Durag Niwas Guest House, Sambhali Trust, Rajput Cultural Adventures

November 2011

2011-12-09T15:31:00.010+09:00

Dear Readers,
I apologize for my late updates nowadays. I am trying my best to be as good as possible with the updates but other responsibilities are taking over my time. I hope you enjoy the interested reports.

Story about Sajiyo Devi, a tribal women of Setrawa village and member of a self help group running under our Sheerni Micro-Finance project.
Sajiyo Devi lives roughly two kilometers from the Sambhali Trust's Empowerment center of Setrawa village. Just over two weeks ago her husband , Prahalad ram, died. It was a sudden death and came as a big shock to the family. Sajiyo has seven children, five daughters and 2 sons. Three of her daughters age 13ish ,14ish and around 15ish are already married. The 13ish year old is yet to go to her husband's house, (sitting next to Sajiyo in the picture). Sajiyo therefore is now the sole provider for five children. Prahalad ram worked in the local stone mine for the past several years and during this time he became ill due to inhalation (Silicosis). As his health deteriorated he was forced to spend long periods of time resting at home. Due to the circumstances, his wife Sajiyo, had to begin working at the stone mine order to provide roof, food and cloth for the family. She has worked there for the last six years. During this time she was responsible for the costs of her three daughters weddings and the medicine for her husband, alongside the day to day costs of living. Sajiyo has been part of the Sheerni Micro-Finance project for the last fifteen months; always making regular repayments. Upon hearing the news of the death of Sajiyo's husband, we at the trust decided that the Sambhali Trust should help her and her family. The Trust will help her set up a new profession, such as purchasing an animal or running a shop, so that she does not have to return to the stone mine and potentially meet the same fate as her husband. Dear readers, you are more than welcome to come and visit Sajiyo and her family on your next trip to Jodhpur or Setrawa. We really hope to hear from yourselves to contribute for a better and risk free future for Sajiyo and her family.

30th November
Had a wonderful day yesterday, visited all of our centers in a row, went to Setrawa, it was lovely meeting the representatives of GDG (Global Development Group, Australia/America). By the end of the day the GDG team said Sambhali Trust is very credible.... Thank you my dear team because without all of your hard work nothing would have been possible....

Clothes donated to Setrawa Empowerment Center by Ms. Kim from United stated and gifted by Ms. Ernestine Badegruber from Soziale Initiative, Austria

Personal Report

Sambhali Trust Administration Volunteer: Xenia Elsaesser

Dates: October 2011

Origin: Switzerland, England

I came across Sambhali by chance, and feel very lucky to have done so. From the minute I arrived I was impressed by the commitment and passion for their work shown by the permanent staff and volunteers. The participants and beneficiaries of the scheme that I met were relaxed and at home in this very personal and intimate environment. Being at Sambhali felt like becoming part of a family. Above all I am respectful of the attention to detail and personal involvement on the part of the directors, who lead the organization with a humble and effective wisdom.

During my month at Sambhali I shared a room in the Durag Niwas Guesthouse with a friend, and ate home-cooked food. The homely atmosphere at Sambhali is well enhanced by deliciously tasty dishes, a communal eating area and the artistic decoration of the family’s ancestral home. I also made good use of the next-door grass running track, a rare treasure in a densely populated Indian city.

The work I did for Sambhali was of an administrative nature: I compiled a report for the Sheerni microfinance project, provided consultation and made some modifications to the website copy. This involved organising and combing through the trust documents, sourcing information and reports, conducting research and above all, concision. It is the administrative and marketing side with which Sambhali has most difficulty, as it is hampered by the fact that volunteers such as myself do not stay long enough to provide necessary continuity, and usually lack experience (myself included!). I have no doubt that an experienced and committed long-term member of staff in this area could improve Sambhali’s finances and public image significantly. Nevertheless despite this setback the organisation manages incredibly well. In moments when applications to big funders are not successful Sambhali survives through the support of private individuals from across the globe, convinced both by the achievements of the project, and integrity with which it is conducted.

I hope that in the future Sambhali will remain true to what I believe makes it so successful: a patient, personal approach with small goals, focused on creating sustainable systems, and always open to considering new methods and ideas.

Jodhpur Empowerment Center participants at a dance workshop for 7 days, learning traditional and Bollywood dancing from Dance Choreographer Mr. Sagar of Jodhpur.

Thank you very much dear Lonely Planet for helping the trust by generously contributing to the empowerment of women and girls on the occasion of your company's recently held an internal staff fundraiser to celebrate the launch of Lonely Planet in India and that our organization Sambhali Trust was recommended to yourselves as a worthy one to support.

Volunteer Report –

Caroline Chapman

London, UK

Setrawa

My Story

My name is Caroline Chapman and I have spent the month of November 2011 volunteering at the Setrawa Empowerment Centre. I am 35 years old, a primary school teacher and I live in London, England.

For many years I dreamed of visiting India and I knew that when I did, I wanted to spend part of my experience volunteering. I spent a long time researching different charities and NGOs before I made my decision to come here. I chose to volunteer with the Sambhali Trust because it was a grassroots charity set up by a local man, Govind Singh Rathore, and the charity’s primary concern was the empowerment of women. Also, I wanted to help an organisation which was in need of, and would value, my teaching experience.

My month at the Setrawa Empowerment Centre has been fun, challenging, joyful, hard work, humbling, frustrating at times and enlightening. A multitude of contradictions, just like India itself; but ultimately, an incredible experience which I will never forget.

Achievements

During my month here I reintroduced the day-time class for girls (primarily from the Dalit caste), which had apparently been disbanded due to the crop season. This class, for me personally, is the most important and should continue to be the main focus. The girls attending often need a lot of care and attention with regard to hygiene, self-esteem and education. As well as teaching Hindi, English and Maths we included activities that nurtured the girls’ emotional development, creativity and practical skills, for example, sewing and embroidery.

A considerable number of children attend the After-School programme at the centre; these children are a mixture of castes and most attend either government or private school. Alongside the more traditional English tuition that the children receive daily, I created a new class – Peacock Class. I introduced this class because I felt strongly that during my month here I wanted to extend and enrich the children’s general education and impart some of my knowledge of different learning methods to the full-time staff here. Peacock Class included activities that develop the children’s thinking skills, confidence, emotional literacy (acknowledging, accepting feelings and learning how to deal with them in a healthy way) communication skills, creativity and health and well-being. I hope that future volunteers will be able to continue this class and add to it with their own experience and skills.

The English tuition classes are split into 4 ability groups and I taught the Advanced Class. This was a lovely group of girls and by the end two boys, who were keen to learn and really impressed me with their knowledge of English. Over the weeks my aim was to extend their ability to speak and write English correctly. The class were adept at reciting grammar and facts, but I wanted to put this learning into practical contexts in order to challenge their skills. The work we did together including the girls writing their own fictional stories, which they read out loud to all the children and an information book about Setrawa village.

I really enjoyed running the workshops on Saturdays. It is challenging because you have a large group of children with a variety of ages, but they loved everything we did together. I chose to do workshops on staying healthy, art and drama and a “sports day”, where the children had to work in teams and had various different races to complete. I feel there is scope to introduce further workshops which involve parents and the community (which I am aware has been done in the past) and would help to continue to forge relationships with the local community and show them the value that the Sambhali Trust is adding to their children’s lives.

