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