Paula, Geraldine and I left Chennai last night under very tightened security at the airport. I think we all felt sad that our Learning Journey in India had finally come to a close and rather anxious that we should be travelling by plane when a possible high-jack was expected.
Luckily, we all landed safely this morning back in the UK.It feels wonderful to be home and re-unite with friends and family again. It is a spectacularly sunny day and there is a seasonal feel in the air with decorations and Xmas trees bringing some cheer to the ever-increasing economic gloom.
I can't get over how clean and tidy everwhere looks - it is like landing on another planet compared to what we got used to in Calcutta, Hyderabad and Chennai. I kinda miss the cows in the road and the general mayhem, but not the manic buses driving head on to each other. This contrast reminds me how lucky I have been to experience first hand what makes India tick in the company of such a stimulating and fun-loving group of individuals.
But, maybe the journey is just beginning? It will be fascinating to see how we use this unbelievable experience in our professional and personal lives now that we are back in our own comfortable world. Maybe the group can keep in touch via this blog to share any interesting outcomes?
One immediate result that came up just before we left was the possibility of a re-union in Hong Kong in November 2009 to learn more about the pioneering social enterprise work that Patrick is developing.
.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The power of money, mobility and a circle of saris
It is flattering to meet a stranger who knows your name. It is even more flattering when he has generated social change of the kind for which Raja Menon can be credited. A low key figure offers his hand warmly as I walk up the concrete staircase of Jeevika’s office in District South 24 Parganas: “South Africa – right? There is something we need to discuss …”. And yet we have never met. We are all strangers here. Yet this doubtlessly busy man has taken the time to read through our biographies and welcome us personally.
Raja Menon is the founder of Jeevika – a rural empowerment group focused on creating sustainable livelihoods for women. He lives up to his reputation: self-effacing to a fault. As quick to welcome as he is to introduce what he refers to as today’s Jeevika. “Why would you want to hear from someone of yesterday’s Jeevika?”.
I am not the only stranger whose name and background Raja has taken the trouble to read about in the bio attachment he received. He spends the two hours which follow offering a seamless and detailed account of the historical evolution of social sector activity in India, slotting references to his own life into the narrative when necessary. It is all delivered as if personally addressing old friends participating in a shared struggle. But Raja is as generous with his honesty and he is with his welcome: “microfinance is a mean machine with no heart. It doesn’t give loans to anyone, and it only has one ouput: credit… which is tight”. And then in a small courtyard in a village hemmed in by palm trees and moss-coloured lakes, we witness this for ourselves.
But before getting to meet those actually embodying Jeevika’s greatest successes – participatory micro-finance and livelihood creation for rural women through training and small enterprise development, we are introduced (with glowing acknowledgements from Raja) to those driving today’s Jeevika. Sumita Sur Roy heads up the Jeevika’s Micro-Credit Programme and she is soft-spoken and fast witted, and fearless when it comes to auto-rickshaws weaving amongst blue bus-shaped metal giants. She and Ahmed, the author of Jeevika’s latest annual report, load us full-bellied into the rickshaws and off the tarred roads onto narrow bricked pathways.
Our first stop is Digital Graphics – a design and digital photography enterprise.
This is run by five young women with a sizable dose of courage and business savvy. Standing with them in their tightly ordered shop, their closeness is self-evident. This may be explained by a shared experience of long working hours, friendship and a stubborn will to ‘make it work’ in the face of domestic pressures and little support. Their families prophesied that having open in May 2007, they would be closed by June. And I hope those hats weren’t too unpalatable.
Then onto the rural idyll. We arrive at a scene which could have been taken straight out of God of Small Things: lush, humid and outstandingly beautiful. Randomly spaced households punctuated the palm groves and string of small lakes. I spot a woman in a bright red sari washing dishes in one of them – we smile at each other and she stands up proudly as I take a photo of silver and red against leafy green. We meet again just ten minutes later in a narrow clay courtyard. She carries a small child and turns to smile again at me, acknowledging our previous acquaintance warmly.
The gathering is colourful and serious. This is a lending circle and these women meet together regularly with their loan officer to collect repayments…and so much more. Here they discuss relationships, children, leaking roofs and economic downturns, the trade in embroidered saris and life. And… the price of provisions.
But these same women also qualify for Jeevika’s training courses and these are a firm favourite. Why? Mobility – rural women living within the traditional conjugally organised households very seldomly leave their villages. Now, through Jeevika, they hold purse strings, and go on regular excursions to attend training which covers gender rights, relationship politics, and domestic violence alongside financial literacy, IT and PhotoShop Pro. And they face the repercussions of these dramatic changes collectively, through the community of women associated with the learning circle.
But arguably the greatest achievement of Jeevika in the context of this village is shared in passing while squeezing amongst the bus-giants. One of these women we met is the Secretary of the newly formed Federation of Jeevika groups who will shortly register as a legally registered Micro-Finance Institution capable of lending and financial capacity building themselves. A micro-finance resource led by rural women for rural women. ‘Impressive’ just seems a bit short of the mark. Women’s empowerment amongst these palm groves is material, and it’s seemingly unstoppable.
So in short, what has Jeevika given them? Jeevika has given rural women in this district access to credit and capacity building and through these to a world of new choices. But most crucially, they have opened this door while also providing the company required to practically support those going through it – the crucial sisterhood of borrowers and trainees. And what has Jeevika given me? A reminder of my moral obligation to do more than merely be aware of the luxurious range of choices available to me through my existing access to credit, my educational and professional background, and the settlement where I live. I have been reminded to use those choices with a sense of responsibility given how unevenly they seem to have been distributed in this world of ours.
Raja Menon is the founder of Jeevika – a rural empowerment group focused on creating sustainable livelihoods for women. He lives up to his reputation: self-effacing to a fault. As quick to welcome as he is to introduce what he refers to as today’s Jeevika. “Why would you want to hear from someone of yesterday’s Jeevika?”.
I am not the only stranger whose name and background Raja has taken the trouble to read about in the bio attachment he received. He spends the two hours which follow offering a seamless and detailed account of the historical evolution of social sector activity in India, slotting references to his own life into the narrative when necessary. It is all delivered as if personally addressing old friends participating in a shared struggle. But Raja is as generous with his honesty and he is with his welcome: “microfinance is a mean machine with no heart. It doesn’t give loans to anyone, and it only has one ouput: credit… which is tight”. And then in a small courtyard in a village hemmed in by palm trees and moss-coloured lakes, we witness this for ourselves.
But before getting to meet those actually embodying Jeevika’s greatest successes – participatory micro-finance and livelihood creation for rural women through training and small enterprise development, we are introduced (with glowing acknowledgements from Raja) to those driving today’s Jeevika. Sumita Sur Roy heads up the Jeevika’s Micro-Credit Programme and she is soft-spoken and fast witted, and fearless when it comes to auto-rickshaws weaving amongst blue bus-shaped metal giants. She and Ahmed, the author of Jeevika’s latest annual report, load us full-bellied into the rickshaws and off the tarred roads onto narrow bricked pathways.
Our first stop is Digital Graphics – a design and digital photography enterprise.
This is run by five young women with a sizable dose of courage and business savvy. Standing with them in their tightly ordered shop, their closeness is self-evident. This may be explained by a shared experience of long working hours, friendship and a stubborn will to ‘make it work’ in the face of domestic pressures and little support. Their families prophesied that having open in May 2007, they would be closed by June. And I hope those hats weren’t too unpalatable.
