Teams of workers travel to India each year to work at the Organic Farm and Training Center and its new on-site clinic, as well as in the surrounding villages. These teams provide medical care, preventative health education, social work, and most importantly, encouragement to the BIRDS staff and to the Dalit people. These are the team's thoughts and photos.
Read previous postings below.
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U.S. BIRDS Team Postings
January 10, 2007, Wednesday, 8:00 pm
Last night, we had another People's Empowerment meeting in a nearby village. This one was not unlike the others in that we were met by a crowd, presented gorgeous, woven flower leis, and led with much pomp and circumstance through the village. This was a particularly long procession, weaving through sheep (goats) stopping every 50 yards or so and forming up around the three drummers to watch first one boy and then another dance. Every dozen or so steps were punctuated by what sounded a lot like M-80s. The villagers were amused at our startled reactions to the blasts. “Incoming” came to mind the first few times.
Different in this village was the space between us and the children. In other villages the children have rushed to be close to us and grab our hands - here they kept a polite distance. Also different was the fact that we walked through a populated area, then for quite a distance where there were no houses, until we reached a smaller gathering of dwellings. We were later told that we had been processed through the upper cast dwellings, something which would not have previously been permitted, then out to the distinctly separate Dalit ‘neighborhood.’
The People's Empowerment group president told us that this was the first time that foreigners had visited their village and also the first time that the Dalits had been permitted to parade as we did. This may explain some of the emphasis and time taken during the procession (we wondered if we hadn't been stopping at strategic points along the walk) as well as the more reserved reactions from the children.
At the conclusion of the meeting Marta, Baskar and I presented our Malaria/Mosquito net education and demonstration and then the whole team distributed nets to the villagers who had been identified as most needing them (families with children, elderly, pregnant women, and sick persons). You would have thought we were handing out something far more valuable; it was humbling.
After dinner, we drifted off to sleep listening to drumming in another nearby village. One of the BIRDS staff mentioned that tonight was some type of celebration. As the breeze would change direction and intensity it sounded like the drumming was getting closer, then farther away. It went on into the night and I remember drifting in and out, but still hearing the drumming.
This morning, the beginning of the last day at the compound, Mr. Paul spoke about future plans for BIRDS. After completion of the orphanage, which we will dedicate tomorrow, including furnishing with bunk beds and boxes*, Mr. Paul outlined the next priorities:
- Development of a vocational training program for the BIRDS hostel children to help develop work-transitional skills for their adult life. Mr. Paul envisions studios on the compound that would be equipped to teach terra cotta pottery making, looms to teach hand-weaving, sewing machines to teach tailoring, and computer workstations for developing computer skills.
- Fundraising for an AIDS home so that persons living with the disease would have a place to live out their lives in a community setting with healthcare and other services and where they would be accepted and cared for until end of life. A rough estimate for construction of the AIDS home with a dormitory, healthcare office, library and eating facility would be comparable to the youth hostile, $30,000 USD.
- Funding of a Micro Finance program specifically for women in the sex trade, $2-3,000 USD.
- Development of alternative energy resources on the compound; wind power and/or solar power.
- Construction of an old age home for elderly people whose families can no longer care for them in their villages.
* Bunk beds are simply mandatory for the youth hostel. Apparently a night watchman must patrol the indoor facilities for cobra that come in at night to keep them away from the children. Bunk beds would elevate the children enough to keep them safe. The bunk beds that will be purchased are also constructed to fit mosquito nets for each sleeper and have boxes in them for their clothes.
As I sit here contemplating the remaining cash that I have and where to contribute it, I realize that Mr. Paul and the BIRDS program makes it easy for me. Each and every program we've seen here or in the villages is incredibly cost-effective, carefully thought out in terms of need, sustainability and preserving the precious culture of this part of India, and respectfully delivered. I would not be at all surprised to hear of a Nobel Prize one day for Mr. Paul and his partners and hope that he will also mentor other communities in other places around the globe. Anyway, I know that whatever I leave behind will be put to great use. It's easy. It's mandatory.
When I committed to this trip I wasn't sure what it was going to be that I would take away from the experience. I expected to see some of the people and culture of India and the hard work of another life-saving NGO. But, as always, there has been so much more, such as:
- A U.S. team of absolutely incredible people who see the world as their family and the needy as all of our children. It gives me great hope for our own country.
- Indian people who work harder every day, all day, than we may in our lifetime.
- Living distilled down to the very basics of food, shelter, clothing, health and devoid of petty worries like which style to purchase or club to belong to.
- The power of being touched or allowed to touch when you are cast as untouchable.
- And perhaps most importantly, the power in each of us to do an overwhelming amount of good in the world.
