February 16, 2015: Access To Knowledge Is Power

 

Access to knowledge is power. An easy thing to say but a difficult concept to grasp when we in North America live with a device attached to us at all times. We have the power to learn and to explore the world at our fingertips and we often forget how powerful that is – until you understand and experience life without technology.

Our group had the opportunity to take part in a panchayat (meeting) of all the regional leading women in the Railmagra Block.  These women meet to discuss social issues and present the grievances and challenges faced by the women of their respective communities. During the meeting, we had the opportunity to exchange questions and discuss the differences in our daily lives and cultures. We touched on household economics, education, gender, and even marriage. The contrasts in our lives are stark, and our knowledge of each others’ lives is minimal, but we all want the same thing – a better future for our families and our communities.

It was in this meeting that I truly began to understand the value technology will bring to this community. These women had little knowledge of life outside their village and thus found it hard to imagine life outside the roles and responsibilities defined by their communities. Technology provides a vehicle to access knowledge, to explore places and people far from home, and a space to craft a better future.

We often hear the phrase, “knowledge is power”, but I would like to revise that to, “Access to knowledge is power”. After we left the meeting, I was able to use my phone, connect to the internet, Google all the issues we discussed and learn why they exist – a luxury not available to these local women and their families. Technology provides me the power to access knowledge from anywhere about any topic.

As a result of this project, women and children will have access to exponentially more information and technical skill development than they can even imagine. The speeds and feeds, the network design, the software, is not what matters. What’s important is providing a vehicle for knowledge and power that puts the ability to learn literally at their fingertips.  Technology will provide a vehicle from them to explore the world.

Brittany Pepper
DWC/Softchoice Volunteer Participant
India. February 16, 2015.

February 15, 2015: India - A Feast For The Eyes

Glances out the window reveal life in action. A bare-foot and bare-bottomed boy running down an alleyway using a stick to control a rolling bicycle tire. An old man wrapped in many layers of clothing to ward off the morning cold, lighting his morning cigarette. A young girl, maybe 10, carrying a toddler along the sidewalk on her hip. Begging. Filthy. Her hair matted with dirt. But somehow pretty all the same.

An elephant, painted for some occasion-or maybe just for an everyday show. A platform strapped to his/her back with a single large rope. Moving through traffic, horns blaring on all sides, the sound of bells clanging as the huge beast rocks back and forth on a stiff march through the centre of the city. What is the look in his or her eye?

A groom riding a white horse as part of a noisy procession. Making his way to his wedding. Not a young man. Women, girls, young men colorfully dressed. All dancing along throwing some sort of powder in the air as they followed a small vehicle playing music over a loudspeaker.

A man working in a building 6 ft square – a barber shop. A look of pride and recognition as we make our way past his shop for the second time today. We see him and he sees us as he flicks a sheet around the shoulders of his next customer.

A woman on the back of a motorcycle. Dressed elegantly and colorfully. Barely hanging on, just balancing – years of experience. She has her head buried behind the drivers back, looking down at her cell phone - texting someone. Oblivious to us or the cows her driver is snaking through on the tiny village road.

India is a study of beauty. And that beauty is found right next to or between the filth. Focus on the stench, the garbage everywhere, the cacophony of noisy car horns blaring and you will have great distaste. But make eye contact with people, see their beauty, see the smiles, see through the dirty exterior and you will find the beauty of the human condition. And then it is gone.

India is a feast for the eyes and paying attention is the only requirement.

Nick Foster
DWC/Softchoice Volunteer Participant
India.  February 15, 2015.

February 11, 2015: Unleashing the Hope within Rajasthan’s Local Youth

Children scare me. Why and when this fear developed, I’m not 100% sure. I do find them cute, and I do care about kids, but the thought of the responsibility to raise a child tends to bring out the fear in me. Therefore, I typically avoid situations that involve being around kids when I can.

So when I learned that we were going to attend a youth center in India after a long and exhausting day of lifting bricks, the last ounce of my comfort zone was drained from me.
Sitting at the front of a room no bigger than my bedroom, 30 children ranging  from two to 14, majority boys, only a handful of girls, all sitting crossed leggeged on the floor, personal space non-existent, just stared at the spectacle which was us.