Then onto the rural idyll. We arrive at a scene which could have been taken straight out of God of Small Things: lush, humid and outstandingly beautiful. Randomly spaced households punctuated the palm groves and string of small lakes. I spot a woman in a bright red sari washing dishes in one of them – we smile at each other and she stands up proudly as I take a photo of silver and red against leafy green. We meet again just ten minutes later in a narrow clay courtyard. She carries a small child and turns to smile again at me, acknowledging our previous acquaintance warmly.
The gathering is colourful and serious. This is a lending circle and these women meet together regularly with their loan officer to collect repayments…and so much more. Here they discuss relationships, children, leaking roofs and economic downturns, the trade in embroidered saris and life. And… the price of provisions.
But these same women also qualify for Jeevika’s training courses and these are a firm favourite. Why? Mobility – rural women living within the traditional conjugally organised households very seldomly leave their villages. Now, through Jeevika, they hold purse strings, and go on regular excursions to attend training which covers gender rights, relationship politics, and domestic violence alongside financial literacy, IT and PhotoShop Pro. And they face the repercussions of these dramatic changes collectively, through the community of women associated with the learning circle.
But arguably the greatest achievement of Jeevika in the context of this village is shared in passing while squeezing amongst the bus-giants. One of these women we met is the Secretary of the newly formed Federation of Jeevika groups who will shortly register as a legally registered Micro-Finance Institution capable of lending and financial capacity building themselves. A micro-finance resource led by rural women for rural women. ‘Impressive’ just seems a bit short of the mark. Women’s empowerment amongst these palm groves is material, and it’s seemingly unstoppable.
So in short, what has Jeevika given them? Jeevika has given rural women in this district access to credit and capacity building and through these to a world of new choices. But most crucially, they have opened this door while also providing the company required to practically support those going through it – the crucial sisterhood of borrowers and trainees. And what has Jeevika given me? A reminder of my moral obligation to do more than merely be aware of the luxurious range of choices available to me through my existing access to credit, my educational and professional background, and the settlement where I live. I have been reminded to use those choices with a sense of responsibility given how unevenly they seem to have been distributed in this world of ours.
Monday, December 1, 2008
REFLECTIONS SESSION
Just preparing for our reflections session and scanning the blog helps bring all of this to life again. Lets see what the morning brings by way of conclusions, unanswered questions, comments and of course reflections!
The power of social innovation
The power of Social Innovation-reflection from Hyderabad
Could you image customers are lining up to purchase your products or services in today’s increasingly competitive commercial world? Could you image that your company is growing at three digit growth percentage per year? Could you image investors give you the capital and do not give you the pressure to deliver those quarterly results? This is the power of social enterprises at Hyderabad!
Hyderabad is almost a complete change from Kolkata. New constructions very where, cars passed by gaining their few seconds advantage on you, people are all busy selling, hurrying home, or working in their shops. We have not encounter a beggar on the street asking for money yet.
While Kolkata gives us the emotional inspiration on the dedication of individual social activists, Hyderabad gives us the inspiration on how to make the maximum impact with the less amount of resource.
Life Spring hospital specialize in building a chain of small Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospitals that provide vital reproductive and pediatric healthcare to low income people. www.lifespringhospitals.com The Company was found in 2007 with support from Acumen Fund. Within a year they already established themselves in Hyderabad, Nellore and Vijaywada. By specialize and focus in Maternity Care, they are able to develop a very cost effective model to substantially reduce their cost of service to their clients at one third of the market price. They did not forget the value of quality. In fact each of their hospital has to be approved by ISO9000 in term of quality system.
The result is very clear. Patients are flocking in. Life Spring is now planning to open one hospital in every 35 days next year. In two years time, the group will have 35 hospitals and they are already talking about plan for potential public recruitment of capital. What type of business could grow that fast!
We keep hearing other successful examples of social enterprise. We are not looking at small operations start up by trade practitioners, instead we meet many young professionally trained business executives using all the most updated business jargons explaining what they intend to achieve through their social enterprises. Vision Spring was set up provide low cost eye care to rural India. Through their unique model of Vision Entrepreneurs, they managed to create jobs at village level for capable young entrepreneurs while still achieve their goal of providing low cost eye care to rural areas. www.visionspring.org
Established in 2002, Intellecap is one of the fastest growing strategic services firms providing support to social entrepreneurs. The four key operations under Intellecap are: investment banking, Enterprise Development, Knowledge advisory and Incubator. They leverage their understanding of main stream business to create unique solutions that deliver financial, social, and environmental returns. www.intellecap.net
Our high light was our visit to Indian School of Business listening to the live journey of Mr. Vijay Mahajan through which we have a closer understanding of what were and still are the main obstacles to social entrepreneurs. ISB program director, Mr. Subramonia Sarma made an impressive comment before the session end. One cannot underestimate the seed that business school could sow into each future business leader’s heart. Although only a few will choose to start right away to build their dreams in SE, others will adopt the value and support the movement in their respective influential positions in different companies in future. I would love to see those happy and yet determined faces of young entrepreneurs in China too!
Patrick
Could you image customers are lining up to purchase your products or services in today’s increasingly competitive commercial world? Could you image that your company is growing at three digit growth percentage per year? Could you image investors give you the capital and do not give you the pressure to deliver those quarterly results? This is the power of social enterprises at Hyderabad!
Hyderabad is almost a complete change from Kolkata. New constructions very where, cars passed by gaining their few seconds advantage on you, people are all busy selling, hurrying home, or working in their shops. We have not encounter a beggar on the street asking for money yet.
While Kolkata gives us the emotional inspiration on the dedication of individual social activists, Hyderabad gives us the inspiration on how to make the maximum impact with the less amount of resource.
Life Spring hospital specialize in building a chain of small Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospitals that provide vital reproductive and pediatric healthcare to low income people. www.lifespringhospitals.com The Company was found in 2007 with support from Acumen Fund. Within a year they already established themselves in Hyderabad, Nellore and Vijaywada. By specialize and focus in Maternity Care, they are able to develop a very cost effective model to substantially reduce their cost of service to their clients at one third of the market price. They did not forget the value of quality. In fact each of their hospital has to be approved by ISO9000 in term of quality system.
The result is very clear. Patients are flocking in. Life Spring is now planning to open one hospital in every 35 days next year. In two years time, the group will have 35 hospitals and they are already talking about plan for potential public recruitment of capital. What type of business could grow that fast!
We keep hearing other successful examples of social enterprise. We are not looking at small operations start up by trade practitioners, instead we meet many young professionally trained business executives using all the most updated business jargons explaining what they intend to achieve through their social enterprises. Vision Spring was set up provide low cost eye care to rural India. Through their unique model of Vision Entrepreneurs, they managed to create jobs at village level for capable young entrepreneurs while still achieve their goal of providing low cost eye care to rural areas. www.visionspring.org
Established in 2002, Intellecap is one of the fastest growing strategic services firms providing support to social entrepreneurs. The four key operations under Intellecap are: investment banking, Enterprise Development, Knowledge advisory and Incubator. They leverage their understanding of main stream business to create unique solutions that deliver financial, social, and environmental returns. www.intellecap.net
Our high light was our visit to Indian School of Business listening to the live journey of Mr. Vijay Mahajan through which we have a closer understanding of what were and still are the main obstacles to social entrepreneurs. ISB program director, Mr. Subramonia Sarma made an impressive comment before the session end. One cannot underestimate the seed that business school could sow into each future business leader’s heart. Although only a few will choose to start right away to build their dreams in SE, others will adopt the value and support the movement in their respective influential positions in different companies in future. I would love to see those happy and yet determined faces of young entrepreneurs in China too!