My role has been secondary on this trip, mostly simple support when needed to other projects like sewing, reading, organizing, documenting, listening, learning, and teaching about Malaria, but with eyes and heart open, ready to share the opportunity to really make a difference with others when I get home.
For anyone reading this, I wish for you this opportunity to be a part of this work and to also take the lessons home to apply in our own communities. Come to India if you can. Learn about BIRDS, the people they serve and the work they do. Be a part of it. ~ Peggy
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Read previous postings below.
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January 9, 2007, Tuesday, 10:00 pm
Daily Observations: A rusted iron plate hangs from a wire on a tree next to the dirt road. A railroad spike fills the hole in the center of the plate. At 6am each morning, just as the sun begins to raise over the land, a lone figure strikes the spike on the iron plate, breaking the morning silence and waking the entire compound.
In the emerging light, voices begin to emerge from the darkness. As the sun’s light increases a rainbow of color fills the road, as ladies in their sarees begin their day.
As the day begun, a lady in a bright brown and orange saree collects our laundry, wraps it in towels and carries the burden to the field below. After washing she laid the clothes on tarps and bushes to dry. After dinner she returned with clothes neatly folded. “Sun said NO!” she proclaims as she handed damp jeans to one of our team. (His clothes did not dry completely in the afternoon sun). ~ Greg |
January 8, 2007, Monday, 8:00 pm
Believe it or not, blogging is fairly challenging. We see and do so much each day that evening dreaming of a recap is mind-boggling. This is an incredible country of colors and contrasts and I'm sure it would take a lifetime to even begin to discover it. Charlie, you were so right when you told me, "Jump on any chance to go to India." Each time I weighed other competing worries and priorities I heard your voice saying that and I am so glad I listened. George, too urged me to go and savor the trip. Thank you, both of you. Evan seemed to know too and repeatedly said, "go, go, go." As expected though, I've wished he was here at every turn to see, smell, taste, hear, touch and feel the things we have been exposed to.
A little catching up, Saturday a group of us went to visit the rock quarry/micro finance project. We were warned that it was going to be a long tough drive, very hot and bumpy. Actually, I thought it was fine, but I love any chance to see something more. We had a wonderful driver who carefully picked his path and made our ride as smooth as it could possibly be on rural roads. After the quarry visit we were treated to a cave adventure, and then home.
The quarry project is the one thing that really inspired my initial interest in coming on this trip. BIRDS granted a micro finance loan to a group of ten women to purchase rights to a section of quarry. We were told that they each earn about 1,000 rupies a week working at the quarry and that they generally work six days a week. Their profits amount to about 10,000 rupies a week collectively, and from that they must make a loan payment of about 200-250 rupies each. They agreed that their net profit would be 750-800 rupies or about $17-$18 US (apparently good wages here).
The women work with hammer and picks to shape (or encourage) the stone into slabs that are about 2x4'. The men, who work for them, operate a mechanical saw that makes larger cuts on the horizontal surface. Water, ponded in the lower spots of the quarry is pumped up to flush and cool the cutting. Once the slabs agree to their shape (it appears to be such a marriage of tap-tap-taping encouragement and whatever the stone has already decided), the men lift them. The blocks we observed were about 4" thick when first lifted. The men then perform a more delicate, but similar kind of tapping encouragement on the ends and sides of the now standing slab until it fractures into layers. Perfect layers, some only ½ to ¾ inch thick. The men, they told us, are the ones who load the heavy stacks of slabs into trucks, carrying them in a bent-over posture and laying flat over their head, neck and shoulders.
Liisa and I noticed small minnow-like fish in the ponds and wondered about the water source and whether the fish had been intentionally placed to control mosquitoes and other less desirable stagnant water things. One of the ponds, particularly clear looking, had women crouched next to it drinking by handfuls. First we were told that the water was from underground and that the fish were there. Seriously interested in the mosquito/malaria problem we pressed for a more confident answer and were told that the water came from rains and the fish were intentionally stocked to keep the water clean. We were both delighted and pleased, as it appears that someone is aware of the need to control the mosquito larvae.
I don't remember if I mentioned in an earlier BLOG that after Marta, Buscar and I did the mosquito net training, we had been told by the class that they appreciated knowing the background information I provided on malaria and the mosquito-vector; that they had not previously been aware of the seriousness of the issue. I think that surprised all of us. Marta and I hope to do some more training in the villages this week when we distribute more nets at "People's Empowerment" meetings.
This afternoon our group is scattered in all directions rushing to complete projects that remain: twin pit toilets at the clinic, Micro Finance meeting and training with women involved in the sex trade, finishing blankets for the children, removing debris from the floor of the orphanage so that the tile can be laid, some marketing for goods and supplies for the training facility, orphanage and clinic, inventory and sorting of the medical donations. We're all feeling like the time is (too) short and like we must hurry.
