But how did we really find it? Well, with the help of excerpts from my diary and the blog entries, I’ll try to tell you….
11th February 2008, on a train somewhere between Delhi and Barmer: “… I’m on the bottom bunk of a sleeping car 3rd class air-conditioned on an overnight train from Delhi to Barmer (and I dread to think what 5th class is like)! …It’s just taken us about an hour to unhook all the bunks and get the beds made up!!! … Now I’ve been here a day or so, what are my impressions? Well, the people are friendly. It’s a country of huge diversity – we’ve seen slum areas and really quite palatial areas. They seem to drive like maniacs… It’s noisy, dusty and quite crowded…”
12th February 2008, Barmer: “What an adventure we’ve had today! … it was about 12.45 when we finally got to Barmer, having travelled through some amazing landscapes – desert, with sand dunes, and mountains in the background. Because of Barmer’s proximity to the Pakistan border and the line of control between India and Pakistan we had to register with the relevant authorities, before being able to do anything else…” [this was the first of many visits to police stations to get permission to travel in ‘sensitive’ areas!]
“Later on today we met with staff from SURE (Society to Uplift Rural Economy)… Christian Aid funds SURE’s Dalit and Women’s Empowerment projects and we heard stories of how people from SURE had gradually built up relationships with people in the rural areas of this part of Rajasthan, helping to raise their awareness of their rights, providing training and loans for employment opportunities and encouraging attendance at school, especially for girls”
13/2/08, Barmer: “What an amazing day!” We drove out into the desert to visit 3 different villages that SURE works with. They were incredibly remote, isolated communities, very near the border with Pakistan. SURE started working with these communities 3 years ago. “One of the many changes SURE has seen is with the women – before they wouldn’t leave their houses and they covered their heads and faces. Now, the women are the village activists! They sit as equals with the men, with faces uncovered and confidence sky high!
What was amazing to hear from the people we spoke to was that they themselves have brought about changes, not SURE. This is what empowerment looks like….”
14/2/08, Barmer: “Today we visited 3 villages who had benefited from the SEEDS shelter relief scheme after a huge area of the desert flooded… We heard about the fear and loss as a result of the disaster, as well as the pride rebuilt alongside their new homes and the empowerment that has come from their contact with the NGOs… What did come across loud and clear was the delicate nature of development. We all know that hand outs give very limited results, but today we saw just how important it is for communities to own their futures as well as the responsibility of those who have the resources to share them. SEEDS work with communities to design and build their own shelters, train for the building of more permanent homes and give them the confidence to speak to officials about their rights”
15/2/08 & 16/2/08, New Delhi: “Today we visited AFD (Association for Development), a Christian Aid partner in Delhi, who provide counselling, legal support, allowances and education support to child victims of sexual abuse and crime”
We spent both 15 and 16 February with AFD – meeting children they had worked with and helped and visiting Trilokpuri resettlement colony (slum) to see the work they were doing in that community. Space doesn’t permit me telling any of the stories here, but AFD are doing some fantastic work with people who are living in some very difficult conditions. One amazing aspect of AFD is that they work in conjunction with the police – their office is in a police station, and when any cases of sexual or child abuse are reported, the police offer for AFD to become involved with the family, supporting them through all the legal processes and providing financial and emotional support.
17/2/08, Agra: Today we went to the Taj Mahal…It’s an absolutely amazing structure – and is huge. It seems really incongruous with what we’ve seen last week – such wealth and showing it on such a grand scale…
18/2/08 Agra: We met with the Bishop of Agra, Samuel Cutting today. The Bishop is on the board of Christian Aid’s partner, CNI-SBSS. He told us: “no matter how poor we are, we should still be concerned with the needs of others”…. Throughout our meeting the Bishop’s heart for this kind of work shone through, and he shared his hope that the Church of North India might become renewed for effective empowerment for mission because “People say charity begins at home and I say ‘yes’ but it doesn’t end at home”…
19/2/08 Agra: We headed out to see a community 1 hour’s drive from Agra, where CNI-SBSS has been working for the last 6 hears …Again we heard incredible stories of the changes that these people had brought about themselves once they became aware of their rights and what government help they were entitled to….A huge challenge for this community has been a government ban on snake charming – this had previously been their livelihood, and the main earner for the community, and they are struggling to find alternative means of income. We were treated to a performance of traditional pipe music by a snake charmer-turned-local politician!”
20/2/08 Kanpur: “Today we visited Sakhi Kendra, a women’s rights organisation which provides training in various trades, counselling for victims of domestic violence and rape, legal advice and support, and campaigns for the rights due to women, against some of the policies of the government and against certain crimes that have been committed. There is also a shelter and an emergency helpline for women in immediate need”.
[Again space doesn’t permit me telling all of the stories of the people we met, but suffice to say that we heard horrific tales of abuse and torture following arranged marriages, or because women committed the ‘mistake’ of giving birth to daughters instead of sons…]
23/2/08, New Delhi
“It’s been a hectic and emotional 2 weeks. We’ve seen some fantastic projects, and we’ve shared such a lot together, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve danced, we’ve prayed… Now it’s time to return to our respective homes, families and offices, and to try to begin to explain our experiences to Christian Aid supporters throughout the UK. One thing I’m in no doubt about is that we’re all returning home different in some way because of the experiences we’ve had in India – at the moment my head is so full with everything I’ve seen that I couldn’t begin to put it all into words, but maybe in a week or so’s time we’ll reflect on these differences….”
9/3/08, Haxby
Well, I’ve been back 2 weeks. During that time I’ve been through a range of emotions. One thing I felt was guilt that I had the luxury of being able to come away from some of those situations I’d seen, whereas the people actually living in those situations have no option but to remain in them. I also felt overwhelmed at the scale of the poverty I saw, and the issues of caste and class in India, and wondered about the timeframe for making any large inroads into the enormous poverty-related issues faced by such a large proportion of the population. However, I’ve also felt, and continue to feel, hopeful – lives are being changed, people are being empowered and given the tools to bring about change in their own lives and situations, justice is being brought about… And I thank God that there are dedicated people like the Christian Aid India team, and Latta, Raj, Kesar, Nikhil, Deepak and Neelam, willing to keep on working tirelessly to bring about a difference to the lives of individuals and communities, and I pray that these differences might bring about change not only in the lives of others, but also in the deep-rooted systems of India (caste, class and gender).
Space hasn’t allowed me to tell many of the stories of the people I met. If you’d like to know more about our trip, look at our blog: www.nightingalesangatwcc.typepad.com/passagetoindia or have a word with me – I’d love to share the stories with you.
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