Finally, I spent some time in the mornings painting more rhymes and signs on the walls.

Difficulties

My main difficulty has been the fluctuating attendance of the children, which is something the staff have told me that they consistently struggle with too. There have been many different reasons given for this during my time here: weddings, deaths of family members, the distance some of the children have to travel, illness, family responsibilities at home and lack of parental concern for their children attending school. Some parents decide they don’t want their children to come anymore. The lack of regular attendance is of particular concern for the girls attending the day school here – Butterfly Class. Furthermore, the time the girls arrived for Butterfly Class was an issue which I discovered was due to the fact that many of them do not have clocks at home. Taking all this into account it seemed like a miracle when we did get a full class! Usha, Mool Singh and I regularly discussed how we could encourage children’s attendance. Strategies already in place include biscuits given to the Dalit caste children every day, free clothes provided at various points over the year and the staff visiting houses persuading the children to attend.

I felt that introducing different activities to the school programme in Peacock and Butterfly Class would motivate children to attend due to the variety and their enjoyment. I introduced “Good News Assembly” on a Friday to encourage attendance, self-esteem and confidence. Children are chosen from each class to receive public praise and a sticker for special behaviour and effort. This is a strategy used in British schools for the same reasons.

In my last week the numbers in the Butterfly Class really declined. Usha and I decided that she should try giving any child that attended Monday to Friday a small reward, for example, a colouring pencil or nice rubber. Apparently a couple of volunteers in the past had tried this and it seemed to work. My recommendation is to try different strategies and observe the attendance. If something appears to be working, stick with it!

Presently I can think of only two other ideas to try. One is a “walking bus” (which we have in England), whereby an adult is employed to pick the children up and walk them to school together every day. Or to try providing a lunch for Butterfly Class, which obviously has financial connotations.

A minor irritation was the lack of professionalism at time, compared to what I am used to in the workplace back home. I f you are experiencing this you need to be flexible, accepting of another’s culture’s ways and continue to behave in a way you believe is professional and correct. In other words, set a good example so that others have the opportunity to learn from you. In my last week Govind asked me to write job descriptions, which I think will help clarify what everybody’s responsibilities are, including behaviour and conduct.

Finally there was the odd petty village squabble which provoked gossip and paranoia invaded the Centre by sapping time and energy. My advice to you is to stay out of any situation like this and ignore it as much as possible, unless you feel it involves the welfare of the children or the reputation of the Centre. Then inform Govind and he will direct you further. This was just one instance and hopefully nothing you will need to deal with.

Staff

Although young and relatively inexperienced, all three tutors at the Centre were always very keen to try out my suggestions. They readily accepted my ideas and took them on board immediately. This really impressed me. I feel confident that they will continue some of the strategies I implemented and use the learning methods I showed them. They were all extremely helpful and whenever I had any kind of problem it was sorted out as soon as possible. Usha, Mool Singh and Pooja are friendly people who really want the best for the children in their care.

Home-Stay

Throughout my time here I was lucky to stay with Usha Sharma’s family, one of the teachers at the Centre. The home-stay was one of the aspects of my volunteering that I was most nervous about and was very pleasantly surprised. Although in a rural village, the house was bigger than my flat in London and I got my own bedroom! The house was incredibly clean and had an outside toilet and bathroom (tap, bucket and jug). There was even a contraption to heat water for a ‘shower’, which looked incredibly dangerous, but I was always willing to use! I was treated kindly and with respect by all members of the family. Usha’s father and brother were away a lot. I was given three delicious vegetarian meals a day and didn’t lose any of the weight I thought I might! Usha and her mother really took care of me during my month’s stay and I cannot thank them enough for this. It made being away from everyone I love much more bearable. It also gave me the opportunity to truly experience village life and observe the lives of Indian women.

Overall Experience

As I reflect back on my month here, I feel very privileged to have been able to experience all that I have. In the desert, life is simple and there are not the excesses of the Western world. It seems obvious writing this now, but this experience has shown me what is important and meaningful in my life and what I can live without. For this I am truly grateful!

The children I came in contact with every day were happy, lovable and incredibly hard-working. They were always keen to learn and ready for fun! They have so many wonderful qualities, as well as an abundance of humility; many of the British children I have taught could learn a lot from them. And ultimately, this is what we are here for – the children. So my final advice to you is to always think WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CHILDREN. Consider the learning that they are experiencing at their current school, if any, and think about what you can offer them to build on this. Be bold, creative and think differently. The Sambhali Trust was created to help empower women and here you have the opportunity to help empower the future generation. This may sound grand, but even if you can make a difference to just one child – to raise their confidence, make them believe in themselves, develop their thinking skills or their ability to solve problems – then you would have achieved a lot. Do not underestimate the good you will be able to do.

My final, final advice is to bring lots of books. This is the desert after all! I read five in a month!

Guests from France, Salsa with Jodhpur Empowerment Center girls

In the picture we have Ms. Erika, our volunteer, the three daughters of Manju, the eldest is Pinky and the two brides Sunneta and Pooja waring the garlands. We went to see them this evening and handing over some sarees etc. Today is the first day of their marriage celebration. We tried to help Manju with as much as we could for her daughters. Thank you very much for making us capable of helping.

Today Ms. Jacqueline De Chollet of Global Foundation for Humanity joined us to visit the Sambhali Sheerni Micro-finance project in Setrawa.

Final report from Christa Holland

Since 1st of August until14th of Nov. I worked with the girls and women in Prithivipura and Payalcenter.

My duty had been first of all quality control in Prithivipura because those women are working for the Sambhali Boutique and the workmanship should improve.

In Prithivipura I started to show how to sew hidden seams in Kurtas and taught them to use more often the tapemessurement and pins.Before they never used pins!

To their amusement I made some pincushions and especially Seraswati found out, that pins can be a great help.

Furthermore I tried to make them understand that pressing in-between is not only helpful but necessary for clean workmanship, but because of the lack of space they have in there little room – I failed.

Because of not having room enough to cut out big pattern, they should go on with smaller things like bags, cushion-covers, tablerunners.

They are very good in making the elephants and camels, but should take care of the finishing since they give some work ( like the embroidery) away to other girls of the family.

I told Seraswati that she has to look after the finishing because she is responsible for that.

She is the best in sewing and should correct the others more often. Only she is able to make Kurtas and the handbags in Prithivipura.

The cosmetic bags still are not perfect – the sidepart often has pleats.

Cushion covers improved a lot but the girls have to concentrate and measure more and correct.

Furthermore I highly recommend that they have to learn to work with bias stripes in many cases.

Because of language problems a lot of things I could not explain how I wanted.

In Payalcentre I startet new products like little dolls and small bags and showed them to make the Kurtas and a simple western trouser with hidden seams and cushion covers with buttonholes.

Tamanna was a great help since she could translate and knows everything about sewing and Indian pattern.

Although most of the women asked for every step, they should know in the meantime what to do.

I think they are afraid to do something wrong and it is better to ask and in fact it is.

They do not have the feeling for some things or it doesn’t ´t matter to them, if the seam is not straight, the stitch to big or weather the dolls neck is too long.

But a lot of them use pins now and try to work more precisely. They are very interested to learn new things.

Most of the embroidery is high quality and should be used for different products.

Because every centre has got one electrical machine I showed the woman how to use it.