Patrick
Sunday, November 30, 2008
A very moving monemt
We are a group that prior to 22nd Novemeber had never met before. A few of us had been to the 'induction' event at the 'hub' in London in October, though by the time we regrouped in Calcutta there had been sadly one dropout and several new members. So how do we get on? Well by and large fantastically well. We are very diverse, with different experiences which have influenced all of us and the one area in common is thta here we all are together in India!
The power and strength of the group was amazingly well illustrated today. Lee had been feeling unwell and was much missed when she needed to spend a day or two in bed. Then this morning a late breakfast as it was Sunday. There we were talking together & eating together and suddenly Lee walked into the breakfast area, it was almost a surreal expereince, as a group we were all so pleased to see her, she was looking better and there was usch an emotional bond that you could feel! What an amazing experience this trip has been and thankfully Lee is well on the mend. Sunday evening here and our last organised visit tomorrow.
The power and strength of the group was amazingly well illustrated today. Lee had been feeling unwell and was much missed when she needed to spend a day or two in bed. Then this morning a late breakfast as it was Sunday. There we were talking together & eating together and suddenly Lee walked into the breakfast area, it was almost a surreal expereince, as a group we were all so pleased to see her, she was looking better and there was usch an emotional bond that you could feel! What an amazing experience this trip has been and thankfully Lee is well on the mend. Sunday evening here and our last organised visit tomorrow.
The value of words and actions
Since arriving in India 8 days ago, our group has engaged with a tremendous range of individuals, each with their own interpretation of the words "social" and "enterprise".
For me, it has been a roller-coaster of emotions, opinions, discussions and evaluation plus an incredibly steep learning curve since much of the language used has been alien to my background working in product-led marketing and communications.
I have learnt so much in a short space of time about India, its people, and culture, its vast social issues and traditions, economic challenges, bureacracy and daily frustrations with simply getting anything to happen. I have even managed to understand the complex world of micro-finance, micro-credit and all those other "gorgeous" words that seemed so alien until my very patient travel companions explained their significance to the world of social entrepreneurship.
Inspite of the multitude of unique experiences and the opportunity to learn a new language, there has been something worrying me. A constant question about what does all this mean and how can we start to process the energy, enthusiam and passion that we have been so privileged to witness.
This feeling started to fade this evening when we visited the highly prestigious Indian Business School, located in impressive grounds in Hydrabad. After yet more words about the value of social enterprise and the challenges facing today's change-makers, I witnessed a poignant moment between one of our group and a highly motivated but, in my opinion, confused social entreprener we had met earlier today. Names aren't important for this story, as the individual in our group who spoke these powerful words will recognise them:
"I would like to offer you one hour of my time every month in order to mentor you".
The look on the face of the social entrepreneur who received this simple but concrete offer was certainly one of the highlights of my journey.
For me, it has been a roller-coaster of emotions, opinions, discussions and evaluation plus an incredibly steep learning curve since much of the language used has been alien to my background working in product-led marketing and communications.
I have learnt so much in a short space of time about India, its people, and culture, its vast social issues and traditions, economic challenges, bureacracy and daily frustrations with simply getting anything to happen. I have even managed to understand the complex world of micro-finance, micro-credit and all those other "gorgeous" words that seemed so alien until my very patient travel companions explained their significance to the world of social entrepreneurship.
Inspite of the multitude of unique experiences and the opportunity to learn a new language, there has been something worrying me. A constant question about what does all this mean and how can we start to process the energy, enthusiam and passion that we have been so privileged to witness.
This feeling started to fade this evening when we visited the highly prestigious Indian Business School, located in impressive grounds in Hydrabad. After yet more words about the value of social enterprise and the challenges facing today's change-makers, I witnessed a poignant moment between one of our group and a highly motivated but, in my opinion, confused social entreprener we had met earlier today. Names aren't important for this story, as the individual in our group who spoke these powerful words will recognise them:
"I would like to offer you one hour of my time every month in order to mentor you".
The look on the face of the social entrepreneur who received this simple but concrete offer was certainly one of the highlights of my journey.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Anjali
ANJALI
Ratna, founder of ANJALI, an NGO dedicated to help the mentally ill, know how to tell story. Ratna started this project after she found out the horrifying condition of mental hospital in India. For a mental ill person, your social right is immediately being deprived once a doctor diagnosed you are mentally ill. Your husband could seek for divorce, your property right immediately cease to exist, you do not even have the right to legally defend yourself as the court believe you are not capable to do so. For 80% of Indian family, the way to solve the problem of having someone mentally ill at home is to take their mentally ill relative and get them admitted into a mental hospital and then disappear. They simply discard their problem-their son or daughter...
For the medical profession, mentally ill has to be treated with electrification, beating and drug treatment until they "behave". The resource government has devoted for this sector is negligible consider almost 5% of the total population in west Bangel has mental illness. They have a total of 3000 psychiatrists, 1000 nurses... At the front line, abuse is very common, both physical as well as sexually. Those who do not conform face the punishment of shutting in isolated cells until they conformed.
It is very emotional when you hear how family members discard their son and daughter and leave them in these crazy hospitals. To watch how desperate these eyes of those kept patients is even more terrifying. But here they are, waiting forever for their family member to take them home, begging every visit to help them find their family. We visited the hospital and experience their deep desire to talk to visitors. I toke some pictures for some of them and show the pictures to some of the patients. The emotion encounter is hard to describe but their big smile on their face is unforgettable.
ANJALI has only little resource. They do not accept any funding from their government to preserve their independence being a critic. TATA foundation is their donor and their 6th year maximum support period is approaching. Difficulty in solicit donation for mentally ill is huge as it is perceived as a small problem. We are worrying for ANJALI but Ratna is all optimistic, charging ahead with their youth program (Lotto), women support program, etc
When challenge why they are so enthusiastic helping those patients day after days and week after weeks, they tell me a small story. Patients quite often are found feeding one of the inmates to eat if one of them refuses to eat. They say when they see this kind of HUMAN QUALITY among the mentally ill, how could they give up on helping. I was totally touch by the word of HUMAN QUALITY as this phase did not appear on any of my school books nor in any of the many books that I study in order to get ahead of others. The whole education system and whole social norm teach us that if we are ahead, that is because you are better, stronger, faster and smarter.... I remember the bible teaching of "God make you strong because he want you to take more responsibility to help others" May be the beauty of Human quality are the true driving force supporting us to tackle social injustice head on to change the world!
Patrick
Ratna, founder of ANJALI, an NGO dedicated to help the mentally ill, know how to tell story. Ratna started this project after she found out the horrifying condition of mental hospital in India. For a mental ill person, your social right is immediately being deprived once a doctor diagnosed you are mentally ill. Your husband could seek for divorce, your property right immediately cease to exist, you do not even have the right to legally defend yourself as the court believe you are not capable to do so. For 80% of Indian family, the way to solve the problem of having someone mentally ill at home is to take their mentally ill relative and get them admitted into a mental hospital and then disappear. They simply discard their problem-their son or daughter...
