworkings of NGOs. This deals with the character itself of NGOs. Here I will use the 3 organizations that I looked into as case studies.
I'd also like to note that I read the first chapter of Edward Luce's In Spite of the Gods, and found it very interesting and relevant. The first chapter deals with the economic system and changes that India has undergone since independence which shed light on how so many have been left behind in the modernization movement. Unlike China, where the development has been labor intensive, India's growth has been capital intensive because of the tight laws and restrictions on businesses in India. Because of this, development is not creating more jobs which is what India really needs. He also mentioned how many, because of the legacy of Gandhi, are convinced that the villages are the key to India. This, unfortuantely, is not plausible anymore because the population continues to grow and plots of land are getting smaller. Many villagers must migrate to cities or travel there for odd jobs to feed their families because farming cannot provide for them anymore. So few in India are a part of this growth, yet even a small percentage of the population is equivalent to millions of people, and therefore, makes India look strong. It is interesting that we are considering the rise of India as a world power when the majority of the country is illiterate! The role that NGOs play in filling in the needs that are left behind by the government is important, but ultimately change with government leadership is vitally important.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Jan 25 Finally Home!
Note: Today I posted two blogs. A blog from sunday that I wrote in the airport and this one from yesterday. For some reason my computer has had a hard time re-adjusting to internet in the US so I couldn't post at first.
Monday
Today was a relaxing day. The time difference has me pretty tired. I got up and mostly took it easy today. Lots of things are really strange. I was only gone for 3 weeks, but India is so different than the US that it is more strange being back this time than when I was in Europe for a semester. The traffic is so orderly and here I can drink the water and flush toilet paper in the toilet. I took a long warm bath today which was amazing then got out into a room warmed by central heating! I was in a great mood all day because I realized how amazing my life is. I am so unbelieveably thankful for my life here! The main thing I've been thinking of is that if I grew up in India as someone in the lower middle class I probably wouldn't have an education or being doing any of the things that I've been able to do. That's an exciting and tough thought. Its wierd to think that I did nothing to deserve these things. Simply by growing up in the US I have been exposed to great opportunity. It could have been very different.
One thing very apparent in India is that people do not just sit around content with where they are. They are always trying to get ahead, to work to improve their situation. There is a strong spirit here. People take advantage of every opportunity. Americans/Westerners tend to be lazy. We have so much but try to escape working hard at anything. Many of the wealthiest people in our societies do very little, but make the most by having others do the work. Almost every American has access to higher education, but so many do not take advantage of it simply because they don't feel like working! How selfish and unwise! Children in India are desperate for a chance to get out of their situation and many know that education is the key to that, but so mnay don't have access or opportunity. One sixth of the world's population lives in India and about 3% have been affected by the prosperity of India over the last few years. It is so hard to get ahead there. That's been a good lesson for me. Seeing the strong and resilient spirit of India has reminded me that I must take advantage of the opportunities around me. If we don't, Indians will continue to take our jobs overseas.
Today I reviewed some of my information, but mostly took a day off to process all that happened. Tomorrow I am going to make a plan for the project and start on it. I've got 6 days to get it all together.
Jan 24 Coming Home
I am really not sure what time it is or what day it is here. It's sunday I guess because I'm supposed to be home on sunday! I’m sitting at a Starbucks in the Chicago O’Hare airport enjoying a coffee. I only had coffee a few times in India and it was never very good. Normally I am an avid coffee drinker so seeing this was refreshing! I’ve got a pretty long layover; about 4 hours and I never sleep in airports when I am alone so I am occupying the time a number of ways. I love to take walks around airports and look in the shops, mostly because I know that once I am on the flight I can move around much. There doesn’t seem to be much around here though so I figured I’d write a blog. Between packing and leaving India and then of course the huge time difference I’ve missed a day or maybe two of blogging (sorry Dr. DeMars).
My last day of work was very sad! I’ve included some pictures below but the videos I have are the best to look at. I realized that over those 3 weeks which were frustrating at times, I had really grown to love them. Each of them was unique and precious. Some who were especially difficult to handle had the worst family situations. I almost cried as we left. I’d especially grown close to several children. I had 4 kids by the end who just loved me. My favorite little girl always made me smile because she was so cute. The way she talked was hilarious and she was so tiny and full of energy. She has the most beautiful eyes. Her parents put eyeliner on her eyes to keep the bad spirits away so they stood out. Another was a tiny boy who I described before in a blog as the smartest of the little kids. He also has a smile that will melt your heart instantly and loved to show me his artwork, to which I would exclaim “Shabash!” or “Bahut acha!” The girl before who I described as looking like Cindy Loo Who with the squeaky shoes would have tickle wars with me. And a little boy who at first I did not like so much warmed my heart by the end. He hits other kids a lot so I would get frustrated with him, but he decided he liked me and would always shove other kids over to sit beside me. We became buddies by the end. The saddest part is when we left the children said goodbye as usual, not understanding that we wouldn’t be coming back.
Mobile Creches
The end of my trip was good because by the last day I was prepared to leave. A part of me was definitely sad to go, but I was also very excited to get home. On the last day I had the last meeting for my project at 1:00. I was very impressed with the women I spoke with and with the organization. I had been working with Mobile Creches for three weeks and did not know much of the information that they shared with me. I think that CCS should provide more information to volunteers about the placements they work at to enhance their knowledge about what their work is really contributing to. I was also happy with the interview because these women took me seriously and seemed to enjoy the interview. Some of the other organizational leaders did not seem to do so. I spoke with Shruti Joshi, the director of field operations, and a manager of one of the urban settlements. Both were amazing women. There many many oppressed and uneducated women in India, yet Mobile Creches is mostly run by strong, educated women.
After introduction my first question was about the strength/unique factor of Mobile Creches. Mrs. Joshi had a very long answer to this question. She said that first, few organizations concern themselves with education of children from 0-6 years old, but studies show that the years before the age of 6 are important years in child development. Many children are not academically stimulated at all before this point, making it even more difficult to learn at age 6, which is legal schooling age in India. Mobile Creches also works with mostly the migrant population of India (migrant workers’ children) which is difficult because this group is highly unstable and mobile. This makes it very hard to MC to record its impact. They see 5 to 6 thousand children each year at their sites, but at any given day only 12 to 14 hundred show up. Many times a child will be there for only a limited time; sometimes only days. This is frustrating for them because it makes it difficult to record success, and makes budget management really tough. Still, MC believes that even if they help a child for only days it is well worth it because for those few days the child will get 3 meals and care. Additionally they both mentioned that the loyalty of employees was a huge strength. MC has existed for over 40 years (since 1969) and about 85% of the staff have been there for 25 to 30 years. Many begin as teachers and move up to work in the higher ranks. This has allowed for the consistency and long-jevity of the NGO.
I learned that MC has 18 centers at constructions sites, 8 centers in urban settlements, and they also work to facilitate programs run independently by builders and contractors at their own construction sites. At the construction sites, MC largely funds the centers but they will never go to a site where the contractor is not cooperating and where there is no infrastructure. Contractors must contribute financially, but this is usually minimal. At the urban centers MC train women in the community to run the centers on their own. Here children have to pay 100 rupees a month to attend because the women are paid directly by this. There is also a large advocacy sector but this mostly operates separately from the particular sites. They advocate for children to the builders and contractors then they also work at the ministry level. MC has been part of the 11th 5 year plan of INDIA??? To make contributions regarding child’s rights. They work at the national level with other NGOs and independently to advocate for children through legislation and other means.
I’ve asked almost every one that I have spoken to about the impact that NGOs have made in Delhi. I’ve gotten some similar answers, but Mrs. Joshi’s answer was different and insightful. She said that NGOs realized that the government is the largest agency to bring aid and change so NGOs work makes the government more responsible and responsive. The government tends to choose short-term concerns over long-term ones, often bringing problems such as the lack of planning for city beautification projects for the coming Commonwealth games which has led to an influx of migrant workers who have nowhere to live. NGOs, through advocacy and projects, challenge the government to see and react to problems it had ignored. She also added that when she worked in Africa she saw the lack of civil society under dictatorship and realized how strong self-help movements are in India and how they influence the government
A Summary of My Research
The organizations that I looked at in-depth were Cross Cultural Solutions, Mobile Creches and Vidya. I am happy with the amount of information that I was able to gather in those three weeks. All 3 were different so it was neat to see the ways that they were similar and different. I’ve also been looking at the impact of NGOs more generally India, which of course is somewhat limited by the contacts that I came across, yet pretty consistent. CCS was the organization I was volunteering through so I was able to get a grasp of what they do and how they do it. I worked at a site of Mobile Creches for 3 week and was able to speak with 2 women from the main office. VIdya was very interesting to me because I has several different contacts who provided different information. Daniel Lala, a former CCS volunteer, has independently taken over at a site of Vidya which has been mostly ignored by Vidya even though he is not paid to do so. He has worked there for 3 years and comes up with most of the funding for that site and has single-handedly set up several successful programs there. He provided a lot of insider information for my project. Anne, a volunteer at CCS who is finishing her 3rd month volunteering at Vidya, also provided a perspective. She mostly mirrored a lot of the things that Daniel suggested. Then I spoke with the vice-chairperson who had a very different outlook. As Daniel pointed out, she rarely visits the site so she actually does not know too much about what goes on there on a day-to-day basis. These 3 organizations have provided interesting case studies for me to look at.
Last Day
On my last day in Delhi I was a bit sad because both of my roommates (and 2 of my favorite volunteers)
Anne and Heather, were out of town on a trip to the Ganges. Most of the others left before me either Friday night or earlier on Saturday. After my meeting at MC I went to some markets with Jake. We ended the day at a sweet shop where we got some kind of mousse cake and ate it while we ate back, arriving right in time for dinner.
As Jake pointed out to me on Saturday night: I accomplished everything that I came to do! I got to speak with the people that I wanted (with one exception), I had a meaningful time working with children from the slums, I learned a lot about India, I got to do and see the things that I wanted to in Delhi, and I made some great friends. It was an amazing trip.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Jan 21
I am completely amazed right now that I am in India. What an interesting time to be here! With all of the talk about the rise of India to the world stage it is fascinating to be here seeing this country. Its confusing and complex. As Edward Luce who writes for Fiinancial Times wrote in his book In Spite of the Gods; “No visitor to India can fail to notice the juxtapostition of great human deprivation with its deeply religious culture.” Many are hypnotized by the spiritual elements of India, but these exist among the reality that suffering exists all over. For a country with a high economic growth rate there are so many people who have been left behind in all of the changes. The wealth gap is growing. There are many very wealthy people in India, but a large majority of the population lives in terrible conditions…only around 50% of the women are literate and in many cases this only means that they can write their name. There is a vast business of child prostitution. The vast majority of the population lives in poverty. Many children do not go to school because they simply see no value in it; they have to work alongside their parents to feed the family. India is in need of reforms. India is also beautiful and neat and has traditions which go back beyond much of Western civilization.
RESEARCH
I feel pretty good about my project now. I have spoken with numerous people about NGOs and the role that they play in society. Yesterday I talked to people from Pappan Kalan (a slum where Vidya has a project), Mala (the vice-chairperson of Vidya), and Bella (the director of CCS India and co-founder). Today I met with Daniel again to talk some more about Vidya and specifically Pappan Kalan. Tomorrow I will meet with someone from the YMCA and then Saturday I will meet with someone from Mobile Creches.
In the conversations I’ve had already I have asked each person how they think that the surge of NGOs in Delhi has affected the city. Since independence NGOs have sprung up in India, but over the years there has been lots of growth. People responded to the question differently, but it is clear that most people in the city he encountered an NGO and would recognize this term, even if they do not know much about what NGOs are. NGOs ha definitely had a positive effect in the community. The vast majority are grassroots organizations, because as Mala said, Indians know best what problems are in their community. For instance, Mobile Creches started when a woman saw children playing at a construction site where their parents were working, doing nothing constructive. She had the idea to open centers to care for children and feed them while their parents work so that they will be cared for and be doing something useful which can open opportunities for them. Likewise the founder of Vidya saw several young girls in her neighborhood playing outside each day and not going to school. She started teaching them on their porch in the mornings and this led to her opening schools for children in the slums.