Most of them are afraid to sew with that machines but a few women in every centre are able to make buttonholes, over locking seams and zick-zack-stitch although to change the different feets, the needle and the bulb.

Especially Pushbar ji is very good and I think it is ok if not all are using the machine, because a lot can go wrong if the women are not able to use the machine properly.

Since there is only one, it can only used by one at the same time and there is no run for.

The women now are able to make simple kurtas and trousers, different bags, dolls, cushioncovers, camels, birds and elephants as well as tablerunners.

We have pattern for all these things and they know how to cut it.

Most of the work improved so much that the products now for selling in the boutique.

I would recommend for the next volunteers to go on with the quality control and improve the things the women know already. Don’t change the things when they are good enough only because we do it in another way, that would confuse them.

Sometimes even we can learn to do things different.

New ideas are always welcome for the women in Payal centre. Make a sample before, it helps a lot.

Heather, Janet and Erika our volunteers painting our Jodhpur Empowerment Center today.

Very Happy to announce that we now have the job descriptions of the staff and volunteers.

October 2011

2011-11-02T02:11:00.005+09:00

Dear Readers,
October was a very pleasant month for us. Lots of gifts to give to the participants of the trust.
Fund raising event was organized in Canada where we were given 22 sewing machines for the Payal Empowerment Center participants.

Below Ms. Mehta, Payal ji, Sonu ji with the participants of the Sheerni Micro-Finance project running in Jodhpur who were given the sewing machines.

Reena ji, the English teacher, Tamanna ji the Art and craft teacher, Sonu ji, the art and craft assistance and Payal ji the administrator of the Payal Empowerment Center with myself in front of the participants of the center with their sewing machines.

The participants of the center with their Sewing machines

Mrs. Badegruber gifting the sewing machines to the Payal Empowerment center participants
The participants of the center performing Theater for our guests

Anita, suffering from polio, receiving her motorbike from our advisory board member and my dear friend Mrs. Ernestine Badegrbuer from Austria. The bike was funded by friends of Daniela Batrosch and her friends from Germany.
Graduates of the year 2006-2009 came to meet for the festival Diwali
Guests from France with the Jodhpur Empowerment Center participants
Guests performing Salsa
Jodhpur Empowerment center participant learning Salsa

September......

2011-10-01T01:57:00.004+09:00

First impression

Marina Motylewitsch

London, UK

Volunteering at Sambhali Trust: 21.07.2011 – 02.10.2011

I arrived at Jodhpur airport on Thursday, the 21.07.2011, where I was picked up by Govind Ji and Renu Ji. Arriving at the guest house I was greeted in a traditional Indian way by Mukta, Govind’s wife. We had a nice chat in the office, where they told me more about the work they do and what is expected of me. I will mostly work with Renu and take care of the administration for Sambhali Trust.

The first thing that struck me here was the heat, which is quite difficult to get used to. At this time there should be rain but this year seems to be different. The anticipation for the rain is constantly present and I found myself waiting and hoping for it desperately too.

In the evening I met the other volunteers Sharzi and Marta, who welcomed me at Sambhali Trust.

They showed me around, explaining what to tell the Rickshaw drivers and where to get things. The next day I got to meet the girls, who are all extremely nice and seem to be happy. Of course there is the language barrier, which means I will have to learn Hindi quickly if I want to communicate with them properly. Luckily Marta is fluent in Hindi!

The life here is simple and time really doesn’t matter! I can’t say that would bother me as I was tired of the hectic and complicated life in London. So I really appreciate the way things work here. There was also no culture shock for me, as I studied the Indian culture for years and was rather well prepared. Seeing the poverty and misery on the streets can be quite overwhelming and the accompanying helplessness very frustrating but it is very important to understand that giving money to beggars will not improve their situation. We are here only for a short time and outsiders, the change has to come from the society itself, which is only so much influenced by us.

I don’t expect to have a huge impact on the girls here, as two months is way too short for expectations of this kind but I will give my best and try to learn from the women participating in this program. I try to approach my volunteering time with the thought that I shouldn’t impose my opinion on the women but rather try to understand their way of thinking and help them within those circumstances leaving aside western ideas and beliefs.

Final impression

India, the country of colors, variety and millions of gods. Every day in the year some festival is celebrated. A country where superficiality is embedded in deep tradition and where the gap between rich and poor couldn’t possibly be bigger. Where Westerners wear Indian clothes and the Indians try to look western. Where big malls are setup, surrounded by poverty and beggars, but shop keepers can hardly afford to pay the rent. Where you meet the most welcoming people and the most fascinating traditions and ceremonies. Where you have to eat at every house you go to, if you want to or not. Where you find patience that in the beginning drives you crazy but you will definitely miss at home. A country full of potential and chaos.

My two months volunteering for Sambhali Trust are over and I have to leave, hopefully leaving behind something of me with the girls I spent this time with. At least I know that I will be missed every Saturday when we used to watch movies with a projector. Almost like real cinema! I was the cinema master and would show the girls the newest and older movies, giving them a chance to see them too as they are often deprived of the possibility to go to the cinema.

As I assumed before I came here, I am taking far more with me than I am leaving behind. Getting to know the girls, their lives and opinions made me appreciate everything I have in life more. You don’t really realize what you have before you know what other people lack in their everyday life. What amazed me the most is the strength, dignity and attitude, with which the women face their lives and situations every day. You don’t expect them to be smiling and be happy but this is exactly what you will encounter when you meet them.

A lot of the stories I heard shocked me and left me feel completely helpless as I couldn’t really do anything to help besides listening. But Sambhali Trust can help and does this every day through educating the women and teaching them to fight for their rights. And this they also do every day!

In my time at Sambhali Trust I also met a lot of interesting people, other volunteers like Christa, who could easily write a thick book about her life, Marta, who is also from London and who has a lot of interests with me in common, Kim, who looks like 25 but is over 40 (and she wouldn’t tell me her secret!). I met people who felt here at home and some who shouldn’t have chosen India as their destination.

I have been taken care of here by Muktaji, who is the heart and soul of the Durag Niwas Guest House like Govindji is the heart and soul of Sambhali Trust. I would like to thank them both and say how impressed I am with the work they are doing, the effort they put in it and what they are achieving. Thank for two very interesting months. I will definitely come back to visit the Trust and will help with whatever I can to keep this project running.

Keep up the good work, stay strong and never doubt your work! And always remember: ‘’If people try to bring you down, it means you are above them!’’

********************************************

Marta Schmidt

Final Report

Two months have gone. It seems like a dream now. And reality as well. It seems the only reality now – as I have embraced Jodhpur as my home. ‘Arre 40 Rupees bhai sahib’ – spoken to the rickshaw driver. This is my reality now. The dusty streets, the cows and dogs eating rubbish and sleeping along the roads, noisy traffic, the Umaid Palace towering over one side and Mehrangarh Fort on the other; the Old Blue City with the irrigation system clogged with waste, ‘Maidam Maidam’ called at me from every side. This is my Jodhpur.

There were many things I did that I have never expected: –indeed, I got to ride a motorbike on the crazy Indian streets (only the back seat, let’s not go too crazy…); I learned how to use nun chucks and bamboo sticks; I got to play cricket and actually hit the ball with the bat; rescue two kittens and find them a new home; sit in the car with the Deputy Mayor and tell him the way in Hindi; meet with the High Court judge and crack a joke. That is the fun bit.