The Micro Finance projects are just amazing, as I've noted before. The one going on today involves sex workers and will provide them with an alternative way to support their families. In addition to the opportunity of a group loan, the women have been provided significant health education as well as access to nutritional supplements, healthcare and business mentoring. Paul's handling of this group is noteworthy, providing what he hopes will become a viable and desirable alternative to high-risk and high-cost work that they have been performing. They seem serious and eager and we did our best to acknowledge their courage and example to others.
Amazing people here doing work that is beyond meaningful and productive: Paul, his wife and whole family, Hima, Thomas, Buskar, Dr. Ram, Ashok & many more. They are truly an inspiration. Must close for now, too much to do and too little time. ~ Namaste, Peggy
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January 7, 2007, Sunday, 9:30 pm
We now have meaning behind the term 'India time'.
We were working on pit toilets, and needed the slate top stone moved. The stone's weight was
over 400 lbs. The only way to move it to where we needed it was by Ox cart.
The farm does not have a tractor, as it precludes opportunities for employment.
We thought we had made the apporiate arrengements but when it came time to mve the stone, there was a discussion between our Birds staffer, who was translating for us and the ox cart driver. After additional discussion our staff person said "we have to wait three hours before we can move the stone. When we inidicated we were ready and wanted to have it moved now, the answer came back, "the ox want to take grass now", they will be ready at 2:30.
Indeed, at 2:30, the ox cart driver put the harness around the animals and the move took about 15 minutes.
We are making significant progress on the toilets. When we dug the pits at the local school yard, the head master dismissed classes and 60 boys between 9 and 12 years old came out to help stack the rocks that line the walls of the pit.
Picutres are difficult to tansmit over this dial up connection. They will follow when we return to the states. ~ Greg
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January 6, 2007, Saturday, 11:30 am
If we only would have known. We try our best to identify needs from 8,000 miles away and many, many e-mail and phone calls. But, there are so MANY needs.
The toilets are going very well. Clinic pits are dug, lined and the top stone (approx 1 meter square) have been completed. They will now start on the ones at the school--bigger pits and seats (or holes per). After lunch we line them. Actually none of the women are allowed in the pits (they don't think we can get out). Greg did do some lining -- a great movie would be him crawling out.
NEW needs -- last night, after conversation with Joshua (the children's warden), we discovered that he sleeps or stays awake at night with the boy children because they sleep on the floor and snakes come in. Judy, I figure this one would give you nightmares. Anyway, they have had to kill more than one snake that decided to cozy up to the kids sleeping. Some nights Joshua stays awake to protect the children.
We need to get the kids off the floor and into beds. Plan is for a bunk bed set up in the new building. We thought -- okay how much can 50 beds be here? Well, anything that is metal is more expensive. They have priced at $120/per bunk bed. So we'll use any extra $ for that. But -- if there is any interest in immediate support -- here's where it will go. Please mention this at church!
Most of group is visiting Slate Quarry Micro Finance group and then a visit to the enormous caves. Although it is an all-day trip--I'm hopeful it will be special for them. Kevin, Carol, Marcia, Greg & I have stayed behind to do things here. ~ Marta
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January 5, 2007, Friday, 9:00 pm
Barb, Kevin, & Jason stayed on the farm today. Lots of good toilet digging, lining of the walls of the hole with stone, etc. Barb visited the Diocese School down the road where we will build the next toilet. This is where the BIRDS children attend school.
They have very good records on the orphans and we have started a spread sheet to contain all the info. I’ll be working on matching with sponsors in the next couple of days. Don’t worry Franci, you child will be specially chosen for you. They are all so lovely and bright little children. Very polite and appreciative. I understand many had never had a cup of milk. Here at the farm they get VERY good, rich, water buffalo milk daily. They are well taken care of. We’ll let you know more how we are supporting them later.
Today was a trip to Nandyal for shopping. For the kids we purchased 2 cricket bats (you need two for each game), balls, and what I think they were calling "stamps" (these are the tall wooden markers at each end), Incredible wood that the bats are made from for 80 R each (less than $2.00). Balls were 5R and the really good ones 25 R. We are such good shoppers.
The other major purchase was a cassette tape player/record—for the English Lab that Eleanor McClung from Portland has send funds for. The Lab will be at the Diocese School – this is where the BIRDS children attend.
Upon arriving home – we were met by Barbara saying she was on her was to the hostel to entertain 52 children ages 7-14. A few of us grab our "bag of trick" and hurried after her. Head, Knees & Toes song was very popular. Marta teaching "Candy Land" game to seven 7 year olds. Kevin helping put together a 300 piece puzzle – I think we need my mom there to help! Carol beginning the woven bracelet projects.