For the medical profession, mentally ill has to be treated with electrification, beating and drug treatment until they "behave". The resource government has devoted for this sector is negligible consider almost 5% of the total population in west Bangel has mental illness. They have a total of 3000 psychiatrists, 1000 nurses... At the front line, abuse is very common, both physical as well as sexually. Those who do not conform face the punishment of shutting in isolated cells until they conformed.
It is very emotional when you hear how family members discard their son and daughter and leave them in these crazy hospitals. To watch how desperate these eyes of those kept patients is even more terrifying. But here they are, waiting forever for their family member to take them home, begging every visit to help them find their family. We visited the hospital and experience their deep desire to talk to visitors. I toke some pictures for some of them and show the pictures to some of the patients. The emotion encounter is hard to describe but their big smile on their face is unforgettable.
ANJALI has only little resource. They do not accept any funding from their government to preserve their independence being a critic. TATA foundation is their donor and their 6th year maximum support period is approaching. Difficulty in solicit donation for mentally ill is huge as it is perceived as a small problem. We are worrying for ANJALI but Ratna is all optimistic, charging ahead with their youth program (Lotto), women support program, etc
When challenge why they are so enthusiastic helping those patients day after days and week after weeks, they tell me a small story. Patients quite often are found feeding one of the inmates to eat if one of them refuses to eat. They say when they see this kind of HUMAN QUALITY among the mentally ill, how could they give up on helping. I was totally touch by the word of HUMAN QUALITY as this phase did not appear on any of my school books nor in any of the many books that I study in order to get ahead of others. The whole education system and whole social norm teach us that if we are ahead, that is because you are better, stronger, faster and smarter.... I remember the bible teaching of "God make you strong because he want you to take more responsibility to help others" May be the beauty of Human quality are the true driving force supporting us to tackle social injustice head on to change the world!
Patrick
Parrjak
Parrjak www.prasjak.org
Deep is a devoted young men who finished his MBA and work two years in business and then decide to switch his career to social enterprise. After a small unpleasant moment, his family supports him by allowing him to use the first floor of their house as office for PARRJAK.
Start out with a mission to work his organization out of the picture, Deep adopt a strategy of always putting government institution at the center stage for any achievement. By doing that, they also put the obligation back to the government to ensure the program works. Deep believe to partner with government and utilize their resource is critical for changing the unjust situation for child abuse problem. Without a clear mission and strong desire to focus into the well being of the child, it will be difficult to come out with the same strategy.
I wish more young man and woman could find their satisfaction and passion through Social enterprise. I wonder whether today's world of opportunity in business and public sectors are still encouraging enough to get all the energy and passion out of the hidden capacity somewhere....
Patrick
Deep is a devoted young men who finished his MBA and work two years in business and then decide to switch his career to social enterprise. After a small unpleasant moment, his family supports him by allowing him to use the first floor of their house as office for PARRJAK.
Start out with a mission to work his organization out of the picture, Deep adopt a strategy of always putting government institution at the center stage for any achievement. By doing that, they also put the obligation back to the government to ensure the program works. Deep believe to partner with government and utilize their resource is critical for changing the unjust situation for child abuse problem. Without a clear mission and strong desire to focus into the well being of the child, it will be difficult to come out with the same strategy.
I wish more young man and woman could find their satisfaction and passion through Social enterprise. I wonder whether today's world of opportunity in business and public sectors are still encouraging enough to get all the energy and passion out of the hidden capacity somewhere....
Patrick
AWWD
Association for Women with Disabilities (AWWD) www.awwdindia.org
Watching a group of disable women rehearsing their drama play inside this hollow structure of the fountain inside a park is a powerful statement to endorse Dus's strategy of empowering disable women to fight for their own right and rebuild their confidence to make a living for themselves.
When one is faced with the illiterate, disabled women without any esteem of themselves, thinking their committed sins in the past life is why they are what they are, how could someone figure out this approach for the organization. Dus, herself also handicapped, started association for women with disabilities after failing to convince the NGO she worked for to tackle on this area of marginalized disabled women. She also chose to start the project in rural areas all by herself. It was tough as building trust with the villages is difficult and consumes a lot of time and energy. After being accepted by the villagers, they told her where the girls with disabilities are. Typically they stayed home because of lack of accessibility.
The first approach to these DW is personal development. After these DW realize being disable is not shameful and they are just another human being they also have their own right, then Dus will encourage them to find opportunity to do some income generation job. AWWD also extend small credit to whom she might need some small capital to start. The DW themselves must decide what to make, where to sell and how they could make money out of the activities. With their improved economic situation, they gain more acceptance and respect from their family. These DW regain their confidence and have the potential to receive more training from AWWR until they could be leading other unfortunate DW to improve their livihood.
Here is another good example of devotion and extreme passion to help those who suffer from the same problem. Dus also show exceptional quality in her Vision and leadership in training and grooming the whole new generation of leaders out from DWs. The big smiles from those DW make humanity shine.
Patrick
Watching a group of disable women rehearsing their drama play inside this hollow structure of the fountain inside a park is a powerful statement to endorse Dus's strategy of empowering disable women to fight for their own right and rebuild their confidence to make a living for themselves.
When one is faced with the illiterate, disabled women without any esteem of themselves, thinking their committed sins in the past life is why they are what they are, how could someone figure out this approach for the organization. Dus, herself also handicapped, started association for women with disabilities after failing to convince the NGO she worked for to tackle on this area of marginalized disabled women. She also chose to start the project in rural areas all by herself. It was tough as building trust with the villages is difficult and consumes a lot of time and energy. After being accepted by the villagers, they told her where the girls with disabilities are. Typically they stayed home because of lack of accessibility.
The first approach to these DW is personal development. After these DW realize being disable is not shameful and they are just another human being they also have their own right, then Dus will encourage them to find opportunity to do some income generation job. AWWD also extend small credit to whom she might need some small capital to start. The DW themselves must decide what to make, where to sell and how they could make money out of the activities. With their improved economic situation, they gain more acceptance and respect from their family. These DW regain their confidence and have the potential to receive more training from AWWR until they could be leading other unfortunate DW to improve their livihood.
Here is another good example of devotion and extreme passion to help those who suffer from the same problem. Dus also show exceptional quality in her Vision and leadership in training and grooming the whole new generation of leaders out from DWs. The big smiles from those DW make humanity shine.
Patrick
Parichiti
Parichiti
Today we visited two NGOs. Parichiti is devoted for helping domestic workers and Praajak is devoted for protection of children's right.
Four professional and business women came together for promoting women's right in west Bengal. They pick domestic workers as the group that need help the most. They went out of their comfort zone and spent huge amount of time and patient to build the trust with this community before they could successfully establish "Room to rest" for the domestic workers. The rental place provides the toilet which is normally not permit to be used at workplace. It also gives them a place to chat, rest and socializing between works at different locations. Parichiti also provide legal help and support when domestic workers are faced with violence either at home or at workplace.
Certainly the key members are very devoted but it seems to me that something is still missing. For the two NGO founders we met yestarday, they all came from the community themselves. (Mentally ill or being a lesbian) We see the passion and the devotion and bonding within the group. I guess if the NGO could work on capacity building on domestic workers and make them in charge on some of the programs, I think the impact would be bigger.
This visit convinces me further passion is the key to success to SE.
Patrick
Today we visited two NGOs. Parichiti is devoted for helping domestic workers and Praajak is devoted for protection of children's right.