Now the work bit. For two months I had a privilege to work with some really amazing women and girls of Jodhpur. Because of my ability to communicate with them in Hindi, our conversations and relations were greatly enhanced. They were able to tell me what bothers them, what makes them happy, what their lives are like. There was no language barrier to block our bonding. I felt so honoured whenever they would call me a sister, when they would tie a friendship band on my wrist for the Friendship Day, or rakhi (the sister/brother bond) for the Rakshabandhan.

During my first month I taught basic English to girls who were less advanced than others, while Renu – hired English teacher conducted the class for the rest of the girls. For 3 weeks I worked with Mumtaz, who was a case of severe depression, and who, due to her trauma, had also vast learning difficulties. It was not always rewarding – most of the time the work seemed futile as she could not remember the letters of the alphabet – but she was striving, and those rare moments when she would remember would make up for everything.

At the end of my first month we had new girls coming to our centre in Jodhpur. I worked with them from the very beginning on the alphabet and I was able to excite them about classes with games where they would gain points for naming the correct letter and the winner would get a star or a high five (ok, maybe an occasional laddoo).

During the second month I took over the whole English class in the Jodhpur Empowerment Centre. The girls there, who have never been to school, had visibly more problems with retaining information and it took much more effort to be able to hold their attention for longer. But they had to put up with my crazy as well: I loved making them laugh with sentence examples like: ‘I cook ghobi parathas in the morning’, ‘I want gulab jamun[1]’, or ‘I love Shahrukh Khan’ (and Salman Khan [2]is ‘blah’ – which would stir a heated discussion with Shweta or Deepika).

During the two months I taught English in the Payal Empowerment Centre to all the girls there. Most of these girls do go to school in the morning and that reflects on the level of discipline and attention. After the English classes we would have dance workshops every day. Because I have been dancing Bollywood dances and classical Indian dances like Kathak and Bharatanatyam for four years now, I was able to teach some of the choreographies to the girls. I have noticed enormous changes – especially with the painfully shy girls like Sushila or Basanti, who would bloom in front of me to the music every one of them loved. Soon after two or three lessons I found that my classes at 4 o’clock were not only filled with our participants but also with all the children from their families. First day I had 3-4 children coming along, the next day I had fifteen! We had so many people we had to take turns! They all loved dancing and I think it build up their confidence and self-esteem. During this time we had three cultural exchanges with the French groups from the organization ‘Sans Frontiers’ and we practiced the dances and a puppet show with the girls to perform in front of the French teenagers (and unfortunately the ‘culture’ of France would be presented in a very unusual form – seriously, how many times can you dance to ‘Macarena’?). They also got to perform in front of the Deputy Mayor of Jodhpur for the Independence Day. Seeing my girls out there courageously on the stage made me feel very proud.

Apart from the teaching, I also worked on some administrative things. I run a Facebook Ad Campaign to promote Sambhali across Facebook users. I set a new Facebook group for Sambhali and a new Fan Page for the Sambhali Boutique. I prepared a new entry for a Shelter Project for Women in Difficult Circumstances on the Global Giving website. I helped Renu Chauhan, the new manager, with the visits to the officials of the Jodhpur Development Authority.

Indian life is like Indian food: rich in taste, never boring but very heavy to digest – too much might end with a case of a Delhi Belly. Those occasional moments of Delhi Belly for me are things that I see and would like to change – the painful hierarchy that leads to the degradation of women in the society, the poverty, the pollution, the injustice that happens to people on every corner. However, Indian food is so delicious that you just keep eating, and you want to come back and have more and more. You roam around tastes and you discover new pleasures and new pains.

I will definitely come back, I want to have my thali[3] refilled again and again. I want to know more about Indian life and definitely Sambhali Trust is the way to go. This grassroot organisation gives a perfect opportunity to bond with the participants and the teachers. The personal feeling and a small scale let volunteers and stuff know the needs of the women and girls we strive to improve lives of in a better and more humane manner. It obviously seems that the teaching goes one way, but the Sambhali girls taught me a lot about myself and challenged me all along the way. I hope that I will leave Jodhpur knowing that for a moment I made my girls’ lives a little bit better.

[1] Indian sweets

[2] Famous Bollywood actors

[3] A platter of food.

***************************************************************************************************

Ms. Teena Bishnoi, participant of Payal Empowerment Center is now teaching Hindi and the Jodhpur Empowerment Center as a Hindi Teacher, we are very happy that our participants are now employees of our organization. The Empowerment of women is difficult but not impossible.

Since Simmi Singh left the project, we have a new helping hand, Ms. Reena Rathore to help us teach Basic reading and writing of English and Maths. Ms. Rathore also helps with little bit of the administrative work.

Organized seven days Bhagwat Geeta prayer at home this month for the peace and prosperity of the family.

INFORMAL SECTOR ENTERPRISE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT program visiting the Sambhali Trust's Sheerni Micro-finance project in Setrawa village

Good bye August...

2011-08-27T03:09:00.014+09:00

Khamaghani Dear viewers,
I hope you are enjoying the new look of the blog. A lot happened in August, festivals, celebrations, pilgrimage, workshops.....

Family:-
I went to a short pilgrimage to Ramdevra village 180km west of Jodhpur on the way to Jaislmer. Some impressions from my pilgrims.

The main temple at Ramdevra

Pilgrims chanting
At the Holy lake in Ramdevra village
Pilgirms
Fair ground of the Ramdevra villagePilgirms
Beautiful dancing peacock
Pilgirms
Pilgirms
A small shrine of Lord Ramdevji
My son, Ayushraj

Flowers in our garden and a lotus plant
Festival Rakhi, brothers and sisters festival of love and respect
Soul sisters
Graduates, my soul sisters came to celebrate Rakhi festival with our family

My Aunties came to our home to celebrate the festival
Volunteers of Sambhali Trust getting prepared for the Rakhi festival (Henna painted hands)
Aunty getting Henna painted on her palms
Domestic violence workshop with Sub-Inspector Satyaprakash ji
Dakhu Devi, after her Psychiatric treatment (came to see me for becoming my soul mate sister at the Rakhi Festival)
Dakhu Devi, before the treatment of Psychiatry (tied to the tree)
15th August, our Independence day, Payal Empowerment center girls and Marta our volunteer dancing on a Bollywood songs
Our Deputy Mayor of the town, H'ble Mr. Niyaz Mohammad. Our chief guest of the day at Independence day
Jodhpur Empowerment center girls performing folk dance
Payal Empowerment Center participants performing Puppet theater
Payal Empowerment center participant speaking about 15th August the Independence day

Sambhali Trust participants waiting for the Guests

Some women of the Sheerni Micro-Finance with their businesses in Setrawa

I hope you liked the pictures, please find the final Impression report of Ms. Marta Schmidt

Marta Schmidt

Final Report

[1] Indian sweets

[2] Famous Bollywood actors

[3] A platter of food.

August

2011-08-02T02:26:00.004+09:00

Sambhali Trust
We are sad that Mrs. Simmi Singh have left the organization due to having difficulties with the conveyance from the organization's centers here in Jodhpur.
Please allow me to introduce yourselves to Ms. Renu Chauhan, the manager to the Sambhali Trust and also the English tutor for the Jodhpur and Payal Empowerment Center.