Days are getting longer & nights shorter – We all need to catch up some. Please keep our health in your prayers.
We do all miss our families – and thank you for caring for each other while we are away. You all have made this trip possible.
With love and peace, ~ Marta
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10:00 pm -
Today, Friday the 5th started with a shopping trip to Nandyal right after breakfast. We sat in a circle as sari after sari was tossed into the middle of us. Soon we were knee deep as well as overwhelmed and confused by all their beauty. It took forever for us to narrow our choices down. Going to the ready made store was a much shorter experience. Then off to the gold jewelry store mainly for ankle bracelets and toe rings, since wearing a toe ring on each foot is one indicator that you are married. We all ooed and awed over the gorgeous earrings as well.
Paul's wife Latta, and daughter Rinii were so helpful and patient with us. We also tried the patience of our guide Baskar, and two drivers Habeeb and Raju.
After acquiring spices to bring home so you can all feel our heat, our whole group was happy to head back to the farm. Getting back, it was closer to dinner than it was to lunch so we went without. A half hour later hopping into the car we told Baskar we were off to shop again. Poor guy! But we were actually off to an incredible Peoples Empowerment meeting.
The children were so inquisitive and dear. They held our hands throughout the meeting and after all the way to the cars. Saying goodbye was precious as they held our hands even tighter and gave them a kiss. Totally heart warming!!!
Each day is new and incredible. ~ Heather
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Twin Pit Toilet Progress Report
(hereafter to be known as the 'TP report')
I know that many of you have been waiting for an update on this project but just as almost all home improvement projects are predicated by 37 trips to the local home improvement store, we too have been battling some procurement issues. However, there is not Hopeless (excuse me, Home) Depot here. Some of the materials we had planned on using are simply not available. We have identified alternatives and are proceeding.
Perhaps you have gathered that there is much formality and ceremony over everything here from some of the other postings. This project has not been spared. Kevin suggested that "breaking wind" might be more appropriate than "breaking ground" but cooler heads prevailed and we had the formal ground breaking ceremony yesterday morning. Thankfully resourceful Reverend Barbara in her cassock was able to come up with the appropriate blessing.
Now on a serious note. The need for sanitary toilet facilities is high. The local school which children from the BIRDS orphanage attend has 140 girls and 190 boys in the high school (grades 6-10) and the only toileting facility currently available for these students is a urinal for the girls. The urinal is a walled 10'x12' area with a sandy floor and no drainage. We have also learned that in Nandyal the school does not have any restrooms either and this is common throughout the region. The biggest cause of death among children here is gastro-intestinal parasites which are spread through open defecation and urination.
We will be building two toilets on the BIRDS compound. One will be located near the clinic for use by the people who accompany patients to the clinic. This one will be built to completion for a model. The other one will be a demonstration build near the classrooms. We are also building toilets for the high school where the BIRDS orphanage children attend school.
~ Kevin and Liisa
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January 4, 2007, Thursday, 8:00 pm
Yesterday we had a number of Micro Finance project visits in Nandyal that were impressive Half of our group headed out to loan payment and loan disbursement meetings and the others made final arrangements to start the twin pit toilet projects. A most productive and inspiring day.
As far as the Micro Finance projects, again, many of the groups were involved in sari seconds or blanket-making and we had enough time to visit a few of their shops. Most of us managed to get away with purchasing a couple of saris, but the rush, tight spaces and crowd of onlookers prevented much in the way of real "retail therapy." We really do stand out, even while doing our best to dress somewhat like Indians and wearing our hair up, and we tend to attract growing numbers of people who seemed interested in our presence. Anyway, perhaps more important was that we were able to acknowledge the work of the women entrepreneurs, talk to them on a more personal level, and support their shops with a little buying.
We were invited to dine with the Bishop later in the evening and enjoyed a lovely meal and good conversation around issues and priorities for the people of Andreh Pradesh. I spoke a bit with Mr. Paul and the Bishop and was saddened to learned that the impact of the Sumatran tsunami had been devastating for this state as well, but that most of the resources had been directed to coastal villages. The winds and torrential rains were severely destructive to more inland areas as well. Both said that the resources were not enough to address the needs, even in the most damaged communities. Mr. Paul said that he had plans to go to some of the most devastated areas and, leaning toward me with an agonized look on his face said, "there are places where 30, 40, 60 bodies are simply buried in one common hole." It struck me as we have been doing mass fatality planning at home recently how our disaster response and recovery decisions can be lastingly painful – even prolonging the injury and delaying real recovery if we are not careful.
Another exhausted night – we simply fell into bed.