Four professional and business women came together for promoting women's right in west Bengal. They pick domestic workers as the group that need help the most. They went out of their comfort zone and spent huge amount of time and patient to build the trust with this community before they could successfully establish "Room to rest" for the domestic workers. The rental place provides the toilet which is normally not permit to be used at workplace. It also gives them a place to chat, rest and socializing between works at different locations. Parichiti also provide legal help and support when domestic workers are faced with violence either at home or at workplace.
Certainly the key members are very devoted but it seems to me that something is still missing. For the two NGO founders we met yestarday, they all came from the community themselves. (Mentally ill or being a lesbian) We see the passion and the devotion and bonding within the group. I guess if the NGO could work on capacity building on domestic workers and make them in charge on some of the programs, I think the impact would be bigger.
This visit convinces me further passion is the key to success to SE.
Patrick
Association For Women With Disabilities
Close your eyes and imagine you are a woman in a society where you are considered to be much less important than the men in your family. Now imagine you are also very poor, in a country where there is no educational, health or monetary support from the government. Add to that; imagine you are disabled and living in a distant village where even the fully able find it difficult to fulfill their basic needs.
Can you survive a day, a week or even a month that way? How about your WHOLE life?.....
1) A social enterprise founder who has faced the same problems as those of their beneficiaries, is often more passionate and driven than a founder who has never personally experienced similar issues. This passion is a great advantage in getting others to join your cause or provide resources.
2) However, this passion can also hinder the growth of the social enterprise, as the founder is too emotionally attached to let go and allow other, more skilled people to take over senior management responsibilities. I’ve seen this problem in many NGOs which have failed to scale up because of the dominance of the founder.
3) Often as visitors to a project, we tend to mainly speak to the social enterprise founders and keep to ourselves when we meet the beneficiaries. We often do not introduce ourselves and do not interact on a one to one level with them. At the AWWD visits, we broke our self imposed barriers and interacted with the beneficiaries. I personally found it to be one of the richest experiences of the trip. Sometimes it’s the people the most unlike you, who can teach you the most.
4) Both sets of the girls we met agreed that our leader, Richard would make a fine Bollywood film hero. There was great competition among them to be chosen as his heroine. Richard’s ears turned a deeper shade of red than usual :-).
To learn more about the AWWD, check out their website at http://www.awwdindia.org
“I am nothing“
Today’s journey took us to the old part of Hyderabad. This district has been suffered from continuous riots and social tension between Moslems and Hindus since the independence.
Here, in a shaken residential area, the small NGO Shaheen is active. Shaheen addresses two issues: 1. Domestic violence and women rights, and 2. conflicts between Moslems and Hindus. It provides a space, where women from both religions can come together, get training (e.g. in handcrafts, self defence and legal rights) and spread out together to visit their neighbours raising awareness for those issues.
And since those issues are not just restricted to one area, Shaheen is scaling up with having opened houses in three other neighbourhoods.
We met the energetic founder, Jameela Nishat, and approximately 20 girls and women. Hearing their personal experiences was just so frustrating; here is one: A women with a deformed face told us, that her husband had cut off her nose while she was pregnant. She was brave enough (with the support of Shaheen) to take that incident to the court – and after seven years she has been adjusted a little financial compensation; however, her husband has not been sentenced in any other way. Statistically, in every other household women are victims of domestic violence. And that behaviour seems to be so deeply engraved in the society, that nearly everyone is willing to accept it is a given. Being raised in such an environment, the following quote of one of those girls is not a big surprise: “I am nothing”.
However, seeing those women, there is hope, that there will be a change in society, even if there seems to be a long way ahead. And eventually, all girls will proudly state “I am something special”.
ar
Everyone needs to dance
Meeting remarkable change makers and social entrepreneurs on this learning journey has been a humbling and moving experience. On the fourth day of visiting projects in Calcutta, I entered the world of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and met the dynamic members of Kolkata Sanved. As I believe that dance is a necessary component for my own mental well being, I felt an instant connection to the programmes of Sanved, and was eager to find out how DMT was applied in the process of psychosocial rehabilitation.
We began the day by sitting with the director of Sanved, Sohini Chakraborty, and 8 of the DMT trainers who they themselves have been through a process of recovery and healing. Our discussion with them introduced us to the rhythm of Sanved’s history and the issues which shape it today. Sanved works to provide, through DMT, an alternative approach of psychosocial rehabilitation for victims of violence, marginalisation and trafficking. Sanved took its first steps over 10 years ago in a shelter home. From this beginning they are now working with 30 partner organisations in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Sohini was awarded an Ashoka Fellowship in 2003 and has established DMT as a proven alternative method of psychotherapy, and worked with over 2,500 individuals since its inception. Despite the initial scepticism of organisations, questioning the credibility of DMT in rehabilitation, Sanved has shared its programmes, built capacity in other organisations and developed networks with therapists overseas. Sanved is partly funded by the Ministry of Education and is striving for DMT programmes to be incorporated into the government’s Life Skills Programmes.
Talking of the philosophies behind DMT, Sohini and the trainers opened my mind to endless possibility. They taught me that state of mind is directly related to the use and understanding of our bodies. A cure for mental illness can be achieved through the physical use of the body. In essence a victim’s trauma is in the body; once they understand “I’m the controller of my body” they realise “I can control my mind, and my future.” Everybody can benefit from DMT as the body is the gateway to release stress and mental tensions.
The trainers themselves are supported to build their own capacity in human rights awareness, psychology, leadership skills, confidence and the way that they speak and present themselves. These skills are then directly transferred when every participant has a needs assessment in order to determine the appropriate DMT approach. In the eyes of Sohini, a rehabilitated person is someone who says “If I want to, I can do it. Yes I can.” They have confidence and a voice to achieve their dreams. Participants are awakened, recognise their potential and have a new self belief.
Throughout our time talking with the Sanved members, their faces and expression of speech were direct, concise and confident, and their belief in their work was unshakable. The group told us of their struggle as they are often pressurised by their families to leave Sanved. There is a fear amongst parents that they will lose their children who become more independent and will leave home, and the one man in the group told us he would continue to work at Sanved even if his family were to disown him. Through Sanved he has gained confidence and has a dream that in the future, people will use DMT instead of going to conventional therapists.
After the discussion we travelled to the All Bengal Women’s Union, a shelter for women and children. Classes are held twice a week with the children, many of whom have been victims of abuse and trafficking. We were invited to take part in a DMT session in which we witnessed energetic children enthusiastically dancing and always conscious their peers were ALL involved. As the music played and the girls giggled at my dance moves, the trainers voiced clear instructions and enjoyed the love and respect of the students.
From a young age dance has meant a lot to me. It allows me to forget myself, my anxieties and insecurities and I’m transferred to another place of acceptance with no boundaries. I have had no history of abuse being afflicted on me or desperate hardships put upon me, yet, I somehow relate to the work of Sanved on so many levels. I treasure the time I had with the members of Sanved and only hope one day my dancing ability will be a fraction of theirs.
Roshan Vikas: Working to empower Muslim women through microfinance
Empowering those who are marginalised at the ‘base of the pyramid’ has been a recurrent and powerful motif for the majority of our site visits. Our visit on Saturday afternoon to Roshan Vikas, a Microfinance Institute, was no exception.