NGOs do a vast number of things in India, but schooling is a big issue. Government schools can only take so many children and many children from lower classes do not have the money to buy school supplies or bus fare to get to school. Many children from the slums do not go to school because in their mind they do not see the benefit for doing so. Organizations like Vidya send social workers out to teach parents and children of the lowest caste the importance of education for providing new opportunities beyond their current environment. They have programs to get children back in school and to teach them at the standards of the government schooling. Someone told me of a book which talks about this parallel education which has arisen in India from private schools and NGOs.
Womens issues are also very important and there are various NGOs which work towards women’s empowerment in a country where women still are seen as lesser citizens by many. Interestingly in the upper castes, women are seen much of the time as equals to men and have powerful jobs in government and in businesses. There is a woman president in India right now and there have been several women prime ministers. Among the lower castes though women are greatly oppressed. This comes from a lack of education. Many men do not want their wife to become literate. If she can sign her own name she gains power apart from him. There has been a lot of progress in women’s rights (the constitution has seen them as equals from the beginning) but there is still much to be done.
Additionally there are many other NGOs which do things from promoting eco-friendly policies to battling AIDS and working with handicapped people. NGOs have provided many services that the government cannot provide or chooses not to. We had a speaker come to talk to us today about the economy of India and he told us that the reason that many of the problems in India exist are because the government is so corrupt. Only 3% of the population pay taxes for instance, and much of the money collected goes into the pockets of officials rather than to the government. There again comes this gap- India has developed nuclear weapons, yet most of the country works in unskilled labor. Three people fill a job which should take only one worker. There are not enough jobs to go around, yet India brags of its large labor force as a strength. There are many problems which are being ignored rather than solved, making the role of NGOs important in India.
Still, it is illogical to claim that the impact of NGOs has been only good. At times NGOs create dependency. Daniel talked to me about Vidya today and pointed out that many of the microskills programs which teach people a skill such as sewing to enable them to create goods that they can sell for profit, create dependency on the NGO rather than the independence that they claim to provide. This is because the NGO will teach people then give them a market to sell to, and instead of encouraging them to create their own entrepreneurial co-ops or to find their own markets, they will take the comfortable route and continue to produce for the NGO. The NGO then becomes a business and profits from the people it has trained who cannot sell their goods apart from it. Also, some businesses create NGOs only so that they will get certain benefits from this status. NGOs must empower people and then after a necessary period of time leave them to do things on their own. Many NGOs have good intentions but actually stunt the growth of the people that they wish to empower. The impact of NGOs has mostly been positive, but of course there are always drawbacks.
Looking into Vidya and working with Mobile Creches has given me insight into how incredible these organizations can be, but also has taught me of the politics that goes into it. People working see things very differently. Those in charge paint a pretty picture of the organization and those who get their hands dirty tend to reveal the shortcomings and limitations of the organization. It is good to see both sides because it enhances understanding about the organization. In most cases the organization really does have good intentions and wishes to address whatever issue is at hand, but obviously with any group execution of a project will have its limitations and weak points.
RESEARCH
I feel pretty good about my project now. I have spoken with numerous people about NGOs and the role that they play in society. Yesterday I talked to people from Pappan Kalan (a slum where Vidya has a project), Mala (the vice-chairperson of Vidya), and Bella (the director of CCS India and co-founder). Today I met with Daniel again to talk some more about Vidya and specifically Pappan Kalan. Tomorrow I will meet with someone from the YMCA and then Saturday I will meet with someone from Mobile Creches.
In the conversations I’ve had already I have asked each person how they think that the surge of NGOs in Delhi has affected the city. Since independence NGOs have sprung up in India, but over the years there has been lots of growth. People responded to the question differently, but it is clear that most people in the city he encountered an NGO and would recognize this term, even if they do not know much about what NGOs are. NGOs ha definitely had a positive effect in the community. The vast majority are grassroots organizations, because as Mala said, Indians know best what problems are in their community. For instance, Mobile Creches started when a woman saw children playing at a construction site where their parents were working, doing nothing constructive. She had the idea to open centers to care for children and feed them while their parents work so that they will be cared for and be doing something useful which can open opportunities for them. Likewise the founder of Vidya saw several young girls in her neighborhood playing outside each day and not going to school. She started teaching them on their porch in the mornings and this led to her opening schools for children in the slums.
NGOs do a vast number of things in India, but schooling is a big issue. Government schools can only take so many children and many children from lower classes do not have the money to buy school supplies or bus fare to get to school. Many children from the slums do not go to school because in their mind they do not see the benefit for doing so. Organizations like Vidya send social workers out to teach parents and children of the lowest caste the importance of education for providing new opportunities beyond their current environment. They have programs to get children back in school and to teach them at the standards of the government schooling. Someone told me of a book which talks about this parallel education which has arisen in India from private schools and NGOs.
Womens issues are also very important and there are various NGOs which work towards women’s empowerment in a country where women still are seen as lesser citizens by many. Interestingly in the upper castes, women are seen much of the time as equals to men and have powerful jobs in government and in businesses. There is a woman president in India right now and there have been several women prime ministers. Among the lower castes though women are greatly oppressed. This comes from a lack of education. Many men do not want their wife to become literate. If she can sign her own name she gains power apart from him. There has been a lot of progress in women’s rights (the constitution has seen them as equals from the beginning) but there is still much to be done.
Additionally there are many other NGOs which do things from promoting eco-friendly policies to battling AIDS and working with handicapped people. NGOs have provided many services that the government cannot provide or chooses not to. We had a speaker come to talk to us today about the economy of India and he told us that the reason that many of the problems in India exist are because the government is so corrupt. Only 3% of the population pay taxes for instance, and much of the money collected goes into the pockets of officials rather than to the government. There again comes this gap- India has developed nuclear weapons, yet most of the country works in unskilled labor. Three people fill a job which should take only one worker. There are not enough jobs to go around, yet India brags of its large labor force as a strength. There are many problems which are being ignored rather than solved, making the role of NGOs important in India.
Still, it is illogical to claim that the impact of NGOs has been only good. At times NGOs create dependency. Daniel talked to me about Vidya today and pointed out that many of the microskills programs which teach people a skill such as sewing to enable them to create goods that they can sell for profit, create dependency on the NGO rather than the independence that they claim to provide. This is because the NGO will teach people then give them a market to sell to, and instead of encouraging them to create their own entrepreneurial co-ops or to find their own markets, they will take the comfortable route and continue to produce for the NGO. The NGO then becomes a business and profits from the people it has trained who cannot sell their goods apart from it. Also, some businesses create NGOs only so that they will get certain benefits from this status. NGOs must empower people and then after a necessary period of time leave them to do things on their own. Many NGOs have good intentions but actually stunt the growth of the people that they wish to empower. The impact of NGOs has mostly been positive, but of course there are always drawbacks.
Looking into Vidya and working with Mobile Creches has given me insight into how incredible these organizations can be, but also has taught me of the politics that goes into it. People working see things very differently. Those in charge paint a pretty picture of the organization and those who get their hands dirty tend to reveal the shortcomings and limitations of the organization. It is good to see both sides because it enhances understanding about the organization. In most cases the organization really does have good intentions and wishes to address whatever issue is at hand, but obviously with any group execution of a project will have its limitations and weak points.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Jan 20
I made progress today! Today I talked with several people. I went to Pappan Kalan which is the site of Vidya where Daniel works. Interestingly, Pappan Kalan is basically a slum created by the government. Several years ago the government of Delhi moved a lot of migrant workers who were essentially homeless, living in tents under the bridge outside of the city. Initally there were shacks and tents but over the years a village was built. I wish I could show you what it looked like. Its difficult to explain anything to people who have not seen something. Basically it’s a neighborhood with lots of small homes (basically apartments) all crowded together. The conditions and construction are terrible! There is very little room between the buildings, just small roads which most run perpendicular to each other creating squares. Mostly it is a Muslim community. The apartments were painted various colors on the outside. The tiny muddy, filthy streets were crowded with people, especially children, and stray dogs. Dogs are rarely made pets in India so there are tons of stray dogs all over the city. They are very dirty, but the children here play with them in the muddy, littered streets. Even though it was really cold most of the children didn’t wear shoes. Its not that they don’t have shoes of their own or that they could borrow, but many just don’t know that shoes should be worn when its cold. Anne told me that there is a woman in her class that has frostbite on several toes, but doesn’t understand that it could go away if she’d keep her feet warm with socks! General health standards that we know are just non-existent here! Its so surprising! There was a baby standing alone outside in the street with no pants or socks on. The homes are very tiny. Still, there was something about the neighborhood that was cute. It was buzzing with people. Indians are very relationship oriented. They know their neighbors and are always walking around chatting with each other. Something about the neighbor was nice. But it was a mess.
Pappan Kalan is a project of Vidya, and several other NGOs work there as well. There are between 2,000-3,000 people crammed in there. Vidya has several classes for children. They have to pay ten rupees to attend each month and the goal is to get the kids smart enough to get back into government school. Many kids in the slums drop out of school because they don’t see the use of it, they aren’t encouraged at home, and/or they help their parents out by working instead. Vidya tries to get kids back in school and to give them a good education so that they can have more opportunities. It also has programs for women. At Pappan Kalan there is a sewing class which is also a class for women’s empowerment. They have discussions which help women to see that they actually can do quite a lot of things and have potential to do things in the future. After talking to Anne who explained the background of Pappan Kalan I traveled to the Vidya head office to talk to the vice-chairperson of Vidya.
It was interesting to speak with Mala because her perspective of Vidya was slightly different than that of Anne and Daniel. Of course she told me of how great Vidya is and of all the programs it has. The biggest need that the NGO has is money. There are so many programs it runs in several locations that it is very limited by the funds it has. Anne told me that she thinks Vidya spreads itself too thin. Mala told me that there are several donors including GE which I am going to look more into. There are no partners in the community, but there are donors mostly from the U.S. that contribute to the projects. Vidya has programs in these areas: education, adult literacy, skills programs, health programs and empowerment. I will include more details from this interview in my blog tomorrow.
I was also able to finally talk to Bella today. The interview was great but it came after 8 or 9 attempts to meet with her! I will include more details about both tomorrow but I do not have the time to do so today. Today has been very busy and tonight we had a farewell program for all of the volunteers leaving after this week. I am exhausted and I’ve got to get up early again for work.
Pappan Kalan is a project of Vidya, and several other NGOs work there as well. There are between 2,000-3,000 people crammed in there. Vidya has several classes for children. They have to pay ten rupees to attend each month and the goal is to get the kids smart enough to get back into government school. Many kids in the slums drop out of school because they don’t see the use of it, they aren’t encouraged at home, and/or they help their parents out by working instead. Vidya tries to get kids back in school and to give them a good education so that they can have more opportunities. It also has programs for women. At Pappan Kalan there is a sewing class which is also a class for women’s empowerment. They have discussions which help women to see that they actually can do quite a lot of things and have potential to do things in the future. After talking to Anne who explained the background of Pappan Kalan I traveled to the Vidya head office to talk to the vice-chairperson of Vidya.
It was interesting to speak with Mala because her perspective of Vidya was slightly different than that of Anne and Daniel. Of course she told me of how great Vidya is and of all the programs it has. The biggest need that the NGO has is money. There are so many programs it runs in several locations that it is very limited by the funds it has. Anne told me that she thinks Vidya spreads itself too thin. Mala told me that there are several donors including GE which I am going to look more into. There are no partners in the community, but there are donors mostly from the U.S. that contribute to the projects. Vidya has programs in these areas: education, adult literacy, skills programs, health programs and empowerment. I will include more details from this interview in my blog tomorrow.