Please find below the final impression of Ms. Karina Szuman

My Final Impressions

I left Setrawa, my eyes swelled with tears but a heart full of memories, for me it was leaving not only my job but my home.

I was very nervous to go back to Setrawa for my last month as I was the only volunteer. As difficult as thought it would be, I honestly went all out in my final month and it really paid of in the end. I embraced the village life more and had the opportunity to really get to know my host family and the staff of Sambhali School on a more personal level – I have made friends to last a lifetime.

Sambhali School for the month of July was very haphazard and formality didn’t show up in any way or form (at times I did tend to forget that I was still in India). It was great to see the month to month transformation of the children as many of them had been sponsored to go to school from July 2011 so they were getting formal education and the work of the past volunteers in teaching English had really paid off as some of the girls even went straight to Class 6 and 7. Coupled with a more structured teaching plan we had time to really enjoy ourselves too. The workshops still ran on Saturdays and I was lucky enough to be apart of the French Excursion visits and those were very memorable especially for the children. I did spend 2 months with the children and as much as I would like to say that I changed their life drastically, I can’t because for me it seemed as though the change they brought out in me was far greater than I could’ve ever done for them. I really grew to love each and every child and it is something that I don’t think a volunteer could ever properly describe.

After another month with the Khatri family, I really grew to love them even more. After much insistence on my part I got the chance to really be apart of the family and even helped cooked some meals. I still cannot find the words to describe the life I lived for 2 months that was truly an experience on its own.

I leave Sambhali with a heavy heart. I have made so many memories and learnt heaps and bounds in both life skills and myself that I could not have learnt anywhere else.

My best advice for future volunteers would be to come with an open mind and be prepared for possibly the best few months of your life!

July 2011

2011-08-01T04:11:00.005+09:00

Hello Dear Readers,
I have been delaying with updating my blog nowadays because this facebook thing is addictive. I am really sorry for this. I will make sure to keep yourself updated on regular basis in future.
The family is doing well, The Sambhali Trust does very well too.

Please find some information on July 2011 below, some more updates in August Blog.

Sans Frontieres from France make it back to Jodhpur again this year with eight groups, Our participant from Payal Empowerment center talking about her daily routine at home

Below first impression by our volunteer Ms. Marta Schmidt

First Impressions by Marta Schmidt

July-August 2011

Age 21, from Gliwice, Poland.

Student of Politics and South Asian Studies, SOAS, University of London.

I arrived in Jodhpur after 3 touristy days with friends from Mumbai. After 18 hours of first exciting train journey (just like in the films!) in a compartment with a huge, friendly Rajasthani family, at 6.30 in the morning I was picked up from the Jodhpur Railway Station by a small and skinny man on a – oh dear – motorbike! With all my huge bugs, I could only utter a hysterical laughter and said that I could definitely not travel with all my bags (not to mention I have sworn never to get on a motorcycle in my life) on this little space, having experience with crazy Mumbai streets and their lack of any rules or regulations. I was put on the rickshaw (my first –how exciting!) and we got quickly to a beautiful blue guesthouse. There everyone was still asleep…

The day was a mixture of nervousness and exhilaration. I met people working in the guesthouse, who seemed like a family after a couple of minutes. Volunteers, Kerry, Sharzy and Kareena – told me all about their experiences and explained how everything works. I met Govind ji during the first meeting of Priyadarshini Adarsh, a microfinance project running in collaboration with the government of Rajasthan. He seemed like a serious, experienced and very professional man – how big was my surprise when I found out he’s much younger than I initially thought!

First nights in Jodhpur were a little bit harsh to live through - me, a woman from the wild north (i.e. Poland) who prefers the temperature not to rise beyond 20 degrees, had to deal with almost 40.

But to compensate for long nights – what is not better than Indian food! Making rotis in the evening with other volunteers and the boys working in the kitchen, and then eating delicious Indian curries, is a grand pleasure indeed.

The first experiences with girls of Sambhali were also wonderful and unusual. Firstly, I lead an English class on Saturday, which made me realise how much I love teaching – and thankfully I speak Hindi, so communicating with them and explaining things is much easier – also gossiping about Bollywood actors is! The second unusual experience was during the 7 a.m. self-defence classes (a weekly workshop). Seeing those beautiful and seemingly fragile girls smashing the air with bamboo sticks – and being able to face the potential goondas – made me feel empowered as well.

I feel very privileged to be able to help for a while and maybe make a little bit of difference in their lives…

Some pictures from Art competition in Setrawa Empowerment Center ( a community involvement program)

June- mid July!

2011-07-18T16:16:00.012+09:00

Khamaghani my Dear Readers,

I hope everybody is enjoying the summer and the holidays. We all do very well and want to apologize for a late update. Please find some interesting report of our volunteers below.

Shahrzad Makaremi

City: Santa Barbara, CA

University: UC Berkeley

Age: 21

Here from June 2011 through July 2011

Arriving in Jodhpur, India, after months of planning, dreaming, and many email conversations, was wonderful. The heat, dust, and warm people of Jodhpur welcomed me. Jodhpur is busy: cars, rickshaws, and people are winding in and out of each other constantly, and the sound of honking is very common. There are also many colors; outside the traditional blue that covers some of the buildings here (and makes them stand out from the dusty color of the rest), most women wear the bright colors of red, pink, orange, green, and more. Clothing is traditional and not revealing at all; and women usually cover their hair. Almost all the women I have seen wear the traditional Rajasthani garb, making the large crowds much more interesting to look at.

The Durag Niwas Guest House, where I will be staying, and where the Sambhali Trust is located, is a peaceful haven outside of the bustle of the city. Mr. Rathore’s family graciously welcomed me here, and I feel very comfortable. There is always fresh Masala Chai, and a kind smile to be found. Mr. Rathore’s family has been very informative and helpful, answering my questions about the Trust, Jodhpur, Rajasthan culture, and more.

After exploring the city, I finally got to meet the girls, and I have now been working with them for 4 days. The girls are so warm, kind, and lovely. Immediately they welcomed me, and asked me many questions about myself. They gave me a new name (Shagoon-which is easier for them to pronounce). I am slowly getting to know them, learning their names and different personalities. Each is so excited to learn, they are constantly working on their stitching and showing and seeking feedback from the sewing teacher, Tamanna. The girls that I am working with, with regard to English, are so excited to learn; when it comes time for our lessons, they tap and nudge me, making sure I don’t forget. I try to spend time with the girls as much as possible, taking lunch with them, and acting silly. I want to make these moments count, to not only get to know them but to interact with them more so that we are comfortable with each other and trust one another. I hope that through my interactions I can realize more of what might be helpful workshops and lessons for them-and to see what I can offer.

A week has flown by and I have learned so much. Everyone is always happy to answer my questions, or to lend a helping hand. I’m curious about the upcoming two months- I’m ready to engross myself in the organization. I’m excited to get to know the girls more, to learn more about the Sambhali Trust, and I hope to contribute as much as I can.

Final Report

Shahrzad Makaremi

Age 21

Volunteer June 2011-July 2011 (2 months)

Jodhpur

In the eight weeks that I spent volunteering at Sambhali Trust I have learned a tremendous amount about the work that Sambhali does, but also about how a small NGO operates, the issues and problems that they encounter everyday.

