Hello Readers!!! We have officially completed our 3rd week at the Sehgal Foundation where we are working to implements toilets in the villages and teach good sanitation and hygiene practices. This week brought new stories and hard work but we are excited to see what comes next. From working on IEC material to microplanning in the different villages, here are the reflections and stories from all the interns. I hope you enjoys 🙂

 

Tommy

This week we took on our microplanning to two other villages. We split into two groups and worked with our respective field workers to create a map of the two villages. It was really great to be able to work more closely with the field workers and hear their stories. I was especially interested in hearing about their work because they work directly with the locals in implementing government schemes. They are the vital in making this grass roots movement effective and sustainable. I definitely found a new found respect for how much they know and what they do. We also got to spend some time with them talking about (via translator) their home lives and showing them some pictures of our respective homes and adventures. It was great to be able to share common ground with people who have lead such different lives and come from such different backgrounds.

 

 

 

Natalia

India is full of great memories already. For starters, field work has truly been an enriching experience. The way Sehgal works with villages is both admirable and necessary. In order for community development to move forward, partnerships need to build enough rapport to establish and maintain trust. Sehgal puts in the time to build trust to create positive change, even though there is always room for improvement, the work they have done is still worthy of recognition. As we move into the next week we are finalizing our micro plans and project campaign material. Stay tuned!

 

 

Veronica Adorisio

By now we are knee deep in our project. We have completed our second microplan of the other villages, Baroji and Gehbar. The village women went above and beyond during the microplanning activities in making sure all the houses were surveyed and that all the information was gathered. We have encountered some resistance from the men in the village, but it is nothing but a small disruption to the women who continue on with the planned activities. We’ve been busy in the office creating IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material such as fliers, wall paintings, songs and booklets that will be used to increase awareness in the villages about the Swachh Bharat mission, basic sanitation, and the benefits of toilets. Next week is going to be focused on distributing these materials around the village. Also, now that we have identified the amount of toilets needed in each village by conducting the microplans, we can begin planning the construction of toilets in the villages and schools. The project has been sailing smoothly thanks to our amazingly helpful and knowledgeable supervisors here at the Sehgal Foundation. Apart from our work, we have been having a great time exploring India and immersing ourselves in the rich culture that surrounds us. We even had a Sari night, where us ladies dressed up in our traditional Indian Sari’s and the guys wore traditional Indian men’s wear. Namaste!

Estefania

My favorite part of this week was microplanning in the village of Gehbar. Since I had microplanned last week for the Bahjeda village with the rest of the group, this time was much easier for everyone. Personally, this village is one of my favorites because it is surrounded by mountains and pastures which I’m very fond of. Once again I had the privilege of meeting many village families that were cooperative and excited to help us with our job. The field worker of the Sehgal Foundation, Noman, was also helpful and patient. He corrected us politely when ever we needed it. I’m so glad I’m getting the hang of this and I’m really excited for next week when we can visit the villages again!

 

 

Madison

There’s nothing like seeing a poisonous DINOSAUR (well maybe it was a giant lizard but still) that jumps on your face, bites you, and then you die within 5 minutes crawl our of the bushes and scamper off as you calming walk through through a village microplanning. As we were, at first, just calmly trying to take pictures of the reptile, one of the women warned us that the lizard was poisonous. This was just one of the reasons it is such a great experience working with the different women of these communities since they can teach us not only about creatures that roam around but also the workings of the community. Without their help this whole experience would be much harder and more complicated as we learn about the community but, instead we get first hand knowledge and experience. With their help, the amazing field workers, and our excellent supervisors we have officially completed the microplanning for the project. This is a great milestone as we come closer to implementation of the toilets. As the forth week begins we will continue to work on mapping out the communities, planning for our community meeting, and the workshop we are putting on with the kids at the schools in the villages. This will be an excellent opportunity to really share good hygiene and sanitation practices with the children and also inform the community of the next step of the project. I am excited to see what lies ahead.

 

 

Thank you everyone for reading! Let the 4th week of the India Project begin!