Welcome to the month of April! I am sorry for the delay in keeping yourselves updated...
Sambhali News:
Today
on 09/04/2012, we started a new project called "Sambhali Sisters for
Sisters" girls empowerment project on recommendation by the Child
Welfare Committee at the Social Justice and Welfare department's shelter
home for the girls under care and protection. Wish us luck with this
project to help these girls.
Ma'am D.F.O and the Child Welfare Committee Chairperson, we presented Ma'am with our stuffed elephant toy.
Ma'am Superintendent of the shelter home Ms. Manmeet Kaur addressing the chief guest and the girls
Swawlamban Scheme 2012. Readymade garment sewing training..
Priyadarshini Adarsh Self-Help Group project 2010-2011 still on..
My name is Roberto and
I’ve been volunteering at Sambhali Trust for a month time.
I got to Jodhpur on
the 5th of march 2012, on my second morning in India (my first one
has been in New Delhi).
The first day I got to
rest after the long journey, from Milan, Italy.
On my second day I’ve followed the morning
lessons of the special “theatre group” and in the afternoon I’ve spent my time
with the English volunteer teacher, Hildegard.
On the 8th of march was HOLY, and I
had the chance to celebrate it with all the others volunteers and some of Govind’s
relatives and friends, around the guest house and a bit around the city….really
nice day!!!
On Friday I’ve
attended my first english lessons, but soon I had to change my duties, cause of
a new- starting- project, needing someone to put together a funding proposal… and
this one, was me!
During my stay I
followed some lessons as well, helping a bit the new teachers (Laura first and
then Mathieu), and some
workshops as well, having the possibility to get to know better the smily-student-girls
who come to Sambhali trying to learn the most.
I’ve also been around
the city with Govind for some official meetings for some other new projects
that Sambhali was going to prepare, as a project about rehabilitation of street
kids, who live around the railway station of
Jodhpur, or an educational project with some girls that live under
a “government child protection system”
and so on….
In march 2012 many
things were happening, the “annual
year” was ending, many long term volunteers were leaving and some were just coming, many new ideas were adding
possibility to Sambhali to grow and experiment new “fields”.
It hasn’t been always
easy to deal with all this thing going on, sometime I’ve felt a bit confused of
course, but from the people I’ve had around me, I got
the support I’ve needed. From Govind as well, especially at the beginning, when
I though I wasn’t prepared to help the Trust as I hope I’ve actually been able
to!
The other side of this
experience it was living in the Durag Niwas Guest House, with Mukta, Bundi, Ashok, Papu, Shakti, Ayoush, Govind and the other people that work in the guesthouse.
Everyone has always been there, ready to help us volunteers
and the other guests, showing us a bit of their everyday living as well as,
trying to explain to us some of the many cultural differences that are so
important and interesting to us, but also not that easy to understand
sometime….
I believe that a month
time it is the least YOU need to begin to understand the Trust, the
way things might develop and the people that everyday work in&for Sambhali
Trust, and of course it is just a little picture about how things work here in India…
Well, a month only, but
I’m really happy about this opportunity I’ve had, and so, thanks to all the
people that live next to me during my Sambhali-experience!
Hello everybody, my name is Laura, I’m 22 and I come from from Brescia
(small city near Milan), Italy. I’ve been volunteering with Sambhali Trust this
year for one month time, march 2012.
I arrived in Jodhpur with Roberto on the 5th of march, after
landing in New Delhi, big chaotic town.
Unfortunately, I had to rest a lot for the first week, because I had
been feeling sick (you know, usual travelling problems…) since my second day in
India, during the trip to Jodhpur (on a night train). And this has been a
really difficult thing I had to deal with, for the whole month in Jodhpur.
We were really lucky, because we were in Jodhpur on the 8th of march, this year that meant
Holi! We all had the chance to celebrate it among us, but also with Govind and
some of his relatives and friends, around the guest house and the city. That
was a really nice experience!
Anyway, during the first week of my stay we had a meeting between the
Sambhali’s volunteers and Govind, to talk about the job they had been doing
before our arrival and to decide precisely how we could help them and the
Sambhali’s girls.
It was decided that I was going to do the English lessons, after
Hildegard’s departure (she was the previous English teacher in Sambhali and she
was an English teacher in Germany too… lot of experience she had).