I was also able to finally talk to Bella today. The interview was great but it came after 8 or 9 attempts to meet with her! I will include more details about both tomorrow but I do not have the time to do so today. Today has been very busy and tonight we had a farewell program for all of the volunteers leaving after this week. I am exhausted and I’ve got to get up early again for work.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
JAN 19 Preparing
MY PLACEMENT
Today was the best day at work so far. It was wonderful. The children were great. Before my main frustration came from my desire to contribute but lack of ability to do so. Now that I am on the same page as the teacher it is very different. Today I was prepared. I brought worksheets that I made yesterday pertaining to counting and fruits and the teacher liked them and so did the children. The sheets really challenged them and directly related to what they were doing. There were not many kids today so all age groups were combined. The main teacher sat in the middle of the group and they were pretty quiet because they are as intimidated by her as I am. When a child would giggle or have a bit too much fun she would say a few words in Hindi and all of the children would get silent. She can strike fear in the hearts of people of all ages. I just moved around and helped the children work. They love to show me their work because unlike most of the teachers I act very excited to see what they have done and I praise them a lot.
I don’t know most of the names because they have difficult names to pronounce, so unfortunately I can’t distinguish by name. There is one girl (my favorite) who wears eye liner everyday. She is beautiful. When she smiles I just want to hug her. She is precious, but especially dirty. She is always covered in snot or smells like pee. Apparently parents put eye liner on children because it is supposed to scare evil spirits away. The smartest kid of the younger group is a cute, tiny boy who is always smiling. When the other kids are coloring purple and pink tomatoes and refusing to count he always colors things the precise colors, stays in the lines, and answers my questions. One girl looks just like an Indian Cindy Loo Hoo (from How the Grinch Stole Christmas). She has squeaky shoes. She will put them on and stomp around, grinning. Even though its annoying its cute. Other kids take the squeakers out sometimes though and that makes her cry. Though they drive me crazy sometimes I can already tell that I am going to miss them.
RESEARCH
Today I called the YMCA and have an appointment to meet with someone on Friday afternoon. I will confirm that tomorrow. Again Bella could not meet with me. Today the excuse was that it is her birthday. She promised to talk to me tomorrow. Tomorrow will be quite busy then. I have a meeting with two different people from Vidya. One from the headquarters and one from the office of the Papayn Calayn site, which is where Daniel works. I finished my questions and looked over the web site. Unfortunately for CCS staff to arrange these meetings I will have to miss work tomorrow to go. Jackie missed work today because she was sick so she will take over tomorrow while I have my interviews. I am excited to make progress.
I also watched the documentary on auto-richshaw drivers that Prashant’s NGO made. It was very interesting. It said that 93% of the vehicles on the road are private vehicles, but carry 30% of the travelers in Delhi. 3% of the vehicles are auto-richshaws and they carry 60% of travelers! (The rest go by bus or taxi). There is a huge demand for transport but little supply and they system, because of excessive government regulation and control they system has become corrupt and basically run by the Indian mafia.
Today was the best day at work so far. It was wonderful. The children were great. Before my main frustration came from my desire to contribute but lack of ability to do so. Now that I am on the same page as the teacher it is very different. Today I was prepared. I brought worksheets that I made yesterday pertaining to counting and fruits and the teacher liked them and so did the children. The sheets really challenged them and directly related to what they were doing. There were not many kids today so all age groups were combined. The main teacher sat in the middle of the group and they were pretty quiet because they are as intimidated by her as I am. When a child would giggle or have a bit too much fun she would say a few words in Hindi and all of the children would get silent. She can strike fear in the hearts of people of all ages. I just moved around and helped the children work. They love to show me their work because unlike most of the teachers I act very excited to see what they have done and I praise them a lot.
I don’t know most of the names because they have difficult names to pronounce, so unfortunately I can’t distinguish by name. There is one girl (my favorite) who wears eye liner everyday. She is beautiful. When she smiles I just want to hug her. She is precious, but especially dirty. She is always covered in snot or smells like pee. Apparently parents put eye liner on children because it is supposed to scare evil spirits away. The smartest kid of the younger group is a cute, tiny boy who is always smiling. When the other kids are coloring purple and pink tomatoes and refusing to count he always colors things the precise colors, stays in the lines, and answers my questions. One girl looks just like an Indian Cindy Loo Hoo (from How the Grinch Stole Christmas). She has squeaky shoes. She will put them on and stomp around, grinning. Even though its annoying its cute. Other kids take the squeakers out sometimes though and that makes her cry. Though they drive me crazy sometimes I can already tell that I am going to miss them.
RESEARCH
Today I called the YMCA and have an appointment to meet with someone on Friday afternoon. I will confirm that tomorrow. Again Bella could not meet with me. Today the excuse was that it is her birthday. She promised to talk to me tomorrow. Tomorrow will be quite busy then. I have a meeting with two different people from Vidya. One from the headquarters and one from the office of the Papayn Calayn site, which is where Daniel works. I finished my questions and looked over the web site. Unfortunately for CCS staff to arrange these meetings I will have to miss work tomorrow to go. Jackie missed work today because she was sick so she will take over tomorrow while I have my interviews. I am excited to make progress.
I also watched the documentary on auto-richshaw drivers that Prashant’s NGO made. It was very interesting. It said that 93% of the vehicles on the road are private vehicles, but carry 30% of the travelers in Delhi. 3% of the vehicles are auto-richshaws and they carry 60% of travelers! (The rest go by bus or taxi). There is a huge demand for transport but little supply and they system, because of excessive government regulation and control they system has become corrupt and basically run by the Indian mafia.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Jan 18 Back to Work
RESEARCH/PREP
I looked up the websites of each NGO I will be interviewing people from to gain a basic understanding of each. I’m writing out questions in order to find out what they claim to do, what they actually do, how successful they are, how they work/ type of projects, and most importantly who their partners, networks, and donors are. Dr. DeMars reminded me before coming that NGOs have a mission statement or vision, but they have partners many times that they must listen to in order to stay in business. When the interests of partners interfere with their mission, often NGOs will choose to please their partners because in this lies their existence. For instance, I talked to a volunteer who has been here longer than me who works at a particular NGO. She says that she thinks that what CCS does (in bringing volunteers and plugging them in to work) is great but at times what the NGO will really need is not something that volunteers of CCS can provide because of restrictions that CCS imposes. When different organizations partner together it is inevitable that complex relationships will emerge.
MY PLACEMENT
Today, monday, meant back to work. Today we had Vicki (one of the staff members) come with us to talk to our teacher. We cannot communicate with her but Jackie and I both really want to help out as much as possible. We got Vicki to ask what our role is supposed to be. Most of the other volunteers can plan whatever they want to do with their kids, but we haven't been able to figure out what she expects from us. We didn't know if we should just come in and supplement what shes doing (even though honestly she doesn't really do anything or teach anything) or whether we can plan activities. What we found out is that she has a cirriculum that she follows and to fit in with it we can bring activities related to counting and vegetables but only for the first hour. After that we must go with her lesson plan. Honestly she really just leaves them alone to do what they want so I am not sure what activities it is that she does in the afternoon, but Vicki helped us to plan approaved activities for the rest of the week. I am excited for a new week and some clarity. I feel good about the lesson plans. Basically the Mobile Creches location I work out is the headquarters in Delhi so there are supervisors and staff that can look on, so they are stricter than most locations about following the cirriculum.
Today was fun with the kids. They are so precious. Very funny children. Honestly even much of the time when they do things wrong they are quite funny. Last week we had a lot of extra kids because some of the schools were closed down so it was extra hectic, but today there was less chaos. The kids were much better today. It was fun interacting with them. And today several of the kids ran up to me and started pointing at their clothes screaming the names of the colors. I tried to teach colors last week and I wasn't sure if they were getting it, but I guess they did! After last week I have a new attitude. I'm just going to have fun with them. You see Indians have different ways of treating children. Since it is a pretty big day care center I guess they ahve to be harsh, but they are much tougher on the kids than we are. They hit them when they are bad and don't allow for much playing. I've decided that whether or not they like it, I am going to play with them and have fun. The kids really seem to like me even though they don't listen to me very much. They all want to sit beside me and are always screaming "Didi! Didi!" but I am not stern like the other teachers so they see as a playmate more than a disciplinarian. I'm going to go with it.
RELIGION
Today CCS took us after work to see a Mosque, a Hindu temple and a Sikh temple. It was very interesting because spirituality is a huge part of India. It reveals both the commonality and differences of the vast country. India is a country which is not united by a common language, ethnicity or religion. It is so diverse that every one is a minority. Despite the vast differences, India remains a unified country. India is a secular democracy, but as Shashi Tharoor writes, "Western dictionaries define secularism as the absense of religion, but Indian secularism means a profusion of religions, none of which is priviledged by the state and all of which are open to participation by everybody. Secularism in India does not mean irreligiousness...Rather, it means, in the Indian tradition, multi-religiousness." In The Elephant, The Tiger, and The Cell Phone (a book I've just started which seems good) he writes about how complex and simple religion is. Hinduism is a religion without apostacy because it recognizes all ways of worship as valid and it is a religion with no fundamentals or set beliefs. Even within this religion there are variants. Still, people of different faiths exist and thrive side by side. Many Sikhs go to Hindu temples to worship and Hindus go to christian churches etc. because they believe that there are many ways to worship.
The mosque we went to was small and we didnt get to see much of it, but they told us about Islam. The Bangla Sahib Gurudwara Hindu temple was really neat-looking. Like Iskcon Temple, how it was set up was fascinating. The inside was not too big but it looked huge from the street. Both temples had towers with nothing in them and large intricate porches I guess you could call them, which looks fancy but really hasno practical purpose. Hinduism is just so strange to me. Not only are there infinite numbers of gods, but in the temples there are these kind of scary idols which look like large porcelin dolls. There are window-type things and through them are rooms with one or more gods which look like scary dolls. They are dressed very ornately with lots of colors. People come in and bow to them and worship them. In the temple there are several shrines all over. Outside on the porch thing there was a monkey god which looked half human-half monkey and a another god with an elephant head. The holy books are full of mythical stories that sound like stories of the Greek gods. It seems silly to me, but I guess christian theology would seem really silly to Hindus.
I found the Sikh temple very interesting. Sikhism is more similar to Islam in that it has strict rules, but men and women are seen as equals. Sikhs have ten gods, but they do not worship idols as the Hindus. The do kind of worship their holy book though. Sikhs must wear turbans at all times (the men) because the hair must remain uncut and be covered. I really like the turbans. I think men look really wise with them on. They also wear a special bracelet, carry a dagger, and leave the beard unshaved. Vicki has a clip which pins his beard up so it doesn’t hang down, but many don’t do this. The sikh temple was neat on the outside but much less ornate than the Hindu temples. We had to wash our feet and hands before entering it barefoot! That was the one thing about this experience that I hated: walking around in Delhi without shoes. I discovered that I am a total germ-o-phobe. I felt so dirty walking where tons of others have walked without shoes. As soon as I got back I soaked my feet in hot water and soap. Other than that though I enjoyed the trip.
I looked up the websites of each NGO I will be interviewing people from to gain a basic understanding of each. I’m writing out questions in order to find out what they claim to do, what they actually do, how successful they are, how they work/ type of projects, and most importantly who their partners, networks, and donors are. Dr. DeMars reminded me before coming that NGOs have a mission statement or vision, but they have partners many times that they must listen to in order to stay in business. When the interests of partners interfere with their mission, often NGOs will choose to please their partners because in this lies their existence. For instance, I talked to a volunteer who has been here longer than me who works at a particular NGO. She says that she thinks that what CCS does (in bringing volunteers and plugging them in to work) is great but at times what the NGO will really need is not something that volunteers of CCS can provide because of restrictions that CCS imposes. When different organizations partner together it is inevitable that complex relationships will emerge.