This morning, after a wonderful breakfast (to be blogged by Carol, I would think), we walked to the clinic to break ground on the first twin-pit toilets which will serve the clinic and also act as a demonstration project. Ceremony – prayers, speeches, gatherings and groundbreaking such as we might see with a new hospital.. and for something equally important in this place and time. We celebrated an outhouse and a future where they hope to see more outhouses at schools, at private properties, near churches. It put much in perspective.
Marcia and Jessica continued their community health worker training today and several of the rest of us joined in to help and then with our own topics. Marcia is blogging that, I think, however may not mention the admirable theatrical skills that Marta and I applied to their PPE presentation as mother and injured child. Marta and I, handily assisted by Kevin and Thomas, led a training about Malaria – specifically prevention strategies and then demonstrated erecting and using mosquito nets that were purchased by this project. Marta and I designed a large-scale but very life-like mosquito model who happened to have a red, felt-tipped nose that darted after the unsuspecting Kevin (and left most lovely red splotches on his feet, arms and face). They seemed to like the training and adult learning model applied (some humor) and said that they appreciated learning not just what to do but a little about the disease transmission, recognizing when someone may be sick with Malaria and who is most at risk.
I think we’re off again (little time to sit still) to another "People’s Empowerment" meeting where were told that we would be treated with tribal dance. Wish any of you reading this were here to see, smell, taste, hear and feel what we are experiencing.
~ Peggy
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Today we did emergency medical training with the Community Health Workers who were brought to the farm for two days of training. Jessica and myself prepared a schedule, which we learned to adjust as we went along. We started our training with introductions and found that of the 21 women, they all worked in large communities (400-3000 people) and checked on the members of their community on a very regular basis (often daily).
We asked them to share their accomplishments and some of those included: their entire community now brushes their teeth twice a day; they have convinced members of their community to receive immunizations for their children to help curb diseases; one has all the children washing their hands before they eat and another has scolded her community members who tried to drink water from a dirty source and motivated them to use the clean water available. They were all very eager to learn, very eager to share and what they accomplish is giving care to persons who would not have any care available.
We talked about airway, breathing and circulation and worked on infant cpr. We also taught them how to help a person when their infant, child or another adult is choking and encouraged them to go to their communities and teach this skill. (They had training on neonatal resuscitation just a month ago and will be each receiving a bag-valve mask – to try and minimize brain damage in infants) We have left with them training aids – an infant manikin and an enlarged mouth with teeth – so that they can continue to learn and continue to share in their community.
Peggy and Marta showed them the proper use of mosquito nets and they will be asked to identify members of their community that could use them. We gave them a medical kit bag – which contained a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope; receiving blanket; a few sets of gloves and a set of oral airways – in case they needed to help someone breathe. I don’t know that I have ever had a class of more eager students and as they thanked us at the end of the day, I couldn’t help but cry from having the opportunity to work with them. Today could not have been more uplifting and all of us we so pleased to be able to share our knowledge and skills with these amazing women.
I wish we had another day to train them but they have families and communities to return to and we have other work to accomplish.
~ Marcia
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January 3, 2007, Wednesday, 9:30 pm
It is in the mid 80's, very little humidity and we are all doing well.
We visited residents who have been given money from BIRDS for economic development. For some this was the day for loan repayment. We met with six different groups of women, who have initiated a variety of businesses with BIRDS help. Some of the reciepients reported earning enough to make their lives significantly better.
The last visit was to a site where the women had been in the loan program for several years. They have sufficient credit history with BIRDS that they qualified for loans to retool business processes.
Note I meantioned the loans were given to women. Yes, only women get loans. Many of the women have husbands working for them..... Men appear to have poorer financial histories and the women appear to manage the household.
Tommorrow one of the objectives of our trip will be addressed. We have contracted with the local BIRDS engineer to construct six toilet facilities. This is essential to control disease. The community health representatives will be at the BIRDS complex Wednesday and Thursday for a training session, and will be able to see the construction of the units and learn how to have additional units constructed in their own villages.
We have a design down that will allow these to be constructed for about $20.00 each. Their life span will be approximately 2 years depending on usage.
Each meals entrees are VERY familiar. We have learned when they share that the food is "HOT" it is for local people only. When they tell us the food is "a little hot" it is also for local people only...When they tell us "no hot" we are the happiest, although it is often interesting to eat.
We're absolutely fried, of course. You know how these trips are, you travel by plane, train and automobile for hours/days, then go like mad once you get where you're going. There is so much to see and so many who want time from the group. Again, very much like our other trips. Not much in the way of sleeping, there just hasn't been any time. Travel to visit projects, meet with villages, etc. then time once you get there evaporates in the heat, then we collapse into bed. No problem sleeping, I tell you.