9 of us (Richard, Patrick, Akhil, Debbie, “GG”, James, Sonia, Rees and I) fought our way through considerable (and apparently not atypical!) Hyderabad traffic to the ‘Old Part’ of the city. We met the founder-director, Ali Askar and the new COO, Jeevan Kumar. Following on from the stunning morning spent at Acumen Fund (well I certainly found it stunning!), the Roshan Vikas (R.V.) team were always going to have a tough act to follow.
Before continuing, it is probably worth explaining that Microfinance refers to the provision of financial services to poor or low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed. It is an area I have personally been spending some time looking into during my sabbatical. But rather than yabbering on about it here, it probably makes sense to give the Wikipedia link (especially coz that’s where I stole that definition from!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfinance. :)
One of the reasons microfinance is so powerful is that it fills the massive gap that commercial banks leave; banks don’t feel that the poorest in society are worth providing any financial services to. I know – outrageous!! Roshan Vikas’s mantra is “Kindling Hope, Saving Lives”. Their concept is to promulgate a ’double bottom line’ – that is, returns that are both economic and social. One of the best things about them though is that they are involved in many areas, beyond just providing small or ‘micro’ loans. They are focussed on the issue of empowerment and provide education loans, health access and skills training (especially to artisans who make classic Hyderabadi Zardozi clothes and fabrics). At present, R.V. empowers 17,000 people, the vast majority of whom are women and, in turn, the vast majority of whom are Muslim Women. In an Indian city made up of 40% Muslims, it is fantastic.
R.V. has very aggressive growth targets and they talked us through these in detail. In some ways, this makes sense given the massive need – over 32% of the urban population lives below the poverty line. Oof! Something must be done! But, in other ways, microfinance institutes must be careful in over-stretching with such aggressive, ambitious expansion.
Just as we have seen the unprecedented crisis faced by all banks around the world – caused by slackening lending standards and expansion at unsustainably high pace – this must act as a salutary lesson for the microfinance industry. Microfinance has tremendous brand equity, particularly after Muhammad Yunus, the father of the microfinance industry, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. So it would be devastating if microfinance institutes recklessly repeated the mistakes of such recent past.
The site visit concluded with a very interesting visit to a workshop of women producing Zardozi clothes, who had received the loans from R.V. Given the co-operative structure, it was wonderful to witness these Muslim women who were not only earning their wage, but having a share of the profits too. And what better testament to the impact of R.V.’s success – Debbie and Geraldine bought a few pieces and were then disappointed they could not buy some more salwar kameez pieces as they were already on order by Fab India! We had a good chuckle and it really made the women smile. It was a great way to end the visit.
- Vinay, Hyderabad, 29/Nov/08
9 of us (Richard, Patrick, Akhil, Debbie, “GG”, James, Sonia, Rees and I) fought our way through considerable (and apparently not atypical!) Hyderabad traffic to the ‘Old Part’ of the city. We met the founder-director, Ali Askar and the new COO, Jeevan Kumar. Following on from the stunning morning spent at Acumen Fund (well I certainly found it stunning!), the Roshan Vikas (R.V.) team were always going to have a tough act to follow.
Before continuing, it is probably worth explaining that Microfinance refers to the provision of financial services to poor or low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed. It is an area I have personally been spending some time looking into during my sabbatical. But rather than yabbering on about it here, it probably makes sense to give the Wikipedia link (especially coz that’s where I stole that definition from!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfinance. :)
One of the reasons microfinance is so powerful is that it fills the massive gap that commercial banks leave; banks don’t feel that the poorest in society are worth providing any financial services to. I know – outrageous!! Roshan Vikas’s mantra is “Kindling Hope, Saving Lives”. Their concept is to promulgate a ’double bottom line’ – that is, returns that are both economic and social. One of the best things about them though is that they are involved in many areas, beyond just providing small or ‘micro’ loans. They are focussed on the issue of empowerment and provide education loans, health access and skills training (especially to artisans who make classic Hyderabadi Zardozi clothes and fabrics). At present, R.V. empowers 17,000 people, the vast majority of whom are women and, in turn, the vast majority of whom are Muslim Women. In an Indian city made up of 40% Muslims, it is fantastic.
R.V. has very aggressive growth targets and they talked us through these in detail. In some ways, this makes sense given the massive need – over 32% of the urban population lives below the poverty line. Oof! Something must be done! But, in other ways, microfinance institutes must be careful in over-stretching with such aggressive, ambitious expansion.
Just as we have seen the unprecedented crisis faced by all banks around the world – caused by slackening lending standards and expansion at unsustainably high pace – this must act as a salutary lesson for the microfinance industry. Microfinance has tremendous brand equity, particularly after Muhammad Yunus, the father of the microfinance industry, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. So it would be devastating if microfinance institutes recklessly repeated the mistakes of such recent past.
The site visit concluded with a very interesting visit to a workshop of women producing Zardozi clothes, who had received the loans from R.V. Given the co-operative structure, it was wonderful to witness these Muslim women who were not only earning their wage, but having a share of the profits too. And what better testament to the impact of R.V.’s success – Debbie and Geraldine bought a few pieces and were then disappointed they could not buy some more salwar kameez pieces as they were already on order by Fab India! We had a good chuckle and it really made the women smile. It was a great way to end the visit.
- Vinay, Hyderabad, 29/Nov/08
Friday, November 28, 2008
First impressions - HYDERABAD
So we have left Calcutta and I do feel a bit bereft. It was such a fantastically vibrant city, full in every sense of the word, people, animals, lights, horns, heat, dust, traffic, bustle. So to Hyderabad and what a contrast! Good smooth journey which was a relief as due to the very distressing evets in Mumbai we thought our trip might be quite tricky. Amazingly modern airport at H so all fine and then we were 'bussed' into the city. Grey day, a bit wet, where did the sun go? Very crowded centre, brilliant hotel where we could all relax v happily. Group have moved into a new place with new visits and differnt demands. Time to think about tomorrows demanding schedule, lovely meal here tonight in the hotel, so til then goodnight gg
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Breaking through rather than breaking down
I am not sure I can adequately describe in words the experience that I have had here in Calcutta at the ANJALI PROJECT. An amazing group of people who are really making a difference to both men & women who find themselves experiencing some kind of mental distress that results in them being ' locked away' in a psychiatric home, hospital, instiuition. ANJALI works with the government health authorities to make things better for people who have to all intents and purposes lost all their human rights because thay have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. We visited a psychiatric hospital and spent time with 11 men who were all at differing stages of 'treatment'& 'recovery'. We heard their stories that were graphic, disturbiing and also moving. We met the absolutely inspirational woman who is the founder of ANJALI, Ratnaboli Ray and her team who are constantly challenging the status quo to push for change at every opportunity so the men & women in these institutions are not forgotten about. We also heard about the variety of programmes they run for patients, families, staff and probably most impressively for 'young people' in the community. Raising awareness is a major step forwards and quite rightly ANJALI understand the role of the younger generation in making tomorrows society a more humane and accepting place for those of us who do not quite fit in to the organisational norm. As well as learning a lot and I was also part of a group of people who felt priviledged to witness passion desire and clear action for change.
SANCHAR- DFID funding- Only if you play by our rules thanks!
My first blog is about SANCHAR. I have had very limited experience with disabled peoples in London and elsewhere. This trip exposed me to the harsh realities of the situation for DP in India and I will take away some of the insights back to London with me as well.
So here’s the brief!