During the first week I could not follow Hildegard’s lessons, because I
had to stay in bed, but Roberto followed some for me and he and Hildegard
explained to me a lot about the materials/themes that she had been using/doing
with the girls. She showed me the “biggest” problems you have to deal with
while organizing/planning lessons for groups of girls of different levels or for
weekly/daily changing groups.
About these problems, I have to say that we arrived in a month during
which it was taking place the special “theatre group”, that changed a little
bit the usual lessons’ timetable and groups. But nothing too serious!
Anyway, after the end of the theatre group, Ingrid, Mathieu and I, with
the help of Roberto as well, we tried to split the groups in a better way and
we tried to do the last ten days of lessons by using this new timetable, that
it seemed to work better. Instead of having English and Maths both in the same
day, we decided to have two days of Maths and two of English, with the
Wednesday always reserved for workshops. And the new groups were Maths,
Advanced and Basic, and English, Advanced and Basic. This solution is nice, but
it could be that sometimes you don’t have that many teacher we had the chance
to have!
So, as I was telling, during my stay I held the English lessons as well
as the workshops, working together with the Maths teachers, Ingrid first and
then Mathieu (after Ingrid’s departure).
I enjoyed a lot working with this team of people and having the
immediate feedback from the girls about what they like to learn, how they like
to learn and that thay can see how much work you put behind the lessons and
also that Govind gives each volunteer the possibility of thinking about improvements
that can be done and, in the same time, the chance to try them after discussing
them with him and with the local teachers (Anju, Tamana and Rheena). You can
really do your part and see the consequences of your work.
After the second week of lesson, I also helped a bit Corinne (the
manager of Sambhali Boutique) with the Boutique… As I sayed, in this month,
many things were changing: the financial year was ending, many long term
volunteers were leaving and some new were
coming, some old project was being ended but in the same time new ones
were being born, …
Govind needed the help of Corinne to manage part of these changes,
that’s why I spent my afternoon in the Sambhali Boutique, explaining the
incoming customers about the Sambhali Trust running projects and showing them
the girls’ work. It has been really interesting to do that and to see the other
side of the Sambhali’s work, after the girls’ graduate.
It has not been always simply to face all this thing going on,
especially because sometimes I was feeling in really bad shape and I was very
discouraged from India, but I received a lot of support and advices from Mukta,
Govind, Bunti, Corinne, Ashok, Papu, Shakti, Ayoush and the volunteers and I
could really notice that people all around the Guest House was really caring
about my health! Everyone of them, as well as Roberto, was there to help me,
when I needed it, or to show me a bit of their everyday life and to explain me
about the Indian habits, that is a really important and interesting thing.
Last thing I have to say, is that one of the things I enjoyed a lot has
been the time spent staying in the Durag Niwas Guest House during the evening
and meeting the incoming tourist (all from many different countries) and
listening them sharing their experiences in India and with Indian people!
The only thing I could regret, is that one month of time is really few
time, because at the end of the experience you’re only at the very beginning of
your “path” of knowledge of the girls of the Sambhali Trust project.
The girls has always been very smiling to me and, when you meet them the
first time, you don’t know what’s behind this smiles or what’s their personal
history… but, when you know a little bit more about them and their daily lives,
you are able to give to could think all these smiles their real value, that is
hundreds or thousands or maybe many times more than you would have thought.
I’m really happy that I had this possibility. Thank you Sambhali!
Laura
We are Mario, 24, and
Ilaria, 22, two Italian students from Naples. This summer we spent a month
working with the NGO Sambhali Trust in Jodhpur, taking part to the project
about Women Empowerment.
Sambhali Trust is an
association for the Empowerment of Dalit Women. The Trust is working for the
self-dependence and education of women belonging to backward classes community.
Furthermore it fights against some orthodox aspects of the society such as
child marriage. The final aim is to make them financially independent.
We choose to come to
India as volunteers as we have been studying indian history and society for
some years, so what really impressed us as the most powerful point of the
association, is that its founder and some of the teachers belong to one of the
highest caste and decide to dedicate their time for Dalit girls.
The relationship
between volunteers, teachers and students is not unilateral or passive but it
has constructive dynamic. This spontaneous approach is an important tool to
turn the training in a moment of exchange and confrontation, where the girls
have something to learn but a lot to teach.
The collaboration with
the indian teachers, is also a necessary element to create a genuine contact
with the girls. Not only they teach different subjects, but most of all they
try daily to encourage them for the study and the work .