Other adjustments are good, where we are staying feels safe and clean. I am bunking with Marcia and Jessica and they are good and always entertaining roommates. We sleep on VERY hard beds (you know its hard if I make that comment, I LOVE 'firm'), and then under mosquito nets, although the bugs haven't been bad at the farm thus far. We have little geckos that do good work for us apparently. ;)
Early morning and late evening are my absolute favorites. I can hear the music of Balafon as we look out over the landscape. The sun rises and sets a bright red/orange on the horizon and commingled with the thick haze of harvest dust tints the world a warm sienna. Early and late are also the commuter times for people and animals and are the most amazing images that I will remember. The women who are learning at the BIRDS compound get up early and move from the dormitory to the 'classrooms' (grass huts) and are a delight to see in all of their gorgeous bright colors. How do saris stay so bright here? Shepherds herd flocks of goats, sheep, and water buffalo down streets and are a challenging obstacle for any vehicular traffic. Women walk along roadways with huge baskets on their heads, presumable to work in the fields. Taxis race by crammed full of people front, back and even on top at times. I also like the quiet just before all of the commuting breaks loose.
The diet you would love, of course. Probably not great for my diet, but we eat what we are privileged to be given. There is lots of outstanding curry and spicy chicken. Yogurt with every meal pretty much saves you when the food is very spicy. Chai and coffee made steaming hot with water buffalo milk and sugar repeatedly throughout the day. It's tasty, but rich and I'm tempted to ask if I can just get black coffee one day.
We had a great little exchange with one of the gentlemen who serve us meals every day. Marta and I were receiving our food and were impressed that it appeared we were getting something that looked like pad Thai. She asked what it was called and he leaned forward to enunciate carefully for us, "oondahla." "Ooooon d lah", we both repeated. He shook his head. "Oood - lah" very slowly. She told me that we needed to swell up the back of our throats a bit more to get it right and we grimaced and tried to swell them up before repeating, "ooood aa lah?" He was frustrated, but smiling widely and kept on trying with us, bless his heart. Finally I said, "NOODLES!" He's saying "noodles", he nodded and we all broke out laughing. We're still getting our ears for the melodic Indian accent I guess.
Our bathroom includes a shower head and we have a 'Geezer' or hot water heater that functions often. My comment today after my shower was, "Geezer said yes." It's so hot and dusty here that showers feel pretty important, particularly for our feet.
The microfinance loans are extremely interesting and I'm excited to share some of the work that BIRDS is doing here. It is clear to me that this is a program that would be an outstanding international project for Rotary and Wellspring to investigate and consider supporting. Small groups of women are granted progressively larger loans to help them in a small business venture. Most of them are involved in things such as repairing and reselling used saris, blanket making, produce sales, water buffalo milk sales, some restaurant operations, etc. They literally support their entire families on their little business ventures. They're smart, tenacious and impressive.
One of the other projects underway is a sanitation one - well, a simple sanitation project. Kevin, Greg and Liisa are putting together plans to complete some "Twin Pit Pour Flush" (TPPF) toilets in a number of places including two demonstration sites at BIRDS, and four toilets at a local school. I've been reading a bit about it and have been astounded by the potential impact this simple thing can have for about $20.00 US a piece. "In India, as many as 50 diseases are caused by lack of proper sanitation, affecting over 80% of the population." There's a lot more about the particular model that is outstanding reading at:
www.islamonline.net/English/Science/2003/09/article14.shtml in an article by Lalitha Sridhar. I recommend it.
I must close for now. ~ Peggy
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January 2, 2007, Tuesday, 10:25 pm
I’m not a night person and I’ve drawn the “short straw” tonight and have been assigned blogging to you all about St Werbergh’s Hospital in Nandyal. St. Werbergh’s is the Church of South India, Diocese of Nandyal sponsored hospital that provides free medical care to the town of Nandyal, which is about 100,000 people.
Mr. Paul has been asked by the Diocese and the new Bishop P.J. Lawrence to serve as Correspondent for the Hospital. That could be comparable to being the chairman of the board. It’s a volunteer position but with many responsibilities and they knew that Paul could whip this dilapidated facility into shape in no time. Paul has already renovated the building that will do free eye surgeries, mostly cataracts.
Yesterday, what day was that, it’s all a blur…. We did three ceremonies at the hospital with the Bishop, to which I wore my new Cossack, of course!! Ground breaking ceremony for new fence around perimeter of hospital, Ground breaking for building at eye clinic for family of patients to get out of sun or rain, and dedication of the eye hospital. Later in our visit we’ve been asked to come back and observe some eye surgeries!! Why does this always happen to me? First invitations to watch leprosy surgeries in Delhi, now eye surgeries. I feel ill already!