Our guide translated the purpose of the youth center which focuses on better education programs, sex education, and instilling hope that these kids can create their own futures. As translations went back and forth, my eyes would wander the room. So many of these kids just waited for me to make eye contact so we could exchange a smile and a small hand wave.
After listening to the translation of the teacher for a while, my curiosity took over and I asked our guide to translate to the kids “Does anyone have any questions for us?” I just wanted to know what these little minds were thinking.

The first question translated back to us:

“Do you have child marriages in Canada?”

I was stunned! I wasn’t sure what to anticipate and right from the start, their questions just seemed so surreal. I just  couldn’t believe what was on their minds. Throughout the hour, we were faced with more of the same sort of questions you wouldn’t expect from a group of children.

“Do children have to go to school? What happens if they don’t?”

“Do you have youth centers? What do they teach?”

“Do you have abortion? Do parents abort children of a certain sex?”

“What festivals do you celebrate?”

Both taboo and innocent questions were answered and translated for these kids. It started to hit me. These kids, full of song, curiosity, smiles, energy, and hope, struggle every day for their rights to just be kids.

They want to grow up to be police officers, doctors, engineers, teachers, soldiers, but they need to first find a way to avoid the typical reality that is life for many children in India: Marriage at the age of 10.

I initially feared being stuck in a room by a bunch of kids. Yet these children are scared of losing their rights, hope, freedom, and their youth.

This project is all about enabling these kids to unleash their potential by answering questions and providing them with access to information through the Internet and technology. We are here to teach them as much as we can in our short time here; but what they don’t realize is that they’ve also taught me so much about my own reality.

I can’t wait for the next time I get to be surrounded by these amazing, young and hopeful individuals.

Angela Cope
DWC/Softchoice Volunteer Participant
India. February 11, 2015.

February 10, 2015: When a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity Happens Twice

I’ve know from a very young age the importance of helping others and making an impact in their lives.  I remember when I was 10 years old, listening to my best friend’s father share his stories of those he had volunteered his time to support in rural Africa – and of those who still needed the help more than ever. I sat in amazement, listening and realizing that one day, I too wanted to visit and help.  It became a life long dream I never knew how I would make a reality until 2013 when I was lucky enough to be on the SC Cares Board that went to Maai Mahiu, Kenya.


This once in a lifetime opportunity provided me with the chance to work with a fantastic organization along side some of the best people.  We met amazing people and I came back a changed person.

With some hard work and a little more luck, I carried over to the 2014 board and that once in a lifetime opportunity came around for the second time.  Only this time the project wasn’t in Africa, it was in India.

India, a place that wasn’t really on my bucket list,  seemed so far away to me, and for a number of reasons, getting excited was a little difficult.

The purpose of the project for India was similar to the project in Kenya – help a community to learn and grow.  We had weekly meetings with the gentlemen from Jatan who were all friendly and thrilled we were coming.  We planned out what we were about to undertake, booked an exciting adventure for our weekend off and began to learn about the culture we were going to visit.

We boarded not one, but three planes and in all that I still wasn’t getting pumped up.  Everything seemed like a haze or a dream and I was just walking through it.  It wasn’t until we were driving through Udaipur and pulled over to for a look at one of the lakes that it really hit me.

As we began to meet the people we were to work with it was clear that the colour and energy felt around it came from the people themselves.  Their excitement for the potential we bring with us shined as brightly as that pink camel.

 
As I looked around, the true beauty of India woke me up and I became excited for the potential of what we could accomplish here!

Tara Bradbury
DWC/Softchoice Volunteer Participant
India. February 10, 2015.

October 16th: Gotta Love the Spices!

Good news!  Tommy and Denise have received their visas and are expected in India this coming Saturday.  We're so excited and wish them safe travels.

Bob has taken to leading us in a short yoga class each morning.  We find it's a great way to start the day and quite fitting considering we're in India and all.  Work on our water harvesting structure continued as usual today.  Not much to report other than that the camaraderie amongst our crew continues to build.  Although, at times it does feel like some of the villagers are giggling at us rather than with us.