MY PLACEMENT
Today, monday, meant back to work. Today we had Vicki (one of the staff members) come with us to talk to our teacher. We cannot communicate with her but Jackie and I both really want to help out as much as possible. We got Vicki to ask what our role is supposed to be. Most of the other volunteers can plan whatever they want to do with their kids, but we haven't been able to figure out what she expects from us. We didn't know if we should just come in and supplement what shes doing (even though honestly she doesn't really do anything or teach anything) or whether we can plan activities. What we found out is that she has a cirriculum that she follows and to fit in with it we can bring activities related to counting and vegetables but only for the first hour. After that we must go with her lesson plan. Honestly she really just leaves them alone to do what they want so I am not sure what activities it is that she does in the afternoon, but Vicki helped us to plan approaved activities for the rest of the week. I am excited for a new week and some clarity. I feel good about the lesson plans. Basically the Mobile Creches location I work out is the headquarters in Delhi so there are supervisors and staff that can look on, so they are stricter than most locations about following the cirriculum.
Today was fun with the kids. They are so precious. Very funny children. Honestly even much of the time when they do things wrong they are quite funny. Last week we had a lot of extra kids because some of the schools were closed down so it was extra hectic, but today there was less chaos. The kids were much better today. It was fun interacting with them. And today several of the kids ran up to me and started pointing at their clothes screaming the names of the colors. I tried to teach colors last week and I wasn't sure if they were getting it, but I guess they did! After last week I have a new attitude. I'm just going to have fun with them. You see Indians have different ways of treating children. Since it is a pretty big day care center I guess they ahve to be harsh, but they are much tougher on the kids than we are. They hit them when they are bad and don't allow for much playing. I've decided that whether or not they like it, I am going to play with them and have fun. The kids really seem to like me even though they don't listen to me very much. They all want to sit beside me and are always screaming "Didi! Didi!" but I am not stern like the other teachers so they see as a playmate more than a disciplinarian. I'm going to go with it.
RELIGION
Today CCS took us after work to see a Mosque, a Hindu temple and a Sikh temple. It was very interesting because spirituality is a huge part of India. It reveals both the commonality and differences of the vast country. India is a country which is not united by a common language, ethnicity or religion. It is so diverse that every one is a minority. Despite the vast differences, India remains a unified country. India is a secular democracy, but as Shashi Tharoor writes, "Western dictionaries define secularism as the absense of religion, but Indian secularism means a profusion of religions, none of which is priviledged by the state and all of which are open to participation by everybody. Secularism in India does not mean irreligiousness...Rather, it means, in the Indian tradition, multi-religiousness." In The Elephant, The Tiger, and The Cell Phone (a book I've just started which seems good) he writes about how complex and simple religion is. Hinduism is a religion without apostacy because it recognizes all ways of worship as valid and it is a religion with no fundamentals or set beliefs. Even within this religion there are variants. Still, people of different faiths exist and thrive side by side. Many Sikhs go to Hindu temples to worship and Hindus go to christian churches etc. because they believe that there are many ways to worship.
The mosque we went to was small and we didnt get to see much of it, but they told us about Islam. The Bangla Sahib Gurudwara Hindu temple was really neat-looking. Like Iskcon Temple, how it was set up was fascinating. The inside was not too big but it looked huge from the street. Both temples had towers with nothing in them and large intricate porches I guess you could call them, which looks fancy but really hasno practical purpose. Hinduism is just so strange to me. Not only are there infinite numbers of gods, but in the temples there are these kind of scary idols which look like large porcelin dolls. There are window-type things and through them are rooms with one or more gods which look like scary dolls. They are dressed very ornately with lots of colors. People come in and bow to them and worship them. In the temple there are several shrines all over. Outside on the porch thing there was a monkey god which looked half human-half monkey and a another god with an elephant head. The holy books are full of mythical stories that sound like stories of the Greek gods. It seems silly to me, but I guess christian theology would seem really silly to Hindus.
I found the Sikh temple very interesting. Sikhism is more similar to Islam in that it has strict rules, but men and women are seen as equals. Sikhs have ten gods, but they do not worship idols as the Hindus. The do kind of worship their holy book though. Sikhs must wear turbans at all times (the men) because the hair must remain uncut and be covered. I really like the turbans. I think men look really wise with them on. They also wear a special bracelet, carry a dagger, and leave the beard unshaved. Vicki has a clip which pins his beard up so it doesn’t hang down, but many don’t do this. The sikh temple was neat on the outside but much less ornate than the Hindu temples. We had to wash our feet and hands before entering it barefoot! That was the one thing about this experience that I hated: walking around in Delhi without shoes. I discovered that I am a total germ-o-phobe. I felt so dirty walking where tons of others have walked without shoes. As soon as I got back I soaked my feet in hot water and soap. Other than that though I enjoyed the trip.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Jan 17
A few days ago I mentioned that I went to the Gandhi museum and was surprised by some of his quotes. What an incredible man who made such a great impact! Truly selfless. He really lived out what he preached. When he visited England to have an audience with the crown he refused to dress up. He wore the loin cloth which was his normal garb. I’ve also been reading some of Paul’s letters in the New Testament since I’ve been here and he also was a selfless man who left a mark on the world. Both had incredible impact upon the world by preaching a message. I was left wondering…how does one become a person like that? How does one have such an impact? Both dedicated their entire lives to their mission, even depriving themselves of comforts and needs. I guess the secret lies there somewhere- in the abandonment of self for the pursuit of a greater purpose.
CULTURE SHOCK
I think I realized something. I didn’t think that I had been experiencing culture shock because I had it very bad in Amsterdam and this time I was more prepared. I tried to prepare myself not to have expectations because I knew that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like. I tried to prepare myself for all kinds of extremes. When I got here I wasn’t thrown off by the language barrier or totally surprised by my surroundings. It has been very different than my last trip abroad. Still, I think I have been experiencing culture shock, but in a different way than before. When I stepped out of the airport I felt like I was on Pandora. (If you have seen Avatar you know what I am talking about.) I walked into a hostile environment. Cars almost hit us when we tried to cross the street and the parking lot was a mess! It was really foggy and brown and loud. There were people everywhere. Cars filled every possible space. They were parked with no regard to order, just however the person wanted to park, meaning that many cars were blocked in. The traffic flow in the parking lot also had no order. In a space small enough for one car to pass through there were cars trying to drive both ways. When we got out after quite a while, I had my first experience with Indian driving! It is like a video game. There are no road rules cars just drive where they please. I was riding with Sunil who loves to weave in and out around cars. There were cars, trucks, carts and bicycles on the road. I didn’t think much about the housing before I arrived but if I had I am not sure if I would have predicted staying in apartments with no heating and the other conditions which exist. Still, I didn’t think I had culture shock because I knew before I came that things would be very different, and they were.
I care very much about people so I think that the thing which really shocked and disturbed me were the conditions around me. I couldn’t really enjoy the city because my gaze was focused on the fact that people here have so much less. The standard of living just blew me away. The average person has very little. They get around and have the necessities, but don’t have much more. The whole city is very dirty and views of people walking around in it barefoot stuck out in my mind. The slums and tents along the side of the roads stood out to me. I’ve never seen anything like this. This is where the shock came from. I couldn’t get past it at first. I was afraid to say that I liked it here because I didn’t like what I was seeing. I couldn’t bring myself to say that I liked a place where so many had so little.
After seeing and understanding more about the culture and seeing more of the good parts of Delhi I realized that there is a sad aspect of India, but there is also a very neat and interesting city here. Some of the ways that people do things seem primitive to us but are just the way they do things here. I still hate to see suffering, but now that I have adjusted some and have been able to see the good here I have been able to get past that. I like it here. I've been able to really enjoy it. I had a wonderful weekend. Its so different that I won’t understand this place in 3 weeks, but it is fascinating to be in this city and soak in the sights and sounds. I think I'll even miss all the noise!
INTERVIEW WITH PRASHANT
Tonight at 6 I had an interview with a shop owner named Prashant. He runs a store that his father owns called TATSAT which is located in the market right behind this apartment complex. Daniel set a meeting up for me with him. It was very interesting. I met him at the shop which was very cute. It sold fabrics, clothing, scarves, bags, handmade goods like pottery and dishes, stationary and things like this. His store sells only products from NGOs, companies with fair trade labor, companies that make eco-friendly goods, and from independent artisans. A large part of the items are from artisans, but many of the bags and jewelry were from NGOs. It started out slowly but now he is in touch with several sources which provide the goods. The trick is that supply and quality are not stable so procurement is an ongoing process. Many NGOs have programs for women to learn to create items like blankets, bags and jewelry which can be sold. The problem is, most of the time these goods are not of good enough quality or design to have market value. Though he tries to direct those NGOs, what Prashant does is give access to markets to entrepreneurs who make items which could be sold. He does not give particular orders or designs, but gives feedback about pricing and goods to the NGOs. He informs them of what sells, but does not control what they do.
Prashant brings in items from these suppliers and when they are sold he takes commission and then sends the rest of the money to the NGO in payments each month. He does not buy it initially. It is up to the NGO about how it divides the money. Some may use the profit to go towards the NGO in general, but others may give individual women some of the money. Unfortunately the majority of NGO projects fail to make sellable products because creation of quality goods takes great skill and management. There is a gap. This includes the organization that Daniel works with, Vidya. It has not yet been able to make sellable products.
He also shared with me other information about NGOs. He actually started one of his own with several friends which is an advocacy NGO called Prabodh. They cannot get an audience with ministers so they raise awareness in the community mostly. He admitted that NGOs have a dark side. He said that NGOs get tax benefits as well as other benefits (like free stalls in markets like Dilli Haat) so many times people will set up NGOs which provide a service but also are a business. The intent is to get the benefits from being an NGO while making more profit. He also said that there are many restrictions put on businesses that one can get away with in an NGO.
He claims that the main issue of NGOs is whether they will be perpetual or fade away. He said that a NGO should have self-sustainability as its objective so that it will create independent people and will no longer be needed, but often this does not happen. Instead the NGO will create dependency of the people upon it. This distorts the market and affects efficiency when it comes to selling goods. He thinks that this is a very important aspect of NGOs to consider.
The interview was very interesting. I have full notes with me here and a copy of the documentary that his NGO recently made about the auto-richshaw business which he somewhat explained to me. I'm going to watch it tomorrow because its late here now.
CULTURE SHOCK
I think I realized something. I didn’t think that I had been experiencing culture shock because I had it very bad in Amsterdam and this time I was more prepared. I tried to prepare myself not to have expectations because I knew that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like. I tried to prepare myself for all kinds of extremes. When I got here I wasn’t thrown off by the language barrier or totally surprised by my surroundings. It has been very different than my last trip abroad. Still, I think I have been experiencing culture shock, but in a different way than before. When I stepped out of the airport I felt like I was on Pandora. (If you have seen Avatar you know what I am talking about.) I walked into a hostile environment. Cars almost hit us when we tried to cross the street and the parking lot was a mess! It was really foggy and brown and loud. There were people everywhere. Cars filled every possible space. They were parked with no regard to order, just however the person wanted to park, meaning that many cars were blocked in. The traffic flow in the parking lot also had no order. In a space small enough for one car to pass through there were cars trying to drive both ways. When we got out after quite a while, I had my first experience with Indian driving! It is like a video game. There are no road rules cars just drive where they please. I was riding with Sunil who loves to weave in and out around cars. There were cars, trucks, carts and bicycles on the road. I didn’t think much about the housing before I arrived but if I had I am not sure if I would have predicted staying in apartments with no heating and the other conditions which exist. Still, I didn’t think I had culture shock because I knew before I came that things would be very different, and they were.
I care very much about people so I think that the thing which really shocked and disturbed me were the conditions around me. I couldn’t really enjoy the city because my gaze was focused on the fact that people here have so much less. The standard of living just blew me away. The average person has very little. They get around and have the necessities, but don’t have much more. The whole city is very dirty and views of people walking around in it barefoot stuck out in my mind. The slums and tents along the side of the roads stood out to me. I’ve never seen anything like this. This is where the shock came from. I couldn’t get past it at first. I was afraid to say that I liked it here because I didn’t like what I was seeing. I couldn’t bring myself to say that I liked a place where so many had so little.
After seeing and understanding more about the culture and seeing more of the good parts of Delhi I realized that there is a sad aspect of India, but there is also a very neat and interesting city here. Some of the ways that people do things seem primitive to us but are just the way they do things here. I still hate to see suffering, but now that I have adjusted some and have been able to see the good here I have been able to get past that. I like it here. I've been able to really enjoy it. I had a wonderful weekend. Its so different that I won’t understand this place in 3 weeks, but it is fascinating to be in this city and soak in the sights and sounds. I think I'll even miss all the noise!