We collaborated with
the association giving English lessons and doing Flamenco workshop. The NGO
works in two center: one is placed in Durag Niwas Guesthouse, where we also
lived; the other base was placed in Payal Center, fifteen minutes far from the
guesthouse. Most of the girls are not scholarized, so thought the communication
was not always easy, the atmosphere and the predisposition of the girls to
learn was very stimulating. The collaboration also with
the others members and volunteers that work in Sambhali Trust, is the perfect
condition to realize an important project for these girls.
Since we started experience as volunteers in Sambhali we
realized that lots of the girls have never been to school so every day is a
personal challenge that their face with big enthusiasm and energy, as their
smiles show.
Our experience has
been both good and hard and this maybe is the most fascinating thing. We hope
to come back as soon as possible to meet again all Sambhali’s team and
students.
Mario&Ilaria from
Naples ( Italy )
My name is Marlies Schmid. I am German, but
have lived in Spain for many years..
February-May 2012
For a long time during my life, I have been
looking for an opportunity to live and work in another country, rather than
just travelling there as a tourist. I wanted to get the chance to get to see
the country through the eyes of the people there. I have wanted to learn more
about the culture and their lifestyle, and getting into the day to day and
hopefully to be able to add some value if possible.
Sambhali Trust has offered me all the
experience that I had been looking for. After I applied for a position at
Sambhali Trust, after finding out that I used to work as a fashion developer, they
immediately suggested that I work with them and stay as long as I could.
With the basic outline patterns in all sizes inside my suitcase, I left Spain in the last week of February on my way to Jodhpur, India, in order to spend the next three months of my life there.
It was great to be received with a nice and warm welcome from the other volunteers and get their guidance through my first weeks.
Now that I have been living here for more
than seven weeks, I have got to know a city that is full of color, the
incredible amount of fabric stores with the most sumptuous materials, the
overwhelming scents, the cows, camels, and elephants everywhere! Most of these animals are even seen on the
streets, which surprised me a little at first. Furthermore - and the beautiful and nice people of the sewing
center.
I started working with Christine, who started developing small fashion collection for the women in the sewing center since October, and it was a pleasure to see how their skills improved every day and that we can we all merged into a great team.
In the sewing center my five friends, Radha, Santosh, Rita, Nirmala and Pushpa have gained a lot of knowledge about new techniques of paper patterns, interface options and much more.
In the work center there is so much laughter and great ambiance combined with hard work and each day brings great progress.
On my "free" days or hours I try to prepare new paper patterns or look for fabric or new materials for the collections.
We are all proud of our progress and now I am convinced that these five women can manage to not only achieve a great quality, but also with Tamanna’s help, who is responsible for the supervision of the work in the sewing center, to train additional women to work with them and increase the production.
Our design collection is going to be ready for the the re-opening of the boutique in their new rooms!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sylvia
Report 2
It is only a
few days now till I leave Jodhpur.
I can’t believe that the time has gone so fast.
From January until now we had many Art & Craft
lessons. Some girls came into the group at a later time and all times we had
different levels of handicraft skills.
I was glad to have good teachers on my side, at the
beginning Tamanna and later Anju. It was really nice and constructive to work
with them.
Govind wanted the girls to learn some special skills
that I could bring to the group. So we start to make small Decoration pins. The
girls enjoy doing that and I was surprised at the result.
The second
step was to sew small bags. This needed different skills like embroidering,
decorating with fabric, sewing by hand and by machine. It was especially important
that the girls learn to work very clean to be able to bring the products into
the Boutique.
Most of the students liked to copy my examples and we
had lots of fun in the lessons.
I hope that some things will be in the program for a
longer time.
But it was not only teaching, what I do here in
Sambhali Trust. For more than two months I was responsible for the
administration respect planning all the volunteers in this year. In January I
worked at the Sambhali Shop for some days.
With other volunteers I represent the Sambhali Trust
in various meetings, went to a congress for disabled people and I accompanied
the Sambhali girls to excursions.
In the last week I helped to prepare Govinds Trip to Germany, Switzerland
and Austria
and translated the Sambhali-flyer into the German language.
For me, it was a very good time here, but I really
hope my time also helped to empower the girls and women.
Living at the Durag Niwas Guest House was extremely
important to feeling comfortable and happy in Jodhpur. Thank you to the whole Crew,
especially Mukta and Bunty!
I have enjoyed meeting many people from around the
world staying here as guests, the old and young volunteers and friends of the
family.
It may not be
possible to come back soon, but I do hope I will sometime…
With the girls
in Mandore Park