This afternoon we visited the local temple and the Sahyog Sansthan office for chai, served to us by the chai walla.  We again spent the afternoon lounging in the palace courtyard, only this time rather than the expert aesthetician paying us a visit, Kim called in the best goldsmith in town.  Now that's shopping!

We ended the day with Dave and I having a spice eating contest at dinner.  Who can tolerate the most spice?  We'll find out!

Just a brief entry today but more to come. 

Anya Malda

DWC Participant 

Udaipur, India: October 2014

October 15th: The work gets harder but the rewards are greater

It's Wednesday night and still no word from our fearless leader and the rest of the team in the States regarding their visas. We're feeling badly for them and wish that they were here. Furthermore we feel bad as they're missing out on all of these wonderful experiences. We're crossing our fingers that they'll be here by the weekend.

Rest assured however, as the (hard) work continues. We may be small in number, but we are mighty! Teamwork continued in earnest today and significant progress is being made. When we started on the first day, the trench was approximately 3 meters deep and by the time we departed today the rock foundation was about half a meter from ground level. The work seems to get more and more difficult. Today Bob and David were heaving huge boulders with a number of the local men. If the Ministry of Labour showed up on site, they'd surely have a heyday. Men in flip-flops were rolling boulders UP hill no less. Another hot day and another honest days worth of work. We should all sleep like logs tonight.

After work we headed to a 'historic temple' as a friend of one of our host partners was throwing a celebration. We learned that the celebration was in honour of his friend purchasing a bus and starting a touring company. We arrived at the temple and were greeted warmly by the community. They were eager to serve us food and have us partake in the celebrations. David, Kim and Bob were brave and enjoyed the lunch and sweets that were provided. I won't lie, if my gluten allergy wasn't enough to deter me from partaking, the paper plates with full on advertisements for Purina Dog Chow would have done it - ha! I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm the only one from our crew who heads off to work.

We came back to our hotel to find that the princess had brought in an aesthetician to provide services to her mother and aunt. She was kind enough to ask if Kim and I would like anything done. We both jumped at the opportunity. I'll only say this, it's the best $3 manicure I've ever received and will likely be the only time that I ever tip 150% for a spa service.

Before dinner we were able to join the Royal children on a visit to their family farm about 10 minutes drive from Bhindar. What a polar opposite from the chaos of this small city. The peace and tranquility of the countryside left us all feeling perfectly zen.

A peaceful end to the day was welcome as we all reflected upon a few aspects of the trip that have caught up with us today. Since our arrival we have been so warmly welcomed and treated to fantastic hospitality as any guest would be in this part of the world. However, we have noticed that we regularly draw a lot of attention. This has been highlighted during our brief excursion alone through the streets of Bhindar as well as our visit to the temple today. We gained a few followers as we moved through the temple and then drew a crowd while we sat and ate. The interest was so high that we were being photographed by complete strangers, although Bob and David made the most of it by posing for anyone who wanted a photo with them. It allows you too see the world through a different perspective when you realize that you are the minority for once.

Plus, the language barrier can still be an obstacle to overcome on the job site. Despite knowing a few basic words in Hindi, there is only so much that you can communicate through body and sign language. We are slowly getting used to the subtle differences in hand gestures and the common words. Although there are still moments when good intentions are lost in translation, it is these minor misunderstandings that show how far our worlds are apart. It will take a little more time to prove our abilities to the hard working and experienced villagers this just adds to our volunteering journey in a developing county.

Anya Malda and Dave Hood
DWC Volunteer Participants
Udaipur, India: October 2014

PS. Thanks to Dave for co-authoring today's blog. I may just pass the torch ;)

October 12th: Project orientation & exploring Bhinder

Suffering from a bit of jet lag, we were all awake during the wee hours of the morning. It definitely ensured that we were all at breakfast on time. Well, save and except for David who's survival skills were put to the test first thing this morning. As Kim, Bob, and I sat enjoying our morning coffee and chai tea, unbeknownst to us David was fighting for his life as he was locked in his room. As it turns out Bob "inadvertently" locked the door to their room on the way out to breakfast not realizing that he was leaving behind a teammate. Unfortunately this will mean some slight deductions in "team leader points" for Bob. ;) No doubt Tommy will be pleased to hear this. Thankfully David is quite resourceful and his cries for help were answered by hotel reception.