INTERVIEW WITH PRASHANT
Tonight at 6 I had an interview with a shop owner named Prashant. He runs a store that his father owns called TATSAT which is located in the market right behind this apartment complex. Daniel set a meeting up for me with him. It was very interesting. I met him at the shop which was very cute. It sold fabrics, clothing, scarves, bags, handmade goods like pottery and dishes, stationary and things like this. His store sells only products from NGOs, companies with fair trade labor, companies that make eco-friendly goods, and from independent artisans. A large part of the items are from artisans, but many of the bags and jewelry were from NGOs. It started out slowly but now he is in touch with several sources which provide the goods. The trick is that supply and quality are not stable so procurement is an ongoing process. Many NGOs have programs for women to learn to create items like blankets, bags and jewelry which can be sold. The problem is, most of the time these goods are not of good enough quality or design to have market value. Though he tries to direct those NGOs, what Prashant does is give access to markets to entrepreneurs who make items which could be sold. He does not give particular orders or designs, but gives feedback about pricing and goods to the NGOs. He informs them of what sells, but does not control what they do.
Prashant brings in items from these suppliers and when they are sold he takes commission and then sends the rest of the money to the NGO in payments each month. He does not buy it initially. It is up to the NGO about how it divides the money. Some may use the profit to go towards the NGO in general, but others may give individual women some of the money. Unfortunately the majority of NGO projects fail to make sellable products because creation of quality goods takes great skill and management. There is a gap. This includes the organization that Daniel works with, Vidya. It has not yet been able to make sellable products.
He also shared with me other information about NGOs. He actually started one of his own with several friends which is an advocacy NGO called Prabodh. They cannot get an audience with ministers so they raise awareness in the community mostly. He admitted that NGOs have a dark side. He said that NGOs get tax benefits as well as other benefits (like free stalls in markets like Dilli Haat) so many times people will set up NGOs which provide a service but also are a business. The intent is to get the benefits from being an NGO while making more profit. He also said that there are many restrictions put on businesses that one can get away with in an NGO.
He claims that the main issue of NGOs is whether they will be perpetual or fade away. He said that a NGO should have self-sustainability as its objective so that it will create independent people and will no longer be needed, but often this does not happen. Instead the NGO will create dependency of the people upon it. This distorts the market and affects efficiency when it comes to selling goods. He thinks that this is a very important aspect of NGOs to consider.
The interview was very interesting. I have full notes with me here and a copy of the documentary that his NGO recently made about the auto-richshaw business which he somewhat explained to me. I'm going to watch it tomorrow because its late here now.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Jan 16
I would like to start by clearing up a few things…
First, a friend told me that my blogs make it sound like I am entirely miserable and unhappy here. This is not true. If it has sounded this way it is only because I tend to write the most frustrating things first and then I go on to the good. The days surrounding my time in the hospital were definitely miserable, but since then I have been having a great time. I am really enjoying my time in India! It is difficult for me in the sense that I am constantly reminded here of the poverty and need. Its present everywhere and that is hard for me to see. I care very much about people; therefore, there is always this reminder at the back of my mind. Despite this, I think India is amazing. It is so interesting. The people are kind and very interested in me and in the U.S.. There is culture here that goes far beyond the creation of our constitution. I also really like most of the volunteers I work with. The three I hung out with today are 3 of the most positive people I’ve ever met. It’s encouraging and inspiring to be around these people. I love exploring India and talking to the people.
Also, I wanted to clarify why I am here. For me, there are several reasons. First, as this blog suggests, I am here to do research on NGOs and how they work in India. I am curious about whether the services they provide truly would not be provided without their presence here. So far I think this is so. I am especially interested in the topic of NGOs because I am considering working with some type of NGO(s) after Wofford. I also have been very interested in India and Indian culture for some time now, especially as I’ve learned of the rising importance of the country in world affairs. Additionally, I like to volunteer. I want to do as much volunteer work as possible throughout my life. People are the most important part of life and it’s amazing how much a person a can do to impact others. I am here for more than one reason and I am gaining insight in each area. I have lots of meetings next week for my project. Of course I am doing volunteer work here as well. The research and work also show me whether or not I want to do this type of work in the future. Of course through this all I am learning about Indian people and culture.
PERFECT DAY
With this cleared up, I’d like to tell you about my perfect day. Today I slept in, which was much needed! I woke up and took my time getting ready and organizing my life. After a relaxing but productive morning I had lunch then went out with 4 other volunteers to Dilli Haat, a market I went to earlier in the week. I got several things for great prices. I actually kind of enjoy haggling for items. It makes me feel like I am getting a good deal. I think I’m pretty good at it. This market is government regulated so it is super clean and very organized. Its beautiful! There are bright colors all over from the fabrics, purses, knick knacks, and various other goods. There are these incredible shoes there and tons and tons of cashmire and pashmir scarves in tons of patterns, with colored elephants, frames, bangles, saras, purses and bags, etc. Foreigners often come through it and the shop owners spot them immediately and beg them to come see their items. They try so hard to sell you as much as possible and set really high prices. They ask questions about where we are from and why we are here. People stare.
After this we went to a neat shop called for Soma with lots of clothing, blankets and other things made of cloth. Then, nearby were the Lodhi Gardens. It was really neat because it was cleaner and nicer than the rest of the city, plus there were ruins from old buildings of Mughal architecture. It was great. My friends thought I was a dork because I took a lot of pictures. I love architecture, especially stuff like this which was built in the 1600s! I think the Mughal architecture is incredible…it is where Humayun’s Tomb (which I saw last week) and the Taj Mahal came from. It was nice to take a walk in a green park. When I got back, after fitting 5 people in one auto-rickshaw (those things barely fit 3 people comfortably they are tiny!) we ate dinner. While we sat around the table Danika said “Oh! This is what a perfect day feels like!” and we all agreed. We had a great time chatting and exploring.
After dinner I began to do research for my project. I received an email about an appointment tomorrow with a man named Prashant who owns a store which sells the goods created by women from NGOs. I will meet with him tomorrow at 6 pm at his shop which is nearby. I have researched each of the NGOs I will be interviewing staff members from and working on my questions. I am also trying to get an appointment with someone from the YMCA in New Delhi. Just today one of my roommates who has been ehre for almost 3 months gave me a new contact. This person works with Nirantar which is an NGO that researches how effective other NGOS are. It primarily focuses on analyzing NGOs that give microloans to women from what I understand. My last week here is going to be a race to the finish, but I will also have all day Saturday of next weekend so I think its possible to get stuff done!
First, a friend told me that my blogs make it sound like I am entirely miserable and unhappy here. This is not true. If it has sounded this way it is only because I tend to write the most frustrating things first and then I go on to the good. The days surrounding my time in the hospital were definitely miserable, but since then I have been having a great time. I am really enjoying my time in India! It is difficult for me in the sense that I am constantly reminded here of the poverty and need. Its present everywhere and that is hard for me to see. I care very much about people; therefore, there is always this reminder at the back of my mind. Despite this, I think India is amazing. It is so interesting. The people are kind and very interested in me and in the U.S.. There is culture here that goes far beyond the creation of our constitution. I also really like most of the volunteers I work with. The three I hung out with today are 3 of the most positive people I’ve ever met. It’s encouraging and inspiring to be around these people. I love exploring India and talking to the people.
Also, I wanted to clarify why I am here. For me, there are several reasons. First, as this blog suggests, I am here to do research on NGOs and how they work in India. I am curious about whether the services they provide truly would not be provided without their presence here. So far I think this is so. I am especially interested in the topic of NGOs because I am considering working with some type of NGO(s) after Wofford. I also have been very interested in India and Indian culture for some time now, especially as I’ve learned of the rising importance of the country in world affairs. Additionally, I like to volunteer. I want to do as much volunteer work as possible throughout my life. People are the most important part of life and it’s amazing how much a person a can do to impact others. I am here for more than one reason and I am gaining insight in each area. I have lots of meetings next week for my project. Of course I am doing volunteer work here as well. The research and work also show me whether or not I want to do this type of work in the future. Of course through this all I am learning about Indian people and culture.
PERFECT DAY
With this cleared up, I’d like to tell you about my perfect day. Today I slept in, which was much needed! I woke up and took my time getting ready and organizing my life. After a relaxing but productive morning I had lunch then went out with 4 other volunteers to Dilli Haat, a market I went to earlier in the week. I got several things for great prices. I actually kind of enjoy haggling for items. It makes me feel like I am getting a good deal. I think I’m pretty good at it. This market is government regulated so it is super clean and very organized. Its beautiful! There are bright colors all over from the fabrics, purses, knick knacks, and various other goods. There are these incredible shoes there and tons and tons of cashmire and pashmir scarves in tons of patterns, with colored elephants, frames, bangles, saras, purses and bags, etc. Foreigners often come through it and the shop owners spot them immediately and beg them to come see their items. They try so hard to sell you as much as possible and set really high prices. They ask questions about where we are from and why we are here. People stare.
After this we went to a neat shop called for Soma with lots of clothing, blankets and other things made of cloth. Then, nearby were the Lodhi Gardens. It was really neat because it was cleaner and nicer than the rest of the city, plus there were ruins from old buildings of Mughal architecture. It was great. My friends thought I was a dork because I took a lot of pictures. I love architecture, especially stuff like this which was built in the 1600s! I think the Mughal architecture is incredible…it is where Humayun’s Tomb (which I saw last week) and the Taj Mahal came from. It was nice to take a walk in a green park. When I got back, after fitting 5 people in one auto-rickshaw (those things barely fit 3 people comfortably they are tiny!) we ate dinner. While we sat around the table Danika said “Oh! This is what a perfect day feels like!” and we all agreed. We had a great time chatting and exploring.
After dinner I began to do research for my project. I received an email about an appointment tomorrow with a man named Prashant who owns a store which sells the goods created by women from NGOs. I will meet with him tomorrow at 6 pm at his shop which is nearby. I have researched each of the NGOs I will be interviewing staff members from and working on my questions. I am also trying to get an appointment with someone from the YMCA in New Delhi. Just today one of my roommates who has been ehre for almost 3 months gave me a new contact. This person works with Nirantar which is an NGO that researches how effective other NGOS are. It primarily focuses on analyzing NGOs that give microloans to women from what I understand. My last week here is going to be a race to the finish, but I will also have all day Saturday of next weekend so I think its possible to get stuff done!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Jan 15 A Fun Day
SOME THOUGHTS
One of the most striking things to me about India is that there are people all over the place. I now understand something that an Indian man told me before I came to India. He said when he came to the US he wondered where all the people were. He had a friend who was sent as a missionary to the US somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia and he didn’t last long because he was really bored. He was not used to being in so much space with so few people. He only lasted a few weeks. India holds 1/6 of the world’s population so there are just people everywhere like you wouldn’t believe! I mean EVERYWHERE. Everywhere you look there is a person or group of people.
It was also very interesting to me that there are usually many people doing one simple job. There are lots of jobs that we just don’t have much of in the US. Everyone with even the smallest amount of money has a driver. It is very cheap and traffic is horrible. Heather has a friend who recently moved here from the US because her father works with the World Food Bank and her driver took us home after we went to the Gandhi museum together. Also, when I went to the big mall, City Walk, every single store had a security guard! Every store. Our apartment complex has men who sit at the gate each day to lift the gate. Since there are so many people labor is very cheap and there are many low paying jobs. I mean I ride around the city in auto richshaws each day and each trip costs from 40-100 rupees. The exchange rate is around 49 rupees to a dollar so its much cheaper than a taxi in New York!
