“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi
I’ve spent the past two years travelling around Asia and
Australia and I’ve witnessed things that have made me feel humbled, lost,
elated and frustrated (and sometimes all of the above). For the first time, I
really saw social inequality between
men and women and for the first time in my life I’m going to do something about
it.
The NGO I will be volunteering with is Sambhali Trust. It's a UN recognised organisation in Jodhpur that works with women and girls from the Dalit community, or the 'untouchables' as they are considered unworthy of inclusion in the caste system.
I’ve secured myself a role at a women’s empowerment centre in
India and I’m leaving my quiet little life in the U.K. to work in the dusty and
manic city of Jodhpur. As usual, before any big trip, my mind is running wild
with questions and ideas in anticipation for what’s coming my way, so I thought
I’d make a short list of what I’m hoping to give and gain from this experience.
Eventually, I’d like to be part of an organisation that supports womens' and girls’ rights, with a particular focus on education and safety. No girl
should feel scared to go to the bathroom, walk down the street or learn at
school, but sadly that is the case all over the world, even here in the U.K.
So, what am I
expecting?
To learn a lot.
About Indian culture, how charities work and about myself.
I
hope to learn about the colourful, warm culture in India, a country that I’ve
never visited but which has been ever-present in my upbringing, thanks to my
absolutely-bonkers-but-fantastic stepdad who spent a large chunk of his life
there. If I can travel just a smidge like him, I’ll be one happy gal.
This
is a completely selfish one. I’d like to learn whether
working in the charity sector is actually for me or not. Ever since the
thought of working for an NGO popped into my head, I’ve been dreaming about it
and haven’t been able to shake it, so it’s time for me to figure that out.
I’d
also love to learn some Hindi, as language is the simplest and best way to
connect with the locals, which opens up so many opportunities and generally
enhances your whole experience in a country.
To be welcomed into
the team.
Word on the street is that Indians are renowned for their
friendliness and their warm hearts … I wonder if they’ll have anything on the
Indonesian’s welcomes.
There’s going to be about 20 other volunteers there by the
time I arrive. We’ll be living in the guesthouse, which Google’s given me a
tour of. It looks like something out of The Grand Marigold Hotel, with
colourful walls, high ceilings and a communal area where we all eat together.
I’ve already been invited to the founder’s cousin’s
wedding and I haven’t even arrived yet so I think I’ve already answered this
one!
To feel frustrated
Unfortunately, frustrations come hand in hand with travel, they’re
sort of best mates they just don’t know it yet.
Knowing that I can’t stay forever (no matter how much I
might want to!) is also going to be frustrating as I can imagine that there’s a
lot of chopping and changing with volunteers. This can’t help with consistency
for the students but it’s the only way an NGO like this can afford to be run.
The biggest frustration for me is going to be if I can’t
make a real difference in the time
that I’m there. From the research that I’ve done I’m sure it’s not going to be
that easy as there’s a lot of red tape that comes with charity work. Even if I
only make a small impact on their lives, or if I can teach them some useful skills, I’ll feel as though I’ve made positive steps
towards change for these women and girls.
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