Heera and his trusty driver picked us up from the hotel at 10:00am and we made the hour and a half drive out to the rural village of Bhinder. It being Holy Day today, traffic was surprisingly light, though somehow no less death defying. Driving through the countryside we were able to see some of the current crops; maise, sorghum, and soy beans.

The four of us were welcomed by the lovely Barthvi, who is the 20th generation owner and operator of the Rajmahal Bhindar Hotel. We were not welcomed as guests but as family, complete with marigold leis and bindis.

The hotel is adorned with marble flooring and detailed architecture. It's not difficult to imagine its opulence and grand celebrations it has held over the four hundred and some odd years of its existence.

This afternoon we met with Heera and five other gentlemen involved in the development of the water irrigation project we will be working on. We reviewed the work to be done and outlined a general work itinerary for the week ahead. In summary, the intention of the project revolves around the better usage of the monsoon rain water that typically falls during the months of July and August. The focus is on engaging the local community people in the development of harvesting, retaining, and more effective usage of the water. The plan is to start early morning and end early afternoon so as to avoid working under the hottest hours of the day.

After our meeting, we meandered through the narrow winding streets of Bhinder. The locals were friendly and seemingly intrigued by our presence. It's strange how when you subtract the "safety" of a car you suddenly need to be a million times more alert to the motorbikes, cars, cows, and people. Add in the element of cow dung and you feel like you're in a state of constant high alert.

We ended our day with a candlelight dinner in the palace courtyard. The food is delicious and is in no way lacking in flavour or spice. We've been informed that the chef has toned down the spice and made it 'average' for us. I hate to think of what the level of spiciness is for the locals. It's fair to say the food has a bit of a "bite" and I think we're all silently hoping that it doesn't bite back. To be continued...

Anya Malda
DWC Volunteer Participant
Udaipur, India: October 2014 

October 11th: Our first day in Udaipur

Hello everyone!

I'm happy to report that we've arrived safely at the Jaiwana Haveli Hotel, Udaipur, India. Well, four of us have anyway. Four of our Californian friends have been experiencing some frustrations in obtaining their visas and the unfortunate result is that one had to postpone her DWC trip for another time and the remaining three won't be able to join us until later next week. Ironically, this includes our fearless team leader, Tommy. Leaving the rest of us to do double duty I see, well played my friends, well played. Jokes aside, we hope you guys are able to get things sorted out and join us soon!

Just a heads up to all of you back home who might be taking in our daily blogs over your morning coffee, I'm not exactly what you'd call a gifted writer so feel free to set your judgements aside. Having said that, I'll do my best to report on our daily experiences without boring you too badly.

Today was a great day. After what at times felt like seemingly endless hours of travel Bob, Kim, and I met up in Delhi airport and embarked on the final leg of our journey together. Upon landing at Udaipur airport we were met by our driver, Jamil, who with skill and ease, zigzagged along single lane streets, narrowly missing overloaded motorbikes, trucks, cars, and more than the odd cow or two.

After enjoying breakfast with a view from our rooftop terrace we wandered the streets a little, taking in the local vibe. However, the moment our rooms were ready the three of us were all too happy to catch a few hours of shuteye and recharge our batteries. The three of us regrouped this afternoon, some of us more energetically than others, and met with Mr. Heera our host partner. He welcomed us warmly and arrangements for travel to Bhinder tomorrow morning were made. As we were flying in over Udaipur the floods from the heavy monsoon rains last month were very evident.

It's cool to think that we're going to be assisting in building irrigation systems that will aid in collecting the water and put it good use.

Following our meeting Bob, Kim, and I headed off to tour the Monsoon Palace and take in its infamous sunset. The Palace is situated upon a high hill and overlooks the city of Udaipur. We were able to wander around, learn some some of the history, much of which did not stick due to lack of sleep. But thankfully the view and sunset did not disappoint.