There are things about the city that just hit me. Over and over I am reminded: Oh my gosh I’m in India! It’s a thrilling thought. I’ve wanted to come to this side of the world for so long. Sometimes its exciting. But its also difficult and very strange. Today we gave our richshaw driver one American dollar because he wanted to see what it looked like. He tried to give it back but we just let him keep it. It totally made his day. He probably doesn’t know what the exchange rate is, but when he finds out that the dollar is worth almost 50 rupees he’ll probably be really excited. India is a neat place. The culture and mindset is so different
EXCURSION
Today I went with Heather and Jake to the Lotus Temple and to Iskon Temple. We went to the Lotus Temple last weekend but it was not opened to go inside so we went back. It is supposed to be a temple for all religions to come and worship. According to Bella, most Indians believe in god and simply want others to believe in some sort of god. It does not matter which one, they respect all, but you must believe in a god. Inside the temple was like the inside of a lotus. It was incredible, but not good for sound. People were singing inside and the echo was terrible. Unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures inside, but I have included some pictures from the outside. It really is an amazing building. We had to take off our shoes to go inside. When we left several people asked to take pictures with us! It was really funny. And several people took pictures without asking. Before this, I’ve never been stared at so much in my life! People just stare all the time. Its funny. In the US I’m not that interesting, but here I am very rare. People are just fascinated, especially when they find out that I am from America.
From the Lotus Temple we could see another temple so we asked about it. It was Iskon Temple which is a huge and beautiful Hindu temple. We walked over to it. The walk was eye opening. We cut through a park and there were homes outside which broke my heart. There is a picture below. There were children playing and a woman with a basket on top of her head. Right behind this huge and probably expensive temple there were lots of people living in this park.
The day got even more interesting when we approached the temple. The guards were fascinated by my camera and kept asking us to take pictures with and of them. They wouldn’t let us go in until we’d taken a ton of pictures! They giggled and thought it was the greatest thing ever. They asked us to send the pictures to them and gave me an address. If I can do it I’m definitely going to send the pictures.
Once we finally went in we had to wait about ten minutes before we could take off our shoes and talked to an Indian man who was visiting his adult children in New Delhi. He was very nice and spoke great English. We asked many questions about the US and then eagerly told us about places in India we should see. We walked around, trying to be respectful. We didn’t want to offend anyone and we didn’t know very much about Hinduism so we tried to discretely and respectfully walk around the outside. We stepped inside just for a moment to see and then came back out. I was struck by the beauty of it. It was comparable to a huge Catholic church in Europe. As we started to go a man caught us and invited us in. He showed us around and explained to us who the gods were. There was some type of ritual thing going on inside so we observed. It was beautiful inside too. Paintings on the ceilings of gods and there were three huge altar-type things where there were statues of the gods. I took one picture inside of one of the shrines. He then asked if we wanted to be blessed. Heather and I declined but Jake did so. I am a Christian so I did not want to participate. I enjoyed seeing the temple and learning about it, but I did not want to participate in the ritual. I think that it is very important to know about and understand other religions. It helps one to better understand his or her own religion and to respect others. We were appreciative for the tour and thanked him on our way out. Hinduism is a strange religion to me. It is very mystical. The temple, though similar in certain aspects, was very different than anything I had ever seen before.
MY PLACEMENT
Today was much better than the past two days. The main teacher who has been so difficult to deal with was not there so that was the main reason. There was a new lady there who is 24. She was really nice. She couldn’t speak much English so we could not communicate much but she was a pleasure to work with. Today I did not plan anything I just helped kids one on one with what they were doing and tried to smile a lot. At the end Jackie and I took pictures and unfortunately I don’t really have good ones because they just crowded around and started yelling, but next week I am going to try again. I wanted to post some videos but unfortuantely the site isnt letting me post them so I will figure how to and do that soon.This weekend I am going to talk to my sister who is training to be an elementary school teacher for some ideas. Next week is a new week.
INTERVIEWS
Today was a great day overall, but not as good for my project. I was excited to talk to the head of Mobile Creches today as Jaggi told me I would, but then it did not work out. He has scheduled it for next week. I am not sure what happened but he has gotten it arranged for next week as well as a meeting with a leader of Vidya, which is the NGO that Daniel Lala works with. I also was supposed to meet with Bella today but both of the meeting times we had picked I came by to discover she was not there. Indians have a very different view of time than Americans. They are late for everything by hours! They truly have no sense of time! I will hopefully talk to her tomorrow and then have several appointments next week.
One of the most striking things to me about India is that there are people all over the place. I now understand something that an Indian man told me before I came to India. He said when he came to the US he wondered where all the people were. He had a friend who was sent as a missionary to the US somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia and he didn’t last long because he was really bored. He was not used to being in so much space with so few people. He only lasted a few weeks. India holds 1/6 of the world’s population so there are just people everywhere like you wouldn’t believe! I mean EVERYWHERE. Everywhere you look there is a person or group of people.
It was also very interesting to me that there are usually many people doing one simple job. There are lots of jobs that we just don’t have much of in the US. Everyone with even the smallest amount of money has a driver. It is very cheap and traffic is horrible. Heather has a friend who recently moved here from the US because her father works with the World Food Bank and her driver took us home after we went to the Gandhi museum together. Also, when I went to the big mall, City Walk, every single store had a security guard! Every store. Our apartment complex has men who sit at the gate each day to lift the gate. Since there are so many people labor is very cheap and there are many low paying jobs. I mean I ride around the city in auto richshaws each day and each trip costs from 40-100 rupees. The exchange rate is around 49 rupees to a dollar so its much cheaper than a taxi in New York!
There are things about the city that just hit me. Over and over I am reminded: Oh my gosh I’m in India! It’s a thrilling thought. I’ve wanted to come to this side of the world for so long. Sometimes its exciting. But its also difficult and very strange. Today we gave our richshaw driver one American dollar because he wanted to see what it looked like. He tried to give it back but we just let him keep it. It totally made his day. He probably doesn’t know what the exchange rate is, but when he finds out that the dollar is worth almost 50 rupees he’ll probably be really excited. India is a neat place. The culture and mindset is so different
EXCURSION
Today I went with Heather and Jake to the Lotus Temple and to Iskon Temple. We went to the Lotus Temple last weekend but it was not opened to go inside so we went back. It is supposed to be a temple for all religions to come and worship. According to Bella, most Indians believe in god and simply want others to believe in some sort of god. It does not matter which one, they respect all, but you must believe in a god. Inside the temple was like the inside of a lotus. It was incredible, but not good for sound. People were singing inside and the echo was terrible. Unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures inside, but I have included some pictures from the outside. It really is an amazing building. We had to take off our shoes to go inside. When we left several people asked to take pictures with us! It was really funny. And several people took pictures without asking. Before this, I’ve never been stared at so much in my life! People just stare all the time. Its funny. In the US I’m not that interesting, but here I am very rare. People are just fascinated, especially when they find out that I am from America.
From the Lotus Temple we could see another temple so we asked about it. It was Iskon Temple which is a huge and beautiful Hindu temple. We walked over to it. The walk was eye opening. We cut through a park and there were homes outside which broke my heart. There is a picture below. There were children playing and a woman with a basket on top of her head. Right behind this huge and probably expensive temple there were lots of people living in this park.
The day got even more interesting when we approached the temple. The guards were fascinated by my camera and kept asking us to take pictures with and of them. They wouldn’t let us go in until we’d taken a ton of pictures! They giggled and thought it was the greatest thing ever. They asked us to send the pictures to them and gave me an address. If I can do it I’m definitely going to send the pictures.
MY PLACEMENT
Today was much better than the past two days. The main teacher who has been so difficult to deal with was not there so that was the main reason. There was a new lady there who is 24. She was really nice. She couldn’t speak much English so we could not communicate much but she was a pleasure to work with. Today I did not plan anything I just helped kids one on one with what they were doing and tried to smile a lot. At the end Jackie and I took pictures and unfortunately I don’t really have good ones because they just crowded around and started yelling, but next week I am going to try again. I wanted to post some videos but unfortuantely the site isnt letting me post them so I will figure how to and do that soon.This weekend I am going to talk to my sister who is training to be an elementary school teacher for some ideas. Next week is a new week.
INTERVIEWS
Today was a great day overall, but not as good for my project. I was excited to talk to the head of Mobile Creches today as Jaggi told me I would, but then it did not work out. He has scheduled it for next week. I am not sure what happened but he has gotten it arranged for next week as well as a meeting with a leader of Vidya, which is the NGO that Daniel Lala works with. I also was supposed to meet with Bella today but both of the meeting times we had picked I came by to discover she was not there. Indians have a very different view of time than Americans. They are late for everything by hours! They truly have no sense of time! I will hopefully talk to her tomorrow and then have several appointments next week.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Jan 14
Today was frustrating again at work. I switched with Jackie and took the older kids today. Most are pretty smart and several are in school so they get bored easily. They like busy work so I brought worksheets today for them to do. I was excited about today because I thought it would be a lot better, but it was worse. Turns out the younger kids were really good and quiet today and things didn’t go so well for me. I gave out worksheets with counting and they loved them, but the teacher took them away. She said “no no no” but because of the language barrier I had no clue what was going on. I was really frustrated. Everyone else plans whatever games and activities they want and seem to have a great time. Their teachers allow them to do whatever they want so they can be really creative. Also they seem to actually teach a lot, even math. I, on the other hand, never feel like I am really teaching them much and our teachers keep complaining about the activities we do. We always feel awkward. I’m never sure whether I should just come in and take control of the class or what my role should really be. It kinda seems like they just want us to come in and just observe because every time we try something they disapprove, yet when we come they leave us alone with the kids.
What really made me frustrated was the driver who had helped me out yesterday came in today and the teacher started fussing! She seemed mad and she kept pointing and me and over where Jackie was. I could feel my face getting red with anger but I wasn’t sure what was going on. He never told me too much of what she said but apparently she was saying that Jackie and I aren’t doing what they want. We are supposed to do things with numbers and counting. Well the worksheets I had brought had to do with counting so I’m just at a loss. I really have no idea what to do. I’m so frustrated that I want to just give up and just come in and sit down and watch the kids sit there and draw on their chalkboards for 2 hours rather than planning anymore in vain. I can’t do that though because I came here to work. I didn’t come to India for me but to work. Giving up would make the trip seem pointless. I already only get to be there for two hours plus I have a hard time feeling like I’m doing much good since I’m not actually teaching much, but to just go each day to sit is really frustrating. I talked to the directors and they offered to come with us tomorrow. I told them I’m going to try again tomorrow to do something with them and if it doesn’t go well they can come on Monday. I guess as a volunteer for such a short time I can only do so much, but I feel like my role is very small and that is hard to take.
Today I talked to Bella for a bit, but since we talked about my placement for so long I ran out of time for the interview so it was rescheduled tomorrow. Tomorrow will be busy. I will be meeting with the head of Mobile Creches and I will also interview Bella, the director of CCS. Both will be very useful for my project.
I went to the memorial to Gandhi at his home where he was assassinated. Wow Gandhi was an amazing man. I am going to post some pictures tomorrow because I don’t have the time to do it tonight, but it was amazing. His room was so humbly decorated. There was virtually nothing in it other than his bed, a desk and his staff. He was truly selfless. I followed the last footsteps that Gandhi ever took, wondering why on earth would anyone want to kill a man like Gandhi. I read some of his quotes which I had never heard before and was shocked. He talked constantly about how men should not live beyond their means because it is impossible for all to obtain an expensive lifestyle. When one is really wealthy and does not share this wealth, he makes it so that others do not get what they need. Men should not live beyond necessity. Hmmm Americans would do well to take that advice. Many of the things he said were tough and would require sacrifice, but truly would pave the way for a world in which more people had the necessities to live. Today in India there is the biggest wealth gap of probably anywhere else in the world. Most of the population has very little, yet a very small percentage is incredibly wealthy. It doesn’t seem to make sense. It also doesn’t seem to make sense that a person who is considered poor in the US would be rich here.
I went to Dilli Haat today which is a wonderful market! There was a lot of neat stuff and bargaining is tough but I think I did pretty well. I got a few things that were so cheap. This is exactly what I mean. I came to India with very little spending money, yet I will still be able to get a ton of nice things because the exchange rate is so high. There was a freshwater pearl necklace (real) that was the equivalent of $12.50! I got a few things unbelievably cheap. Some of the girls in my program are even going to get massages and facials and haircuts because its all so cheap here.