My first month I spent working on basic English with 4 girls at the Jodhpur Empowerment Centre, and 4 girls at the Payal Empowerment Centre. I worked mainly on practicing the alphabet, and learning the sounds of each letter, and finally formulating basic words. I also worked on some administration, filling out applications as well as updating information on websites to help Sambhali locate volunteers. I also acted as a sort of public relations for the organization, and explained a little bit about Sambhali Trust,what the organization is about, and who we work with, to guests and visitors. In addition, I worked in leading a community-building workshop with both the groups from Jodhpur and Payal Empowerment Centres. Finally I wrote and sent a letter to President Obama as a means to introduce him to the organization.

During the second month, I worked almost exclusively on the administration aspect. I finished applications for funding from Open Meadows Foundation, The Oak Foundation, and the Commonwealth Club. I also continued to update information on websites to help find volunteers. In addition, I typed up a report for the Self-Defense workshops, and also created an annual syllabus for workshops. I compiled the workshop information to make it easier for staff and future volunteers to access information for leading workshops. Finally I formulated and conducted a survey from the girls, in regards to basic information to help make decisions in the trust, and have a better idea of the needs of our participants.

Since I was able to work both in administration as well as hands-on with the girls, I feel that I got a more complete view of the organization. I loved interacting with the women and girls; my experience with them was what made the work of the organization tangible and real. Getting to know the girls, visiting them in their homes, talking with them about their lives, these were the special moments of really understanding the importance of the work that Sambhali does. I got insider views of the difficulties of finding funding, and working with Western funders who might not fully understand the needs and manners of a small NGO in India. I also came to understand the complicated relationship between NGOs and the departments of the Indian Government departments.

I know that as Sambhali grows it will be important for the organization to maintain the personal and grassroots atmosphere. The relationship between the staff and participants is very important. It is this close relationship, where everyone knows the background and stories of each participant that makes Sambhali effective and special. All of the participants are here for a reason, Sambhali is not just a place for them to come to gain training and education, but a haven for them, a place to interact and share with others.

Working with Sambhali has been an amazing experience, and I have gained so much valuable experience and knowledge from my time here. Spending time in India has taught me so much about myself. Govind and his family have been incredibly generous and kind, and I have learned so much from them, I cannot be thankful enough. Though I was volunteering, I feel that I have benefited far more from my time here, and learned much more from the girls and staff of Sambhali Trust, than I could ever give with my time. I hope that the little work that I did was helpful in some way, but I am eternally grateful for what everyone has given me. I will never forget my experience, the kind and warm people that I met, and the time that I spent here in Jodhpur along with Sambhali Trust.

Karina Szuman (19)

South Africa

Sambhali Trust Volunteer (June - July 2011)

First Impressions Report

I came to India with no preconceived ideas of this vast land and that was possibly the best thing I could ever do for myself. Having no expectations I was constantly taken aback and hardly ever disappointed.

Being half Indian I found adapting to the culture and traditions easy; they were different but adaptable. Living is Setrawa was a complete lifestyle change and I found my first week the toughest. Sleeping under the stars every night is magical but the inability to communicate was frustrating. My host Mother Pushpa left after 2 days of my arrival for 17 days leaving my host sister Rakhi to take on the entire role of her mother - I really got to know her and the extended family during this time. The hospitality and kindness of the Khatri family is something I could never explain, words cannot describe such benevolence. The smallest things make the biggest differences - I truly feel as though I am home.

As homely as it felt there were many challenges within the first few weeks:

The language barrier was huge but the ‘thori – thori’ we each learnt along the way made things slightly easier after a week or two.
The comparisons between me and previous volunteers the family had made me feel as though I had huge shoes to fill and at times made my stay quite difficult but I realized that as exciting as it is for me to get to know them it worked both ways and they were just going off of what they already knew.
My host Mother gave me a look which to me made feel a sense of disappointment, coupled with the comparisons I really thought she didn’t like me and her going away for so long was difficult because I felt as though I already knew everyone so well and now I was thrown into the deep end again to get to know her when she arrived. I very quickly learnt that the ‘look’ was just her way of concentrating on people as they spoke, she gave that look to everyone even her family – and getting to know her literally took a few hours.

Sambhali School was nothing like I had ever imagined, I really enjoyed my first month. The children really make you feel very welcome and they all try their best to learn English – their desire for perfection and correctness in all they do is really motivational as a teacher. The afternoon class was (at the beginning) for me the least challenging as the girls command of English is very advanced and they very easy to relate to. The morning class is a little bit more challenging as they can’t speak or understand much English so just communicating is a mission on its own, but once they get to know you a little they really open up. I recommend learning the children’s names as soon as possible, I learnt all their names within a week and it made teaching and communicating much easier and more enjoyable.

Other then that, my first month has been a blast and I cannot wait to get back to Setrawa (we agreed on a 10 day holiday). I guess this Jodhpur city just doesn’t do it for me – there aren’t enough goats, cows and peacocks.

Ms. Fae Rinaldo-Langridge
Norwich, UK

I have been leading theatre workhops with another volunteer, Verena, for the past month now. Our aim was to empower women by giving them a platform for their voice; a safe place where they can be whoever they want to be where anything is possible. We did a range of games and exercises that encouraged the women to be physically and vocally expressive, and therefore improve their self-confidence. And also, through improvisations and Forum Theatre based on personal situations, we gave them the opportunity to try out different ways of dealing with conflicts and personal struggles.

It was a challenge because theatre isn't so well regarded in India. As can be the case back home, for the women we worked with and their families it is more important to have a practicial skill that brings in money. For them theatre is a luxury not a necessity and as they don't intend to become bollywood actresses I think our workshop seemed completely nonsensical to them at times. In addition, the families of the women are not always supportive of their empowerment, and in some cases, housework and marriage come first; this meant that the attendance and attitude of the women was not consistent. Alongside the cultural differences and the language barrier we had to work with the extreme shyness and cultural reservation of Indian women. At first, we misinterpreted their shyness and believed that they just didn't like our workshops. However, when we divided the group in to two (one for sewing, one for theatre) we found that it was mostly the shyest who voted to do theatre: of their own accord and without hesitation! We began to notice that they were the first to stand ready for the lesson, and their attention to detail and their focus was immaculate when miming. This was really heart-warming to see. We realise now that although theatre might have been received more enthusiastically by a younger group, these women needed it more and they really benefitted from it. By the end, they were talking more and some had even begun to share their own personal stories for the improvisations.

For future volunteers I recommend coming for at least a month because it takes a couple of weeks to get to know the women you're working with and to settle into the project, especially if you haven't done this kind of work before. The best time to come is probably between winter and spring. The heat really affected both myself and the women we worked with, and I feel our workshops would have been more productive in cooler weather. I was a little sad that I started the theatre workshop a month after Verena so I wasn't able to see their progress right from the beginning but it has been amazing nonetheless. We hope that Simi, the hindi teacher, will continue the lessons once a week after we have gone. All in all, I have had a wonderful time here! I love the women we worked with and really hope that they continue to be empowered through Sambahli. Durag Niwas, where the volunteers stay, has a been a massive relief after travelling through the bigger bustling cities in India. I have felt safe and comfortable, and the food is ridiculously good! For the first time in a month my stomach was magically healed the minute Mukta's food touched my lips! The staff are so friendly and funny, and I had a great time hanging out with the other volunteers, and with tourists passing through the guesthouse. Thank you to everyone at Sambahli, and good luck to the new volunteers!