Arriving back at the Jaiwana Haveli Hotel, we were excited to meet up with our Australian teammate, David. Despite exhaustion the four of us enjoyed our first authentic Indian meal together. The conversation was full and lively and the energy and excitement palpable. We even captured a "group selfie," the first of many to come I'm sure.

There's no question that we've all been eagerly anticipating this trip and are excited about this experience with DWC. For some of us this is our first time on such a volunteer trip and for others we're repeat DWCers. There's no question that this is going to be a dynamic team and a memorable experience for all of us.

Tommy, Denise, and Chris, looking forward to your safe arrivals! Until then, rest assured that Bob's holding down the fort.

Anya Malda
DWC Volunteer Participant
Udaipur, India: October 2014

May 25th: More farewells and "American" treats

In the morning, Vienna and Vita went back to Railmagra with Chirag to pick up Vienna's bags from our host family. Vienna had to change her flights last minute and she will be leaving us tonight. While Chirag was gone, Mariana, Vikas and Ana put together a scrapbook of pictures and quotes to give to him as a farewell gift and a thank you for being the best translator. He will also be leaving us tomorrow morning. Our group just keeps shrinking!

On their way back from the village, Vita, Vienna and Chirag stopped by a mall in the city to have lunch and they ordered pizza from Pizza Hut for the rest of the team. The cheesy paneer pizza was delicious!

On the way to drop off Vienna to the airport for her evening flight, we had milkshakes at an "American" diner. And gave Chirag his present during dinner. It is amazing to see the contrast of lifestyles in India - how we can be in a rural village and a fancy mall in the same day. India is a new world that continues to inspire, shock and surprise us. One final farewell to Vienna at the airport and just like that she was gone. Fittingly, it began to rain for the first time in weeks.

Tomorrow we head back to the village for a couple more days of construction. It will not be the same without the rest of our team and our translator! We will try to make the most of every moment we spend in this beautiful place.

Vita Sackville-Hii
DWC U30 Team Leader
Railmagra, India: May 2014

May 24th: Camel and boat rides in Udaipur

Today was the first day of a wonderful weekend spent in Udaipur to relax, recharge, and enjoy each other's company. We began the day with some much needed sleep! At noon, we left the hotel to find a quaint rooftop restaurant where we had lunch and enjoyed a view of Pichola Lake. The hike up 7 flights of narrow winding stairs was so worth it.

After lunch we decided to go to Fateh Sagar Lake for a camel ride and boat ride! The camel rides were bumpier than expected which made the ride even more fun as we laughed atop these massive mammals.

After that we zoomed around on a speedboat while the late afternoon sun glittered on top of the lake, pinkish orange.

To end off the day, we went out for a fancy dinner at a 5 star hotel in Udaipur. Poor Vikas must have been exhausted because he fell asleep at the dinner table. All of us enjoyed paneer butter masala, naan, and other assorted curries and gravies - topping it off with rose ice cream. Yummmm!

Vita Sackville-Hii
DWC U30 Team Leader
Udaipur, India: May 2014

May 23rd: Week #3 in photos

Here we are hanging out in front of Jatan's office in Railmagra. We are sitting with Jatan staff member, Om (far left), our driver, Azad (second from right) and our translator, Chirag (far right).

On Tuesday night, we watched a Bollywood movie with a group of school kids that attend programs run by Jatan.

 The foundation of the women's washroom is coming along quickly!

Time for a chai break!

The construction crew in front of our complete wall on Wednesday.

 Mango break!

 Hanging around at the work site and enjoying the shade.

We were interviewed for the local paper!

Vienna poses with a giant bag of Parle G cookies, our new favourite to eat while drinkin chai.

 Visiting a temple.

Vita Sackville-Hii

DWC U30 Team Leader
Railmagra, India: May 2014

May 14th: Productive workday followed by "American" ice cream and the Sunset Temple

Whoever said noodles wasn't an acceptable breakfast clearly hasn't been to India! After that nutritious breakfast, we were fully ready to go to the work site and achieve the goals we set for ourselves yesterday. We arrived and got piles of sand ready for the cement mixture. We then went on to categorize rocks into sizes; this process ended up having around 5 sizes ranging from "super small" (with a Mexican accent), to small, to kind of medium, to medium to big and everything in between. Having completed this, we started building our own part of the wall, trying to communicate as much as possible and to help each other fit the makeshift puzzle pieces. We spent the whole day doing this kind of job and, I might add, getting very good at it.