I didn’t get to stay at Dilli Haat long. We were at Gandhi’s house longer than expected and we had to be back around 5 pm for a program. A famous classical Indian dancer brought several of the girls she’s trained to perform for us. I hope to include pictures and videos of this tomorrow so check again for those. They were so beautiful and very talented! The dancing was incredible and so precise. They had been studying for about 15 years. They wore traditional saras with silver belts and lots of jewelry on their face, head and clothes. There was a hairpiece of flowers in their hair too. The dancers wear bell ankle bracelets which ring at the correct time with their dancing. They stomp their feet making the bells ring throughout the dances. It was truly memorizing! Such a neat part of older cultures is dancing. This type originated from within Hindu temples during sacrifices and ceremonies. Later it became more of an art form. It was one of my favorite things about this trip. The reason we were able to get such talented dancers to perform is that the woman is a close friend of Bella the director.
What really made me frustrated was the driver who had helped me out yesterday came in today and the teacher started fussing! She seemed mad and she kept pointing and me and over where Jackie was. I could feel my face getting red with anger but I wasn’t sure what was going on. He never told me too much of what she said but apparently she was saying that Jackie and I aren’t doing what they want. We are supposed to do things with numbers and counting. Well the worksheets I had brought had to do with counting so I’m just at a loss. I really have no idea what to do. I’m so frustrated that I want to just give up and just come in and sit down and watch the kids sit there and draw on their chalkboards for 2 hours rather than planning anymore in vain. I can’t do that though because I came here to work. I didn’t come to India for me but to work. Giving up would make the trip seem pointless. I already only get to be there for two hours plus I have a hard time feeling like I’m doing much good since I’m not actually teaching much, but to just go each day to sit is really frustrating. I talked to the directors and they offered to come with us tomorrow. I told them I’m going to try again tomorrow to do something with them and if it doesn’t go well they can come on Monday. I guess as a volunteer for such a short time I can only do so much, but I feel like my role is very small and that is hard to take.
Today I talked to Bella for a bit, but since we talked about my placement for so long I ran out of time for the interview so it was rescheduled tomorrow. Tomorrow will be busy. I will be meeting with the head of Mobile Creches and I will also interview Bella, the director of CCS. Both will be very useful for my project.
I went to the memorial to Gandhi at his home where he was assassinated. Wow Gandhi was an amazing man. I am going to post some pictures tomorrow because I don’t have the time to do it tonight, but it was amazing. His room was so humbly decorated. There was virtually nothing in it other than his bed, a desk and his staff. He was truly selfless. I followed the last footsteps that Gandhi ever took, wondering why on earth would anyone want to kill a man like Gandhi. I read some of his quotes which I had never heard before and was shocked. He talked constantly about how men should not live beyond their means because it is impossible for all to obtain an expensive lifestyle. When one is really wealthy and does not share this wealth, he makes it so that others do not get what they need. Men should not live beyond necessity. Hmmm Americans would do well to take that advice. Many of the things he said were tough and would require sacrifice, but truly would pave the way for a world in which more people had the necessities to live. Today in India there is the biggest wealth gap of probably anywhere else in the world. Most of the population has very little, yet a very small percentage is incredibly wealthy. It doesn’t seem to make sense. It also doesn’t seem to make sense that a person who is considered poor in the US would be rich here.
I went to Dilli Haat today which is a wonderful market! There was a lot of neat stuff and bargaining is tough but I think I did pretty well. I got a few things that were so cheap. This is exactly what I mean. I came to India with very little spending money, yet I will still be able to get a ton of nice things because the exchange rate is so high. There was a freshwater pearl necklace (real) that was the equivalent of $12.50! I got a few things unbelievably cheap. Some of the girls in my program are even going to get massages and facials and haircuts because its all so cheap here.
I didn’t get to stay at Dilli Haat long. We were at Gandhi’s house longer than expected and we had to be back around 5 pm for a program. A famous classical Indian dancer brought several of the girls she’s trained to perform for us. I hope to include pictures and videos of this tomorrow so check again for those. They were so beautiful and very talented! The dancing was incredible and so precise. They had been studying for about 15 years. They wore traditional saras with silver belts and lots of jewelry on their face, head and clothes. There was a hairpiece of flowers in their hair too. The dancers wear bell ankle bracelets which ring at the correct time with their dancing. They stomp their feet making the bells ring throughout the dances. It was truly memorizing! Such a neat part of older cultures is dancing. This type originated from within Hindu temples during sacrifices and ceremonies. Later it became more of an art form. It was one of my favorite things about this trip. The reason we were able to get such talented dancers to perform is that the woman is a close friend of Bella the director.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Jan 13
I had a frustrating day. After work I was going to go to Dilli Haat, a market here which is apparently amazing. Everyone went while I was in the hospital so I was going to check it out. I'm determined to get my interviews in and to really get to see a lot of the city. The Australians went to see Gandhi's home where he died so I was convinced to tag along instead. It was a total wasted day because the stupid auto rickshaw drivers took us to the wrong Gandhi museum! Apparently more than one Gandhi has been assassinated in India and has a museum to prove it! By the time we discovered this it was too late to go to teh right museum because it was about to close so we just had to come back. So I paid again to be taken back. Waste of money and time!
Tonight, though, there was a bonfire. Its a shik holiday here so we had a fire and snacks with dancing. It was pretty fun to see all of the volunteers and staff mingling and dancing. It was nice to stand around the fire and learn about the holiday. We had to throw some of the food into the fire as a sacrifice first and then walk around it in a circle. Vicki said a prayer and then we ate! I'm totally stuffed now. Afterward i enjoyed hanging out with some of the other girls in my group. There are only 4 male volunteers and the others are all girls. There is a big group of Australian students and then several others who all came alone. One Australian and the rest of us are American. Its a pretty good group of volunteers; all a bit strange of course because the average person doesn't want to volunteer in India. Of the people I encounter everyday at home, most don't care too much about the outside world or for that matter about much other than themselves. Its refreshing to meet other people who care about others and volunteering and making a difference in some way. I really am closest to 2 people: Jake and Heather. Both are around my age and are very neat people. I am also learning from them. Jake is very funny. He is himself no matter what and doesn't apologize for it. I'd like to be more like that. Heather has had some tragic things happen in her life but she seems to have this amazing peace about life that I have never seen in another person. After seeing the way much of India lives I hope I can also become more like this. Most things that happen in my life really aren't a big deal. I haven't had anything all that bad happen to me. I have it made and to complain is really a crime. It cheats me out of truly enjoying and experiencing life. When I get back I am going to be so thankful for my warm home and shower and my car and for many things that I never knew were luxuries.
As a side note I am going to meet with Bella (the program director) tomorrow to talk about CCS and NGOs. Today I have been preparing for it so I will include the details of that tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Jan 12 Some Thoughts
MY PLACEMENT
Today was terrible! The kids were mad crazy. They all cried at some point and there are like 25 of them! They kept hitting each other and stealing things from each other. They would not listen to me at all or cooperate. Its so difficult because I already don’t speak much Hindi at all so I can’t rally them, but today they were so much worse than usual. I gave them worksheets I had made for a game but they didn’t understand the intent they just wanted to color. I gave up and let them color, trying to say the colors to them in Hindi over and over (since that is my theme) but then they started ripping up the paper and throwing it everywhere. They screamed and screamed and ran around and didn’t listen to anything. I left more exhausted than I felt in the hospital! I was so tired. Usually I end up staying past 12 but today I left at 5 til because I couldn’t take it anymore. Bella is going to have Sunil (my driver) come in with me to help me get the kids settled down and to translate. Hopefully this will work better. I’m desperate. I really want to make a difference at my placement. I already feel a bit disappointed because I only get to work there for 2 hours, but now I feel useless because I can’t teach them anything! I’m not going to give up though I am working for a solution.
INTERVIEW WITH JAGGI
I also spoke with Jaggi, the second in command for CCS India. I did not ask him too much because I am going to talk to the director, Bella, but I asked him some questions about how CCS works. I mostly talked to him about setting up the appointment with me to meet with the head of Mobile Creches and another NGO. He is going to let me know soon what will work best.
SOME THOUGHTS
Indian culture… what is Indian culture? This is a question that cannot be easily answered. In fact there is no way to generalize. India is like many countries in one. It is full of contradictions and it is very complex. Each region has a different language and different customs as well as different types of food. Plus within each region there is much diversity in areas like religion and behavior. I will only get a picture of a part of Indian culture and society because even people who live here for their whole life do not know about everything. It’s funny because most of the volunteers here say that part of their motivation for coming was to experience and learn about the culture, but it can be easy to miss.
It is easy to look at what’s around you and generalize or fail to see the reality of it. I get up everyday in my cold apartment and take a cold shower and then get ready for work. On the way (the car ride takes at least 30 minutes sometimes longer) I see what is difficult to explain… this is a different world. It’s not like the U.S. It does not look the same at all. The streets are filled with cars and tons of other vehicles which do not drive in the lines but fill in every single space in mass organized chaos. The very edge of the streets are lined with food stands, shops, people walking and working, tents where people live, people doing assorted things like giving haircuts, tons of trash litters the ground, the people are so close to the street I am constantly surprised that they don’t get hit often, there is lots of construction… the city is so dirty. There is not a nice building. Everything is weathered and aged. It’s like going to a bad neighborhood which is a total mess- except there is no way out. You can’t exit into another part of the town. It doesn’t end. The entire city is the same. And from what I understand the capital is better than the rest of the country. It’s the whole country. I just don’t believe it. Sometimes when I am driving to and from my placement I think: I want a break from this place. I mean there has to be a part that not… this. A break from this for just an hour. But theres not. There is no break. There is no escape. Sometimes it’s exciting, but sometimes it’s depressing.
Today a woman spoke with us about women’s issues in India. She reiterated some of the themes that the professor had discussed. Namely, India is full of contradiction and complexity. The mix of modern and traditional is clear, but what does modernity actually mean? What is development and what is progress? Both stoutly defended their country, even belittling Western culture in some ways. She wisely pointed out that if the entire world had the living standard of the United States everything would collapse. It is simply not possible. Our commercial and consumer driven society relies on being parasitic in some sense. Though this is an interesting point, it is not wise to simply villianize the U.S.. She was highly critical of many actions taken by the U.S., declaring them to be irresponsible. I also find it frustrating that many Americans (and other Westerners) live without regard to how their actions and lifestyles affect others or the environment; as well as how these governments at times act as if they are gods. Still, it is incorrect to blame Americans. Just as Indians see the poverty around them each day and those of higher castes are not too concerned with those who have less than them- they simply accept it as a fact and move on knowing they can’t help every person; Americans live with lots of wealth surrounding them and they accept this. They act accordingly. I know that there are people here in India who have absolutely nothing and when I go home my lifestyle can change some, but I will not choose to live in a shack just because I know of what is happening around the world. I may give more money and make lifestyle changes, but since I live there I will act as Americans do. I will buy a house with central heating and air conditioning, I will buy the clothing that I like and I will still treat myself to a Starbucks coffee every now and then. Like Indians, Americans get used to the situation around them and act accordingly. Most do not know of the immense wealth they have. The things they do and see are ordinary to them. Its an interesting thought. Simply by virtue of where you happen to be born in the world will affect to a great degree the lifestyle you will live.
I have realized that it is not true to assume that “these Indian people” are poor and destitute simply because they live differently. Many do struggle through life, much more than in the U.S., yet material goods are not the way that happiness is measured. As the woman today said, “many are rich other ways.” Many here do struggle to survive, but others have enough without much extra and seem okay with the way things are for them. These thoughts may not seem significant or even to make much sense to you, but this is me processing what I see and experience. I don’t think it will all really click in my mind until I get back home.