Some appreciation letters for our work we do with Sambhali Trust
The Setrawa village head Mr. Bhika Ram Choudhary signed a letter for our work in Setrawa

A letter from Her Excellency the Queen of England
Appreciation letter from the Department of Women and Child development in Jodhpur
Self-Defense workshop of Payal and Jodhpur Empowerment center girls

Self-Defense Workshop

July 2011

Payal and Jodhpur Empowerment Center

With Mr. Singh-Raik Bagh (Park next door to Durag Niwas)

Overview:

For 10 days the students at Sambhali Trust had one hour a day lessons in self-defense. Primarily using bamboo sticks, the girls learned various moves and participated in physical education.

The lesson would usually start with some warm ups, stretches, and prayer. Then exercises with the bamboo sticks. Within a week the girls moved from simple moves like twirling the stick in a hitting motion from right to left, to actually utilizing the move in stepping forward. The two main exercises that they learned was to move forward hitting back and forth, as well as moving in three steps while twirling the stick above their head. They also learned how to move the bamboo stick with one hand. A few girls were exceptionally skilled, and by the end of the week could move through the different exercises with ease and confidence.

After working with the bamboo sticks, Mr. Singh would end the class with some meditation and yoga, teaching the girls about their bodies and how to maintain health.

Results:

Mr. Singh, the teacher, was happy with the improvements the girls showed after a week. He has been working with teaching various women self-defense, and was happy to help us at Sambhali Trust. Our students were even able to meet a Judge in Jodhpur who was happy about the fact that women were partaking in self-defense.

Of course, there was a range of improvements between our students, but there was obvious improvement from the beginning of the week until the end. Initially the girls did not feel too comfortable and keen on working with Bamboo sticks, but by the end of the workshop, they were all quit comfortable with the idea of using the sticks, and were much more confident and poised. In meetings after our workshops, the girls showed confidence and happiness about how they had learned to used bamboo sticks and could defend themselves-this deferred drastically from the beginning of the week when they were a bit tired and would complain about their blisters. The most common issue that came up was the fact that the workshops took place early in the morning (7:30am), and thus a few of the girls either stopped coming or came rarely to the workshops (especially our older participants who had children, or those who lived further away). Overall though, the workshop was successful, and there were obvious improvements in the mannerism of our students.

Priyadarshini Adarsh Self Help Group project, management of Self Help Group training for three days each group in two batches. The first area 'Luni block' hopeless people and hopeless groups given to play with the reputation of our trust and work. When the department of women and child development saw that we were trying hard and their groups were not cooperating therefore they then moves us to 'Mandore Block', we are happy with the 10 new groups.

Volunteer Ms. Kerry's Kisbey-Green's impressions of her volunteering with us for six months.

Four months impression below

Four months into working with Sambhali, I have been lucky enough to work in a variety of places and fields. Originally a teacher in Setrawa, then an extra help at Jodhpur in its busiest month with event planning and internal-organization, and now the last volunteer working on administration and funding applications, I have gotten to know Sambhali extremely well. While this has made writing about it easy, it does not mean I have found Sambhali easy; it has been hard work in a culture that I admire but find hard to understand.

I was not the luckiest when I got to India- my stomach didn’t agree with the food and I was constantly on antibiotics and feeling extremely low on energy. This happens to some volunteers- I tried everything, I think it is merely luck how your body copes with the dietary change. From fevers to IV drips, this week is my first feeling normal again since I got here, and I’m so grateful for that.

My timing in Setrawa was debatably extremely unfortunate or extremely lucky- I moved into Usha’s family’s house the day before her father had an embolism and almost died. This meant that the usually absent father was home for my entire stay. While it was fascinating being with a host family, albeit hard with the language barrier, I made fast attachments to Usha, and her family, and love them dearly. However, with the father at home, I witnessed the different way Usha acted in and out of the house. At Sambhali she was confident, charismatic and talkative. At home, she barely looked up or talked; serving her family obediently and, perhaps, fearfully. I never understood it as her family were so lovely, and took it as a cultural thing. That was until the night that her father beat her. I was extremely ill and so went to bed before sunset. I assume the father thought I was in Jodhpur for the weekend, as he seemed shocked when I came rushing out after hearing Usha pleading and crying. The whole family did a double-take when they saw me; like me witnessing this was so much worse than the fact that he was hitting his children. It was an awful night, and continued into the morning. I assume he was drunk, but am still unsure. After talking to Usha, I discovered this happens often, but not when volunteers are in the house (as obviously, that would stop Sambhali sending them). Horrified, I willingly obeyed Govind’s call for me to come to Jodhpur as they needed extras help, eager to tell him what was happening. It was extremely sad that Govind already knew this, and that obviously Sambhali threatening the father had not helped. Sambhali offered Usha a home if ever she needed one, and threatened the father again. Since this, Usha is seriously considering moving into Sambhali’s accommodation and I’m so grateful. When I went to collect my stuff, the father begged for my forgiveness, crying on the floor. I was disgusted and told him to apologize to his children. Surprisingly, a very heated conversation turned into him actually apologizing to Usha, and all of us crying and hugging each other. Since then I have been welcome to their house on weekends, and go as a friend regularly to see them.

My admin work in Jodhpur for the last 2-3 months have consisted of doing all the odd-jobs, internal organization such as paper-work and simply organizing all the statistics and folders we have, as well as writing funding applications for next year. I was also exposed to the sadder side of Sambhali- the cases of women who come to Govind after being abused, or mal-treated, and in need of help. Although it’s comforting to watch Sambhali help them, I found it difficult to hear there stories without breaking down with them- I think I’ve toughened up a lot in the last few months (probably a good thing).

I’m off to Setrawa for my last month of volunteering, eager to see Usha and the kids again and do a bit more hands-on work before I leave. I’ll be sad to leave Jodhpur- I’ve watched the start of Project Aasha on Sundays with great enthusiasm and I run a dance class on Saturdays which I’ve enjoyed so much with the Jodhpur Empowerment Centre girls, but I’m looking forward to Karina arriving and heading back to Setrawa.

Six Months final impression below

It took 5 months, but I have fallen in love with India. It has shown and taught me so much- without boring future volunteers too much, I will try give tips and what to expect, while talking about the Trust.

I can honestly vouch for Sambhali’s integrity and legitimacy as a charity- I have seen the staff cry with emotion and use their own personal money at times to help beneficiaries. Sambhali currently has 13 paid employees- that’s it. It means I have gotten to know them all, and can see their passion for Women Empowerment- something that has rubbed off on me completely.

Advice: you have to have high self-confidence and self-esteem before you get here. People stare at you, talk about you in Hindi while unselfconsciously looking at you (now that I understand, it usually is good stuff!), question your culture, comment on things that would be embarrassing at home (‘Oh Kerry, you have terrible skin today!’ J ) and your body will explode with the generous food given to you at all the houses you visit. I have, on the whole, been OK, but every volunteer has struggled a bit.

I also think it’s important to come with the mind frame that no one’s going to look after you here- although of course the Trust does, you need to be independent enough to not rely on them and actually create work for other people- they’re busy enough as it is- that’s why they need you as extra help! One main issue is the language barrier- it can be easily removed if you pick up a dictionary and teach yourself.