We’ve had so many “official” functions already that I’m afraid the team thinks we only came to dedicate things and listen to political speeches in Telugu!! (And if you think sermons can be long and boring….try political speeches in a foreign language!) We will certainly be in the paper again tomorrow. Two pictures of the group in this morning’s local issue. (But that’s the story for Marcia, our “political analyst” to tell.)
Greetings to the whole Campbell crew, St. Markers, and all who are keeping us in your prayers.
~ The Reverand Mother Barbara,
(as Thomas now calls me in my Cossack!)
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Live from Nandyal –
I have become the political reporter for the group. If you knew me well, you would realize how out of place this is.
Today after we visited the Micro Finance projects, we arrived at Mr. Paul’s house. As he greeted us, he started with “Mine Friends – if you don’t mind, we have been asked to attend a meeting for a member of the parliament. It will only take ½ hour”. How could we turn down our dear friend Mr Paul, which he counted on.
So we arrived at the meeting, where they were giving out Micro Finance loans to the poor in the community. The money was being supplied by Silpa Mohan Re ddy, MLA, who had called Mr. Paul and asked if his friends could attend the meeting. An hour and a half later, after Reverand Mother Barbara congratulated the public on what they had accomplished and shared what we were doing at BIRDS during this trip.
We were asked to join Mr Silpa Mohan Reddy for tea but we declined – knowing that we may have other political engagements on our schedule. We have become a highly-sought commodity for the political community in Nandayl.
I will keep you posted with the latest updates live in Nandayl. ~ Marcia
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January 1, 2007, Monday, 9:10 p.m.
Here are updates from a few of us:
Sunday we spent some time getting oriented to our new environment at the "compound." Mr. Paul showed us around the campus and a couple of things are for some reason, particularly memorable to me: the brilliant colors of the saris worn by the community health workers here in training, the classrooms they study in, and watching a woman gather up a hen and chicks for the night. Another little tidbit I'll not soon forget is the delivery of my first batch of laundry.
The movements of the students on this campus are a delight. In groups they walk to and from their thatched hut classrooms, often carrying rolled mats under their arms. Most of the women are approximately the same height, have beautiful, long, dark braids hanging down the middle of their backs, and are generally the same size and stature. What varies is the vivid rainbow of colors that they are draped in. Some saris have two colors to them, depending upon the way the light hits them but all are magnificently bright unlike anything we see at home. I remarked to Marcia, "I don't think I've seen two alike," and after our New Year's celebration, we saw a lot of saris!
The other thing that will stay in my memory and somehow tickled a soft spot in my heart was watching a woman gather together a hen and chicks on the farm. It was getting late and the sun was going down, no doubt time for bed for the chickens. She picked up a large basket and slowly turned it over, keeping it slightly tilted and hovering over the ground. The hen darted in first along with a few of her chicks. She set the basket down on the ground on one side and gently tilted it to allow the remaining half dozen chicks to slip inside. Her patience was amazing there was no apparent attempt to hurry any of them. Each time one would decide to run in two more would scoot out. It was very sweet to watch. Once they were at last all inside, she rested the basket entirely on the ground, draped a blanket over it, then placed a large rock on top. As we walked by you could just hear the soft "peeping" inside.
Laundry (dohbi) came in the afternoon. The gentleman who was kind enough to bring it set it on my chair then proceeded to hold up and show me my socks. (Just beneath them was my underwear, and I was holding my breath hoping he wouldn't hold them up next to discuss them.) He laid my socks, one at a time, over the back of the chair and struggled to tell me what he wanted me to know. We played a few word games, then sweetly exasperated he let out a sigh and said, "The sun said 'no'."
Oh, I got it. My socks weren't quite dry yet. Thank heaven he wasn't going to have to go through the rest of my clothes! ~ Peggy
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"Happy New Year" we say. "And same to you" is their response.
12/31 was one VERY busy day.
After one very busy day, which will be explained later, we went to a New Year's Watch Service at 11:15 p.m. at the big Church of South India cathedral. This was in Nandyal (where Paul's family lives).
The cathedral staff had a hassock, surplice, stole, and sash for "The Reverend Barbara", because she was asked to serve communion at midnight.
The service began at 11:45 p.m. with the installation of the new Vicar of the Cathedral. Do any of you know just how long Vicar installing can take?
My appreciations to Sharon & Glenn and general Presbyterianism in US.
Three & one-half hours later we were leaving.
Here is why I think All Telegu hymns are at least 10 verses long. If they are shorter (say 5 verses), they are repeated at least 3 times.
Secondly, communion was served to about 2,000 wonderful Dalit people and some very sleepy, overwhelmed Oregonians.
Communion alone took an hour. Again, I am reminded how we are all one big family of God. When we can kneel at the same alter with sisters & brothers in Christ, and be served from Barb as well as the other Priests, there is no difference. And yes we can, and should touch the untouchables, by kneeling at the same alter and drinking from the same Communion Cup.