Today was terrible! The kids were mad crazy. They all cried at some point and there are like 25 of them! They kept hitting each other and stealing things from each other. They would not listen to me at all or cooperate. Its so difficult because I already don’t speak much Hindi at all so I can’t rally them, but today they were so much worse than usual. I gave them worksheets I had made for a game but they didn’t understand the intent they just wanted to color. I gave up and let them color, trying to say the colors to them in Hindi over and over (since that is my theme) but then they started ripping up the paper and throwing it everywhere. They screamed and screamed and ran around and didn’t listen to anything. I left more exhausted than I felt in the hospital! I was so tired. Usually I end up staying past 12 but today I left at 5 til because I couldn’t take it anymore. Bella is going to have Sunil (my driver) come in with me to help me get the kids settled down and to translate. Hopefully this will work better. I’m desperate. I really want to make a difference at my placement. I already feel a bit disappointed because I only get to work there for 2 hours, but now I feel useless because I can’t teach them anything! I’m not going to give up though I am working for a solution.
INTERVIEW WITH JAGGI
I also spoke with Jaggi, the second in command for CCS India. I did not ask him too much because I am going to talk to the director, Bella, but I asked him some questions about how CCS works. I mostly talked to him about setting up the appointment with me to meet with the head of Mobile Creches and another NGO. He is going to let me know soon what will work best.
SOME THOUGHTS
Indian culture… what is Indian culture? This is a question that cannot be easily answered. In fact there is no way to generalize. India is like many countries in one. It is full of contradictions and it is very complex. Each region has a different language and different customs as well as different types of food. Plus within each region there is much diversity in areas like religion and behavior. I will only get a picture of a part of Indian culture and society because even people who live here for their whole life do not know about everything. It’s funny because most of the volunteers here say that part of their motivation for coming was to experience and learn about the culture, but it can be easy to miss.
It is easy to look at what’s around you and generalize or fail to see the reality of it. I get up everyday in my cold apartment and take a cold shower and then get ready for work. On the way (the car ride takes at least 30 minutes sometimes longer) I see what is difficult to explain… this is a different world. It’s not like the U.S. It does not look the same at all. The streets are filled with cars and tons of other vehicles which do not drive in the lines but fill in every single space in mass organized chaos. The very edge of the streets are lined with food stands, shops, people walking and working, tents where people live, people doing assorted things like giving haircuts, tons of trash litters the ground, the people are so close to the street I am constantly surprised that they don’t get hit often, there is lots of construction… the city is so dirty. There is not a nice building. Everything is weathered and aged. It’s like going to a bad neighborhood which is a total mess- except there is no way out. You can’t exit into another part of the town. It doesn’t end. The entire city is the same. And from what I understand the capital is better than the rest of the country. It’s the whole country. I just don’t believe it. Sometimes when I am driving to and from my placement I think: I want a break from this place. I mean there has to be a part that not… this. A break from this for just an hour. But theres not. There is no break. There is no escape. Sometimes it’s exciting, but sometimes it’s depressing.
Today a woman spoke with us about women’s issues in India. She reiterated some of the themes that the professor had discussed. Namely, India is full of contradiction and complexity. The mix of modern and traditional is clear, but what does modernity actually mean? What is development and what is progress? Both stoutly defended their country, even belittling Western culture in some ways. She wisely pointed out that if the entire world had the living standard of the United States everything would collapse. It is simply not possible. Our commercial and consumer driven society relies on being parasitic in some sense. Though this is an interesting point, it is not wise to simply villianize the U.S.. She was highly critical of many actions taken by the U.S., declaring them to be irresponsible. I also find it frustrating that many Americans (and other Westerners) live without regard to how their actions and lifestyles affect others or the environment; as well as how these governments at times act as if they are gods. Still, it is incorrect to blame Americans. Just as Indians see the poverty around them each day and those of higher castes are not too concerned with those who have less than them- they simply accept it as a fact and move on knowing they can’t help every person; Americans live with lots of wealth surrounding them and they accept this. They act accordingly. I know that there are people here in India who have absolutely nothing and when I go home my lifestyle can change some, but I will not choose to live in a shack just because I know of what is happening around the world. I may give more money and make lifestyle changes, but since I live there I will act as Americans do. I will buy a house with central heating and air conditioning, I will buy the clothing that I like and I will still treat myself to a Starbucks coffee every now and then. Like Indians, Americans get used to the situation around them and act accordingly. Most do not know of the immense wealth they have. The things they do and see are ordinary to them. Its an interesting thought. Simply by virtue of where you happen to be born in the world will affect to a great degree the lifestyle you will live.
I have realized that it is not true to assume that “these Indian people” are poor and destitute simply because they live differently. Many do struggle through life, much more than in the U.S., yet material goods are not the way that happiness is measured. As the woman today said, “many are rich other ways.” Many here do struggle to survive, but others have enough without much extra and seem okay with the way things are for them. These thoughts may not seem significant or even to make much sense to you, but this is me processing what I see and experience. I don’t think it will all really click in my mind until I get back home.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jan 11 Meeting with Daniel Lala
Today I started back at work at Mobile Creches. I was sad to have missed two days of work and felt a bit disoriented, but last night I created a lesson plan to teach colors to the 3 to 5 year olds. It truly is difficult to communicate because the teachers do not make much effort to understand us. Jackie said that while I was gone she tried several activities which they did not approve of. They would simply take back the math worksheets she passed out or tell her to sit and take control of the class. I reminded her not to get discouraged so today we tried again. With the 3 to 5 year olds I brought flashcards with colors on them and had them repeat the colors over and over. I would then point to other objects of the same color and repeat the color over and over and ask them to repeat. "Mere baad bolo" means repeat after me. I said that countless times. It didnt seem that they fully understood, but I hope that after sticking with the theme of colors all week they will get it. I had them color rainbows (I drew outlines of a rainbow on pieces of paper). They loved this and when I gave them crayons I would say the colors. As they colored I would also point to the colors and repeat them to the children. Hopefully I am pronouncing things correctly because I wouldnt want to teach them wrong. Now I am trying to come up with an activity for tomorrow.
This afternoon I met with Daniel Lala who had spoken with us earlier last week. He has worked with NGOs in several countries and has been in India now for 3 years. He was a costume designer for films so to move into this type of work he had to gain experience first so he would work on a project and then use the money to volunteer for 6 months. He volunteered with CCS for 3 months (the max amount of time one can volunteer) just to get introduced to NGOs in the area and got linked up with Vidya where he now works. He is a project manager, meaning he actually sets up the programs they use for women's empowerment and for children. Vidya has been around for 25 years and its focus is on women's empowerment. To do this they must also provide services for children so they teach children from the slums. Their goal for children is to give them opportunities so that they can move out of their situation and get a good job. Many children drop out of school to work for their parents and then never return so there are also remedial programs to get children back into school. Some of these chidren are able to go to college. It seems that Vidya sees a problem (women with no opportunities) and then analyzes all of the little factors that come into play such as; dealing with the children as well, supporting women who become ostracized from their family for gaining an education, providing cheaper and better education, health programs etc to address as many aspects as possible. They choose realistic solutions to problems.
He discussed with me the way the Vidya works, the type of work he has done and is doing now, and general information about NGOs. When I asked if the presence of NGOs is well-known by people in New Delhi he said yes; that almost everyone knows what an NGO is in the city and most have encountered them. They see that these provide services that the government cannot or does not provide for well. Many give extraordinary opportunities. There are many NGOs present which work with a number of issues with many different approaches. Daniel mentioned several times that it is precisely because the government does not provide adequate services that other means are necessary and thriving today. He recommended a book to me The Beautiful Tree which talks about the parallel education in India today which has resulted because the government does not ensure education to every child and it is not very good. He spoke with me about many dimensions of the problems in India and some of the solutions which exist. After spending a week here and seeing what I have... the entire city is foggy, brown, gloomy, run down, littered with trash, and swarmed with people (many in terrible circumstances) it was encouraging to see that in some cases there is progress being made and there are people who care.
He highlighted one theme that Dr. DeMars addressed in his book; that NGOs are a blend of complex connections, differing motivations and goals, and contradictory aims at times. He advised me not to the the CCS staff too much about my project because he said that they would discourage me from doing this. He said that while I am here I should do what I want and not make it known because they would not really support it. He also criticized that they run this organization for volunteers but very rarely go to the field themselves so they have little knowledge about it. He said that after interviewing them about what CCS is all about I should talk to a staff member from CCS in the US and find out what they say. He said that the perspective would be different. Within Vidya he also said that what he was telling me would be different than what an Indian staff member would say. There are different approaches that people attempt to accomplish the mission of the organization.
Daniel is going to try to set up meetings for me with the vice chair of Vidya who is an Indian as well as one person who attends a program. He is also going to try to put me in contact with a man who sells at his store products that people who recieve microloans from NGOS produce. I think this will be very interesting. After talking with him for some time and expanding my connections I am excited that my research is taking off and curious about where it will go. At the moment my topic is broad. After gathering more information I will see what direction to take with this project and how to make it more specific. I think it is good to begin broad when approaching a topic I don't know too much about. I am going to follow the leads I get and the information I find.
This afternoon I met with Daniel Lala who had spoken with us earlier last week. He has worked with NGOs in several countries and has been in India now for 3 years. He was a costume designer for films so to move into this type of work he had to gain experience first so he would work on a project and then use the money to volunteer for 6 months. He volunteered with CCS for 3 months (the max amount of time one can volunteer) just to get introduced to NGOs in the area and got linked up with Vidya where he now works. He is a project manager, meaning he actually sets up the programs they use for women's empowerment and for children. Vidya has been around for 25 years and its focus is on women's empowerment. To do this they must also provide services for children so they teach children from the slums. Their goal for children is to give them opportunities so that they can move out of their situation and get a good job. Many children drop out of school to work for their parents and then never return so there are also remedial programs to get children back into school. Some of these chidren are able to go to college. It seems that Vidya sees a problem (women with no opportunities) and then analyzes all of the little factors that come into play such as; dealing with the children as well, supporting women who become ostracized from their family for gaining an education, providing cheaper and better education, health programs etc to address as many aspects as possible. They choose realistic solutions to problems.
He discussed with me the way the Vidya works, the type of work he has done and is doing now, and general information about NGOs. When I asked if the presence of NGOs is well-known by people in New Delhi he said yes; that almost everyone knows what an NGO is in the city and most have encountered them. They see that these provide services that the government cannot or does not provide for well. Many give extraordinary opportunities. There are many NGOs present which work with a number of issues with many different approaches. Daniel mentioned several times that it is precisely because the government does not provide adequate services that other means are necessary and thriving today. He recommended a book to me The Beautiful Tree which talks about the parallel education in India today which has resulted because the government does not ensure education to every child and it is not very good. He spoke with me about many dimensions of the problems in India and some of the solutions which exist. After spending a week here and seeing what I have... the entire city is foggy, brown, gloomy, run down, littered with trash, and swarmed with people (many in terrible circumstances) it was encouraging to see that in some cases there is progress being made and there are people who care.
He highlighted one theme that Dr. DeMars addressed in his book; that NGOs are a blend of complex connections, differing motivations and goals, and contradictory aims at times. He advised me not to the the CCS staff too much about my project because he said that they would discourage me from doing this. He said that while I am here I should do what I want and not make it known because they would not really support it. He also criticized that they run this organization for volunteers but very rarely go to the field themselves so they have little knowledge about it. He said that after interviewing them about what CCS is all about I should talk to a staff member from CCS in the US and find out what they say. He said that the perspective would be different. Within Vidya he also said that what he was telling me would be different than what an Indian staff member would say. There are different approaches that people attempt to accomplish the mission of the organization.
Daniel is going to try to set up meetings for me with the vice chair of Vidya who is an Indian as well as one person who attends a program. He is also going to try to put me in contact with a man who sells at his store products that people who recieve microloans from NGOS produce. I think this will be very interesting. After talking with him for some time and expanding my connections I am excited that my research is taking off and curious about where it will go. At the moment my topic is broad. After gathering more information I will see what direction to take with this project and how to make it more specific. I think it is good to begin broad when approaching a topic I don't know too much about. I am going to follow the leads I get and the information I find.
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