Sanchar is an organisation that works in rural areas with disabled people, helping them by providing them with access with mobility and more importantly, by building their capacity so they can live happy and fulfilling lives.
Their activites are split into two: on the field but also with advocacy, aiming not just to change the individual but society’s view of the disabled as well.
Some stats to throw out there, after 18 there is no more support from the government for disabled peoples. 75% of DP are in rural areas, and 99% of disability services are in the city.
People with disabilities can do many of the things others can do, but there is an notion from the public that they can’t. That is why SANCHAR gives loans to groups of their members with seed funding coming from a Dutch NGO. Each loan group is given 15000 rupees, and consists of 10 people. They make handicrafts like purses, necklaces, candles and bags.
Also of note is that Tulika, the founder and director is an Ashoka fellow.
One of the most interesting things I found was how they operate. Firstly, since they are a well respected organisation, they provide consultation and training to other programs in other states and charge for them, giving them a revenue stream. The most AWESOME thing (Andrea, I know how much you love AWESOME) is that they will only receive donor money if they believe that the money comes with acceptable terms. For example, DFID contacted SANCHAR and asked if they wanted funding. So Tulika (the founder) said yes, that’s good, but if the terms are acceptable and agreeable to our standards. we don’t want to function by ticking lists that were made in Westminster somewhere!
The result? DFID was there with two field workers designing a new set of guidelines in which the funding will work under! Don’t mess with SANCHAR baby! How successful are they? Well, 50 organisations are replicating their model in India!
When asked how do you know you are succeeding? What’s the M and E in all this… there was all the usual stuff, but quite simply, the people were happy, big smiles and confidence and pride in their work. That’s what is important… let’s see Lee develop a survey based on smiles per participant!
Going off on a tangent, in India, the government is legislated to employed DP, but not in private offices. TATA apparently is good with it, but not too many other companies. Also, many people in public services do not know the legislation so that causes difficulties.
SANCHAR’s work is inspiring. It is a hard operation to maintain, especially with little government support as well as tough conditions in the rural area. Let’s hope their model can be replicated on a wider scale!
Some personal thoughts:
It is great to see that some of the people are starting their own companies making handicrafts for the local and export markets. While this does empower them to a degree, I think that there needs to be more done, more choices for employment. Easier said than done. Perhaps call centres operators is an idea?
While for some of us visiting, the treatment by others of DP might seem unjust, there is hope for the future. For example, in Britain, the same kind of views were prevalent probably 40 years ago if not less, and if my history serves me correctly, about 80-90 years ago, the government in the US were sterilising DP! So hopefully in 30-40 years all this will be a memory?
Let’s Hope!
So here’s the brief!
Sanchar is an organisation that works in rural areas with disabled people, helping them by providing them with access with mobility and more importantly, by building their capacity so they can live happy and fulfilling lives.
Their activites are split into two: on the field but also with advocacy, aiming not just to change the individual but society’s view of the disabled as well.
Some stats to throw out there, after 18 there is no more support from the government for disabled peoples. 75% of DP are in rural areas, and 99% of disability services are in the city.
People with disabilities can do many of the things others can do, but there is an notion from the public that they can’t. That is why SANCHAR gives loans to groups of their members with seed funding coming from a Dutch NGO. Each loan group is given 15000 rupees, and consists of 10 people. They make handicrafts like purses, necklaces, candles and bags.
Also of note is that Tulika, the founder and director is an Ashoka fellow.
One of the most interesting things I found was how they operate. Firstly, since they are a well respected organisation, they provide consultation and training to other programs in other states and charge for them, giving them a revenue stream. The most AWESOME thing (Andrea, I know how much you love AWESOME) is that they will only receive donor money if they believe that the money comes with acceptable terms. For example, DFID contacted SANCHAR and asked if they wanted funding. So Tulika (the founder) said yes, that’s good, but if the terms are acceptable and agreeable to our standards. we don’t want to function by ticking lists that were made in Westminster somewhere!
The result? DFID was there with two field workers designing a new set of guidelines in which the funding will work under! Don’t mess with SANCHAR baby! How successful are they? Well, 50 organisations are replicating their model in India!
When asked how do you know you are succeeding? What’s the M and E in all this… there was all the usual stuff, but quite simply, the people were happy, big smiles and confidence and pride in their work. That’s what is important… let’s see Lee develop a survey based on smiles per participant!
Going off on a tangent, in India, the government is legislated to employed DP, but not in private offices. TATA apparently is good with it, but not too many other companies. Also, many people in public services do not know the legislation so that causes difficulties.
SANCHAR’s work is inspiring. It is a hard operation to maintain, especially with little government support as well as tough conditions in the rural area. Let’s hope their model can be replicated on a wider scale!
Some personal thoughts:
It is great to see that some of the people are starting their own companies making handicrafts for the local and export markets. While this does empower them to a degree, I think that there needs to be more done, more choices for employment. Easier said than done. Perhaps call centres operators is an idea?
While for some of us visiting, the treatment by others of DP might seem unjust, there is hope for the future. For example, in Britain, the same kind of views were prevalent probably 40 years ago if not less, and if my history serves me correctly, about 80-90 years ago, the government in the US were sterilising DP! So hopefully in 30-40 years all this will be a memory?
Let’s Hope!
Out of the closet and beyond the ghetto
Pioneering is a term we use pretty widely to describe innovative social entrepreneurs; on our first day of visits here in Kolkata we met an organisation that really deserves and lives the ‘pioneering’ tag in the purest and most impressive sense.
Sappho campaigns for and supports lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual woman. They do this in an Indian setting which is incredibly tough: homosexuality is to all intents and purposes illegal (the horribly conservative catch-all law 377 bans ‘unnatural acts’); the founders use pseudonyms to protect their identities; there is no sign over the Sappho office door for fear of reprisals; and when their helpline was launched 99% of calls for the first three months were abusive.
Against this depressing context our visit will be remembered for meeting a team of true ‘pioneers’, revolutionaries even, that we found hugely inspiring. They’re campaigning for rights were no precedent exists, and creating a ‘space’ and a voice for literally millions of women in this vast country who, forever, have been silent and unable to live their lives naturally. For me, this visit was a lesson in leadership, passion, direction, teamwork, and strategy when you face exclusion. Our learning was pretty extreme - how to be a start-up in a sector that hasn’t even yet started, how to build support and funds in a world that doesn’t want to recognise the issue you’re fighting against, and how to channel a personal sense of injustice into an effective leadership force.
My abiding memory will be a quote from one of the co-founders which left me with a new understanding of what it means to be brave and to feel truly part of a movement. She was describing the risks she was exposed to because of her work: ‘I don’t care anymore if they put in prison, all the friends of Sappho will come down and bang on the jail.’ To me that captured both the disturbing reality the Sappho women work within, and the spirit and strength with which they fight for their cause.
Sappho campaigns for and supports lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual woman. They do this in an Indian setting which is incredibly tough: homosexuality is to all intents and purposes illegal (the horribly conservative catch-all law 377 bans ‘unnatural acts’); the founders use pseudonyms to protect their identities; there is no sign over the Sappho office door for fear of reprisals; and when their helpline was launched 99% of calls for the first three months were abusive.