Love and peace to all (especially, mom, Nate & Judy, etc) ~ Martahka
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On December 31, 2006, while on our overnight trip to Nandyal, we attended a political rally. This rally is held annually by the government, to make political speeches and promises the people what they will do for them. This event started around 4:30 pm and when we arrived, we were escorted to the front row of the rally, where we sat with other "important" people. (Several of us are having trouble dealing with the "celebrity status" that we are receiving.) The poor people were seated behind us in an area separated with a fence.
Speeches were given, school children and young girls performed traditional dances, and cameras were constantly in our faces recording the Americans that were attending the rally. Barbara Campbell was called to the stage to sit amongst the dignitaries and then also gave clothing to a "token few" who were called to the stage. We will all share our perceptions of law enforcement's presence at the rally, once we are home.
As the rally came to a close, the poor people crowded the fencing and bales of sarees were carried to the rear of the area where we sat. We had to leave quickly as we hurried over to see Paul's daughter perform as the Virgin Mary in her school program. It was a great reenactment of the birth of Jesus Christ. -Marcia |
December 31, 2006, 12:20 pm
We are enjoying absolutely fabulous accomodations, great food, the gracious hospitality of Mr. Paul and his staff and all an all around warm welcome here at the BIRDS compound.
Mr. Paul began our day yesterday, Saturday, with a fascinating history of caste and the socio-economic issues here in India and the history of BIRDS from its inception in 1991. BIRDS has experienced significant growth since that time. It began by working with 10 villages and that reach has extended to 600 villages today.
Tangible evidence of this growth is all around us. the BIRDs compound began with the 15 acre farm that was purchased in 2000 and has now grow to 50 acres. The farm offers a place to teach and practice the sustainable agriculture skills that BIRDS promotes in addition to educational facilities, a hospital and lodging. The original buildings that the 2004 team stayed in have been repurposed. The old kitchen is now the chicken's nest room or coupe (not the chicken rest room as some in our group thought they heard.) In addition to all the new lodging the hospital which began as a dream in 2004 has now served over 6000 patients with 50 cataract surgeries having been performed in the OR and 7 babies deliverd. The orphanage construction which began in the fall of 2006 is nearing completion and we will be here for the dedication on January 10th. We toured the construction site and there is a lot of work to be completed. One of the next needs that has been identified is bunks and storage units for the kids that will soon be living there. We also saw several of the water harvesting techniques that are being taught in practice. (More nerdy detail about that later.)
We also spent time planning out how we could spend our time while we are here. BIRDS has so many different projects under way, there is so much to see. We will write more about these things as we visit them.
Mr. Paul has a vision of long term sustainablity for the community that we have all embraced. One of the most valuable things that we are doign is that simply by our presence here we acknowledge and encourage the people we meet and provide HOPE.
Today we are traveling to Nandyal where we will attend the New Years Eve midnight service. Tomorrow we will tour the mission hospital there and on our way back to the compound do some site seeing.
 Happy New Year!  |
December 30, 2006, 2:45 pm
After a mere 48 hours enroute we arrived last night at our final destination, the BIRDS compound, to an enthusiastic welcome from the residents which included a band, dancing, flower garlands and even fireworks. Just before we reached our destination, some in our party commented that this must be as far as we can get from Oregon and still be on the earth.
We are close to that place. A GPS reading this morning indicates that we are at 15º03.313N 78º35.578E, or about 8,097 miles from Albany, Oregon as the bird flies. Not that we think any bird would fly this way because this route is basically over the North Pole.
Mr. Paul met us at the Hyderabad airport with a crew from BIRDS. We flew through customs, not a single bag had to be opened. (We think Mr. Paul had something to do with this.) After a brief rest in a hotel in Hyderabad we shopped for clothing and at an outdoor bazaar before hitting the road. The ride to Nandyal was long and interesting. Before we made the final push to the compound we stopped at Mr. Paul's home in Nandyal. His wife, Lata, and their family hosted a lovely meal for us.
After the drive yesterday it has become abundantly clear to us that we do not fully utilize our roads in the US. The main road here has two designated lanes of travel, one in each direction but this is only theoretical. It can be somewhat disconcerting to see three vehicles abreast traveling on this same road, particularly when they are coming towards you. In addition to vehicles, the road is shared with motor scooters, bicycles, ox carts and pedestrians. We are blessed with skilled and experienced drivers.
There are so many things we have to be grateful for that our trip is helping to bring into perspective. Toilet paper is fairly high on that list. You will have to ask us about our toileting experiences when we return.
Facts:
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Stay tuned for more news from the field. |
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