Hello readers!! 🙂 We have completed our first work week at the Sehgal foundation and it’s been an adventure! We’ve met so many people and experienced many new things. We created questionnaires and traveled to three villages this week to begin the project. It’s definitely been a life changing experiencing thus far! Below is some stories and pictures from the India UF-UTK project interns!

India’s street symphony fills the air every hour of the day. Getting from Sehgal to the nearest market is a journey as our rickshaws navigate through busy streets, motorcycles, pedestrians, dogs, cars, cows, you name it. If you aren’t quick on the streets chances are you won’t get anywhere. Yesterday we visited a village and along the way we observed the drastic transition between inner, outer city, rural, and village development. When we arrived, people in the village showed interest and seemed engaged in group discussions for the most part. However, the language barrier limits our interaction with the community leaders and members which is unfortunate since building strong rapport determines the level of trust given to us. Overall, we are doing well in adjusting to the different lifestyle and are learning more about social structures and norms within the community we work with and India as a whole.

What a week. Every day here is really two days’ worth. The Sehgal foundation campus is extraordinary. Honestly, we are spoiled here on the campus; every delicious meal prepared, air conditioned fully furnished rooms, everyone going out of their way to help us in any way we need from catching rickshaws to bargaining at market. It kind of made me uncomfortable being in such a luxurious building when I know that on the other side of the wall, the poverty lingers the streets. From the top of the building you can see the stark difference between two sides of the wall. It’s always an eye-opening experience to leave your comfort and familiarities to go to a far-away place with a different culture and lifestyle. We got the ball rolling on our project right away. Our project is “Promoting Swachh Bharat Mission” through women village councils in Mewat, Haryana. We will specifically be working in two villages, Bhajeda and Baroji. This first week we focused on understanding the villages’ needs, identifying the main objectives of our project, and formulating the project metrics. We spent hours learning about the different forms of governance and groups in the villages (Panchayats, VHSNC, SMC, blocks, …) and researching previous projects similar to ours done in other villages. I would say that this week’s field visits to the villages have been very critical in clearing my understanding of the villages and to understand better about who we were working with. To give you an idea of our working condition in the village: we are covered from head to ankles in traditional Indian clothing, profusely sweating, conducting interviews via translators, and constantly being stared at by everyone in the village. I was surprised about how receptive the people of the village were to us (as Americans) and towards the Swachh Bharat mission. We conducted interviews and found out that most people knew about the project, agreed with the mission, wanted it to be implemented everywhere, and wanted to learn more than just basic sanitation. Some people did know more than others, but in general, everyone we talked to was engaged and interested. We also discovered a certain degree of lack of awareness of

resources and we noticed some misinformation and corruption in the school’s allocation of funds. I’d say we’re off to a good start but have plenty of things to improve for future village visits and plenty more to learn in order to make this project as successful and sustainable as possible

After a week in India I’ve learned that six people should not squeeze into one rickshaw, incessant honking is a necessity for road survival, and that Apple juice is a rarity. My arsenal for Hindi communication includes three phrases, one of them being “I don’t speak Hindi.” I’ve also officially been a vegetarian for four days now, excluding the day where Ram (our beloved cook), took pity on us and made chicken. Amongst all the confusion and unfamiliarity, I’ve found myself learning more and more everyday. There is no better way to learn about a culture than to just dive in head first; exploring new depths with every interaction. The Sehgal Foundation has created and fostered an incredible work environment and atmosphere in which I know I have found inspiration and stimulation for both my professional and personal aspirations. As contrived and typical as a 8-5 work day sounds, it has been anything but that. The work and research we have been able to do these past few days has been more meaningful and impactful than much else I’ve studied. As we venture deeper into our project I can start to see the road we’re paving and I can only hope that it will be a pathway for betterment and equality for the people in these rural villages. It would be naive to think that in the 6 weeks we’re here that much will significantly change, but I’m undoubtedly certain that the knowledge we take away from this project with change us significantly. And hopefully with that gained experience we will be able to promote change in the future. I couldn’t really ask for a better first week here, I’ve encountered an influx of knowledge, insight, and passion surrounded by countless adventures waiting to be made, one of them being the search for Apple Juice.

This weekend was definitely an experience and I loved every minute of it! Tommy and I arrived in India at 3am on Sunday morning and this is where the Indian adventure began. Whether I nervously waiting for Tommy during his interrogation at customs or searching for our fellow interns with no phone and no wifi we knew the adventure at just begun. We were so happy when the Sehgal Foundation employee, Arjun, found us and even more ecstatic when we drove up to the certified green Sehgal building. This building is amazing and the caretaker Ram is even more amazing as he kindly shows us around this unique structure. We spent the rest of the day going on our first rickshaw ride to the near by market then going to sleep early to prepare for our first day in the office. We were in the office for a few days in preparation for the village visits to help promote the “Swachh Bharat Clean India Mission”. The first step was creating a questionnaire to ask the different council members that are apart of the different villages we will be traveling to in the Nuh district. After this questionnaire was prepared we continued to do our research about different sanitation measures and the Clean India Mission before heading out to the field on Wednesday and Friday. Going to these villages were truly enlightening and this is just the beginning. The women in the community welcomed us and wanted to answer all the questions we had. They wanted this change as much as we did. One of my favorite parts was seeing the different children in the community and in the school. I would smile at the children and they would smile back and runaway. They were all so curious of the foreigners in their village but also shy. I got excited to continue to work with the children on sanitation and hygiene practices in the community as one of our missions is to build toilets for both boys and girls in the community. This is just the beginning and I am so ecstatic to see where this adventure takes us all. India and the Sehgal foundation is truly a colorful world.