Against this depressing context our visit will be remembered for meeting a team of true ‘pioneers’, revolutionaries even, that we found hugely inspiring. They’re campaigning for rights were no precedent exists, and creating a ‘space’ and a voice for literally millions of women in this vast country who, forever, have been silent and unable to live their lives naturally. For me, this visit was a lesson in leadership, passion, direction, teamwork, and strategy when you face exclusion. Our learning was pretty extreme - how to be a start-up in a sector that hasn’t even yet started, how to build support and funds in a world that doesn’t want to recognise the issue you’re fighting against, and how to channel a personal sense of injustice into an effective leadership force.
My abiding memory will be a quote from one of the co-founders which left me with a new understanding of what it means to be brave and to feel truly part of a movement. She was describing the risks she was exposed to because of her work: ‘I don’t care anymore if they put in prison, all the friends of Sappho will come down and bang on the jail.’ To me that captured both the disturbing reality the Sappho women work within, and the spirit and strength with which they fight for their cause.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Heritage Walk
Our heritage walk was arranged through ARCH, Action Research in Conservation Heritage. ARCH undertakes research and campaigns for conservation and maintenance of historical buildings and areas of the city. Its most significant achievement since it started in 1999 is getting Dalhousie Square included as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the World Monuments Watch List. In 2005 WMF provided a grant of $75,000 to enable a consultative workshop and the restoration of the façade of one significant building in the Square; which is intended to act as a catalyst for the restoration of further buildings.
Our heritage walk took place in North Calcutta, the area of the city that developed during the Raj era and where the people that worked for the East India companies lived. The walk was led by Mr Probal Deb, a volunteer guide with ARCH, whose great grandfather had established a beautiful home there, Sovabazar Palace. This has many historical associations with the East India Company and the British government of the time: Robert Clive and Warren Hastings. It was the first place of education for women, and also started a unique ceremony of the Durga Puja, which still continues today. Mr Deb explained that his family had started the process of restoration 23 years ago at which time the home was occupied by “squatters”. It was a long, bureaucratic process to get possession of the building again, as well as selling part of the premises: the tennis court, pool and bandstand, in order to fund the restoration work. We visited the main courtyard and the place of worship which are still under restoration, and then a hall, now in community use, where restoration is almost complete.
From there we went to Shobhabazar, one of the oldest parts of the city by the Hugli River and once owned by Mr Deb’s family, where many of the temple idols are made from fibreglass and straw and plaster. Narrow lanes, and mostly single storey houses were buzzing with activity. We ended at the family Ghat on the river.
Finally we visited the Marble Palace. This magnificent house, built in 1835, is still in private ownership of the Mallick family, but is now a museum. The large rooms around a central Italianate courtyard have marble floors, decorated ceilings and magnificent chandeliers. The Palace contains a large collection of paintings, including ones by Rubens, Rembrandt, Reynolds and Murillo and an eclectic assortment of ‘objets d’art’, mainly from Europe and China.
Although we did not learn as much about ARCH as anticipated as the founder, Mr Manish Chakraborti was unable to be with us, we did have a very personal view of the need for and difficulties of restoring the wonderful old buildings in Calcutta, particularly in North Calcutta. Apart from the buildings and areas that we visited, there are some magnificent buildings, both classical 19th century and Art Deco buildings all in a very poor state of repair. Although funding is obviously a major issue, ownership of the building , the bureaucratic process necessary to initiate restoration and the will to do it are also major hurdles. ARCH has an enormous challenge to overcome these hurdles and preserve Calcutta’s architectural history.
Ann.
Our heritage walk took place in North Calcutta, the area of the city that developed during the Raj era and where the people that worked for the East India companies lived. The walk was led by Mr Probal Deb, a volunteer guide with ARCH, whose great grandfather had established a beautiful home there, Sovabazar Palace. This has many historical associations with the East India Company and the British government of the time: Robert Clive and Warren Hastings. It was the first place of education for women, and also started a unique ceremony of the Durga Puja, which still continues today. Mr Deb explained that his family had started the process of restoration 23 years ago at which time the home was occupied by “squatters”. It was a long, bureaucratic process to get possession of the building again, as well as selling part of the premises: the tennis court, pool and bandstand, in order to fund the restoration work. We visited the main courtyard and the place of worship which are still under restoration, and then a hall, now in community use, where restoration is almost complete.
From there we went to Shobhabazar, one of the oldest parts of the city by the Hugli River and once owned by Mr Deb’s family, where many of the temple idols are made from fibreglass and straw and plaster. Narrow lanes, and mostly single storey houses were buzzing with activity. We ended at the family Ghat on the river.
Finally we visited the Marble Palace. This magnificent house, built in 1835, is still in private ownership of the Mallick family, but is now a museum. The large rooms around a central Italianate courtyard have marble floors, decorated ceilings and magnificent chandeliers. The Palace contains a large collection of paintings, including ones by Rubens, Rembrandt, Reynolds and Murillo and an eclectic assortment of ‘objets d’art’, mainly from Europe and China.
Although we did not learn as much about ARCH as anticipated as the founder, Mr Manish Chakraborti was unable to be with us, we did have a very personal view of the need for and difficulties of restoring the wonderful old buildings in Calcutta, particularly in North Calcutta. Apart from the buildings and areas that we visited, there are some magnificent buildings, both classical 19th century and Art Deco buildings all in a very poor state of repair. Although funding is obviously a major issue, ownership of the building , the bureaucratic process necessary to initiate restoration and the will to do it are also major hurdles. ARCH has an enormous challenge to overcome these hurdles and preserve Calcutta’s architectural history.
Ann.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Calcutta
Kelvin describes Calcutta very well in his first blog - it is hot , busy and extremely noisy. Seeing very young children sleeping with their parents on the pavement has been the most shocking for me. They have generated an overwhelming desire to offer them shelter and a good meal in my enormous bedroom at the Kenilworth Hotel.
The rest of the group are arriving in the next 24 hours.Will be good to start the real adventure and visit social enterprise projects in and around Calcutta.
Debbie
The rest of the group are arriving in the next 24 hours.Will be good to start the real adventure and visit social enterprise projects in and around Calcutta.
Debbie
day one.
I guess somebody has to start this, so I'll start. First real day in India as I got into the hotel last night at 2 am. Thought I was going to go exploring early in the day, but that didn't happen as I slept until 11 am.
Initial perspectives... having been traveling in China quite a lot, I have to always use that as a point of comparison. The traffic is about the same, a lot of honking (there is a steady whine of horns in the background all day) and also a lot of people on the streets. So, really, if I were to just judge it on appearance, there are a lot of similarities. Culture wise, I'm sure many things are different, but I think that to notice those things, I will have to interact with people a little bit more!
I have also seen a lot of chinese restaurants along the way, which was quite strange... I must say I can't wait for Indian food though... I'm going to try to only eat veggie while I'm here... and fish... and eggs. I know that is not really vegetarian, but I have to go step by step!
That's about it for now...!
Initial perspectives... having been traveling in China quite a lot, I have to always use that as a point of comparison. The traffic is about the same, a lot of honking (there is a steady whine of horns in the background all day) and also a lot of people on the streets. So, really, if I were to just judge it on appearance, there are a lot of similarities. Culture wise, I'm sure many things are different, but I think that to notice those things, I will have to interact with people a little bit more!
I have also seen a lot of chinese restaurants along the way, which was quite strange... I must say I can't wait for Indian food though... I'm going to try to only eat veggie while I'm here... and fish... and eggs. I know that is not really vegetarian, but I have to go step by step!
That's about it for now...!
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