As always, we went back to the office to have lunch and, before going back to the the work site, Chirag (our awesome translator) had no choice but to listen to our cries for ice cream. We tried a flavour called "American" and it was great - although nothing like you would find in America!

After finishing our work for today, we went to Sunset Temple, a beautiful one in a mountain. All the trees around were covered with bracelets and clothing, representing wishes people had made.

With roosters singing and locals cutting coconuts in the background, we took on the challenge of going through holes in between the rocks. This is done after you make a wish, and only people who are good at heart are able to go through. No, ladies and gentlemen, it is not based on body shape at all! You'll also be glad to know that everyone in our team made it to the other side!

After a bumpy ride back, in which the always adventurous Vienna chose to ride the motorbike with Chirag, we went back to the house. We played very intense card games before having dinner and going to bed!

Ana Gargollo
DWC Volunteer Participant
Railmagra, India: May 2014 

May 13th: More delicious food and trip to the Technical Resource Centre

Today was a bit of a frustrating day. We worked on building the last part of the foundation, which is a very technical process. We had to align rocks like a puzzle and then use cement to make the wall as flat as possible. However, because it was very technical work, it was hard for everyone to be useful and we constantly found ourselves doing nothing. We helped bringing rocks, mixing cement and bringing it to whoever was building, but it wasn't a very active day.

After a delicious lunch of cantaloupe, papaya, daal, chapati, rice and some type of curry, we went to the Technical Resource Center with Om. They showed us the tools they rent (for a maximum of 20 rupees per day!!) or sell to women in the village; these tools help them be more efficient in their work and therefore give them more economic opportunities, as well as time to spend with their children. After the demonstrations, we went to a field and used a sickle to cut food for cows and goats. We realized how much the new tools helped the process!

Later, we went back to the house and took much-needed showers before another (you guessed it) delicious dinner. We talked for a while about our frustrations of the day and decided to come up with a plan for tomorrow in order to be more proactive and productive.

Ana Gargollo
DWC Volunteer Participant
Railmagra, India: May 2014

May 11-12th: Visiting a health centre & experiencing an Indian wedding

Hi everyone!

We are able to access wifi on our lunch breaks at the Jatan office in Railmagra, so I'll give you some quick updates!

This past weekend we visited Mt. Abu, a four hour drive from our village. There is a beautiful lake called Nakki Lake and lots of Indian tourists. On Sunday, we went peddle boating on the lake.

Yesterday, we worked in the morning and then visited a health centre in the afternoon. The health centre serves as a hospital for over 50 villages around Railmagra and there are only 4 doctors! We were shocked when they invited us on a tour through the maternal delivery room and the infant and mother's care centre when we were covered in dust and dirt from construction. Some of the babies were so tiny and some of the mothers were 18 years old or younger.

In the evening we were invited to an Indian wedding. For some of our group, it was their first time seeing one! We got so many stares, especially while dancing, but it was a lot of fun!

Today we worked in the morning and we are currently having lunch that consists of cantaloupes, papaya, chapati, rice, daal and potatoes. We are also planning this weekend's trip to Jaipur and Agra to see the Taj Mahal!

Vita Sackville-Hii
DWC Team Leader
Railmagra, India: May 2014

May 9th: Women's empowerment meeting

Today, we sat in on a women's empowerment meeting in a rural village in Rajasthan. Women here are under the ownership of men for their whole lives. When they're young they report to their father, when they're married they report to their husband and when their husband dies they report to their sons. In the village, married women are not allowed to show their faces in public or when there is a presence of a male so they cover themselves in sarees. The violence women experience here is economical, social and emotional. We compared this violence against women to ways in which women are discriminated around the world and living in Canada does not protect us from this. As a protest, we joined the NGO Jatan in writing slogans on the walls of buildings around the village. There is still so much to be done to give for women's rights all over the world.

Vienna Lam
DWC Volunteer Participant
Dhaneriyagadh, India: May 2014