Saying that, I also recommend you come at a point in your life where you have nothing else to worry about and can fully commit- living in another culture is hard if you’re constantly thinking of home. It also is hard for you to be inspiring to others here if you’re too busy worrying about home- you’re supposed to be looking after others here- you need to be able to look after yourself.

I know it’s hypocritical to say as I’m only 19, but I agree with Sambhali that you should be older to volunteer. If you’re like me and was just really keen- really think about it before applying. I was lucky and came at a time that I had a lot of help and care, and I was lucky to fit in Setrawa easily- but I think if it wasn’t for lucky circumstances, I would’ve actually been dead weight for Sambhali. Remember that the whole point of volunteering is to help the girls and women here- if you can’t add to the Trust; it means the Trust goes out of their way in effort to essentially benefit you, not the Trust itself. Think about whether you could make a contribution at this moment in your life, before applying. (Having said that- apply- it’s an amazing Trust)

I go away feeling like I’ve helped, hopefully for the long term, and I poured everything I had into Sambhali. I’m leaving physically and emotionally exhausted, my perception of life altered forever, and with new friends I will always treasure.

Govind- and all the staff- I really admire and respect you all. I don’t think you get thanked enough for what you do everyday. You have literally changed hundreds of lives for the better. Even when you’re not working- you’re thinking of Sambhali. I know you never feel like you’re doing enough because they’re always more people to help, but I feel like I’m about to burst with gratitude for you all- you give me, and all Sambhali’s participants hope for a better, equal future. I feel honoured to know you all.

To Corinne, Djamila, Mukta, Faye, Usha-Ji, Mool-Singh, Banti, Jinab, Mangu, Julia, Amelia, Jen, Nina, Rowan, Tamanna-Ji, Mrs Mehta, Rosemary Jnr and Snr, Ashley, Nigama, Ernestine, Heiderose, Verena, Annie and Poppy, to Govind and of course most importantly, the girls- if you are reading this, thank-you for making the last six months unforgettable.

Some more posts for July in my next post..

May............ 2011

2011-06-04T03:49:00.006+09:00

Durag Niwas Guest House

No guests at the moment, I am making sure no plants burn in this summer therefore I am personally involved in watering the plants. The dust is everywhere due to the sand storms. It is really hot at the moment. some guests coming now and than.

Sambhali Trust

This month I personally went to spend some days in Setrawa village to witness our center. I am very happy with the progress our team is making over there at the moment. One of our previous student who has finished her senior high school this year is now the teacher for the non school going kids. Her name is Pooja Sharma.
Giving loans to the women of Sambhali Sheerni Micro-Finance on no interest, our guest and the guarantor of the loans is Mr. Bhika Ram Choudhary, the village elected leader for the official decision making for the development of the village for five years.

Kerry, our setrawa project volunteer has come to Jodhpur to help with the administration in now in her last month of six months stay in total. She has gone to Setrawa village to spend her last month there. She has been of tremendous help to us.

We had honor to meet the Rajasthan State's Department of Women and Child Development and also holds the department of Tourism Ms. Bina Kak. She is a wonderful lady and I was very happy to have met her and introduced her to Sambhali Trust.

Asha Pandit is the second face of the project, she is sister of Soniya, one of our graduates and have been part of the Jodhpur empowerment center on and off for 4 years, she is now the supervisor of the Sambhali Boutique and assists Corinne our Boutique's manager.

Project Aasha, our target intervention project does well. We are happy to see the progress of these young people of Jodhpur who are bit more aware of the HIV/AIDS and the STI's.

Chiragudeen(Chinu) is the manager of project Aasha.

Priyadarshini Adarsh Self help group program has started in Salwas village, government (department of Women and Child Development) want us to form a cluster of durry(rugs) weavers. The government local employees are of no help, there is too much politics between the women's self help groups, the government workers and the local middle men who work in the durry weaving business. We are very sad to work with these people.

We had honor to be invited to Sambla program in Jaipur where the Department of Human rights conducted a workshop. Our Payal Empowerment Center manager, Payal Kanwar and a participant Guddi ji went to Jaipur and participated in the workshop about Human rights, women rights and are the master trainers for other organizations in the Jodhpur District. Our organization was invited to participated with one another big organization in Jaipur.

The Eye camp hosted by another organization in Jodhpur called the Shared Vision tested eyes of 56 of our participants and gave 11 prescription glasses to the patients. Thank you Shared vision.

When I was in Setrawa I heard from the women of Sheerni project that Dakhu Devi, the girl who we rescued two years back who was tied to a tree because she was suffering from post natal psychosis was again tied to a tree for 4 months now because she has become very violent. When she recovered with our help last year she was sent to her husband again where she became pregnant, three days later the baby died and she fall ill again with the same post natal psychosis.
Her mother tied her to the tree again. I found out about this and brought her back to Jodhpur and now she stays with us in our home. She has the best and the most experienced doctor taking care of her Dr. Vimal Razdan. Dakhu is recovering and we are thankful to god for making us fortunate to help the people in serious need.

Rajput Cultural Adventures
We have a small group with seven guest including Ms. Margrit Nobs joining us for the third time and this time possibly in hope of spotting the big cat (tiger). We will be meeting in Delhi on the 26th of December and we will show our guest Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan in 18 days. We are very excited about the trip because we have chosen new destination and some new accommodations this time.

Family
We all are okey, Grand ma has come back from her maternal home, Shakti's wife, my sister in law has lost her father from cancer. We are very sorry for her family. Mumy does okey, some little knee pain(she is lazy and doesnt go out for a walk or something), Mukta is fine, little bored because of less work. Everything else is fine, we plan to repair the home in Setrawa so that some guests could enjoy it in the tourist season. We will do some paint and repairs here and there in the house for the upcoming season. I plan to put many many plants inside our home this year.
Pintu, our manager's wife was not successful with the IVF. She is gone back to her home. We hope to help her in future also.

May 2011

2011-05-03T05:47:00.003+09:00

Durag Niwas Guest House
Offseason is here now, the roof top has been removed until the next season starting in July 2011.
Plants are in shade, we have less guests at the moment.

Sambhali Trust
The Annual Report from 1st April 2010- 31st March 2011 is online and available on the link available on the Sambhali Trust website or on the link given below.
http://sambhali-trust.org/downloads/sambhaliannualreport20102011.pdf
We had many wonderful volunteers from all different parts of the world.
We achieved quite a lot for our participants from photography and theater.
Looking for two new centers and new funding agency to fund them.
We are nearly five years old and are planning to extend our support to more vulnerable members of Indian communities. Therefore our dear readers a little very nice surprise on your way soon.

Rathore Family
The new member of our family, the bride of my brother Shakti had 18 days with her new family and has gone to see her parents. We are sad that bride's father has cancer on last stage. He is a wonderful man and I think god needs him more than his family.
Grand ma can not walk any longer but has been invited to go and stay with her brother's family for few weeks. She is very happy with her sister in law and her family.
Our Manager and family friend Pintu's wife has come to stay with us for her pregnancy and for a proper routine checkups with the gynecologist. We are happy that she trust us and wants us to help her carry her baby in a very comfortable and safe environment.
Ayush is doing very good in school and will have summer break from school from mid May for almost one and half month.
My friend Virendra's leg is recovering.
Mumy is doing very well.
It is very hot at the moment.
We are very thankful to all our family, friends and guests for making the wedding very memorable.