Category Archives: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Participant Observation

Posted on by
Reply

We have been in Auroville for almost two weeks, have chosen our organizations, and are preparing to begin work after the New Year. Through our readings (Participant Observation by Danny L Jorgensen and Participant-observation by Eric Laurier) and discussions we have learned about Participant Observation as a method in becoming involved in the community around us. The interaction with the local community is what has drawn most of us here. Observation and participation is something that it comes naturally to everyone since, at a simplified level, it means watching and mimicking. The challenge is to notice the nuances that happen in everyday interactions and be able to take a step back at the end and look at the big picture.

I was first attracted to India more than ten years ago through a book that many students in our AUP-Linnaeus group have read, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I was excited to arrive in India and I have to admit when we first arrived I tried to take pictures of everything. It is easy to get sensory overload in India with all the noise, the fast pace, and the chatter in a language you do not understand. According to our readings this is being a “tourist.” So how do you take regular tourist or researcher observation and turn it into participant observation? Daily, I found myself taking less pictures, taking more notes, and keeping my head on a swivel to try to pick up some cultural specifics of our Tamil counterparts. I began by learning some Tamil: Vanakkam! (“welcome” or “hello”); Nandri! (“thank you”); Iillai (“no”). Then I picked up some gestures—saying yes with a head bob. These simple things seem to open the door a little bit for us into the Tamil culture.

I am looking forward to begin work. Our group of students will participate in a number of different organizations that work with Tamil people and Aurovillians. The first step has been to introduce ourselves to our organization managers and listen to their specific needs. We have a lot of work ahead of us to produce photos, write content for websites, create logos, grant writing, interviews to conduct, and videos to edit. Over the next two weeks our experience of India will change through our hands-on work.

In the article “Sustainable Development” by Edward Carr (Encyclopedia of Environment and Society, 2007) it is said that sustainable development is the linkage between issues in environmental, social, economic, and political concerns. We have observed firsthand how these issues often inter-work in this community and in our work we hope to participate in the steps towards developing sustainable solutions.

By Karin Johnson

The Day After the End of the World

Posted on by
Reply

By Karin Johnson

Today was the day after the End of the World.

The morning started out with another early morning music festival and dog barking, although most of us slept right through it, but today was going to be special. At the Tibetan Pavilion a marriage started at 7am with chanting monks and we soon shot off to the Vodaphone kiosk on the corner to buy a few liters of bright orange petrol. One scooter wipe out later the group was back on the road (via bus) to visit project sites.

First, we were introduced to WELL (Women Empowered by Local Livelihood) which is an organization that trains women to make paper products with the goal of owning and running their own business. Then we were bussed down and across the highway to the Auroville Institute of Technology and the Village Action Group. This was an education based center where they taught both women and men important skills for inside the village community and outside in the workforce. Lastly, we visited a children’s home called SALT (Social Awareness for Liberation Trust) where we learned that for 9 years the manager had been struggling to put, on average, 25 boys through school, but only had an operating cost of less than 400 Euros a month. We left wanting to participate in all of the organizations.

We headed back to AV (Auroville) to do some shopping since many of us had packed so lightly that by day three we were running out of clothing. A short trip down the “tar road” reaped a bounty of brightly colored parachute pants and tunic tops so we decided to continue up to the Youth Center for the Christmas Fair.

However, our plans were foiled. One scooter wouldn’t turn off because the key was so loose, it fell out while cruising around AV and was nowhere to be found. Then another collision, this time with the village people– Yes, an impact with a bundle of sticks sent one of our riders in a total wipe out around a bend in the road. Thankfully the entire village came out to see the spectacle of young AUP girls running over old, Indian women. All this made us decide against going to the Fair and settle for early dinner instead.

Dear readers please let me remind you this is only Day Three and the fun has just begun. We are more energized than ever to get involved. Hey, if we can scrape ourselves off the tar road time and again, we are ready to take on our Practicum projects head-on… all that is needed is a little rest.

Our Last Day in India

Posted on by
4

By Madeline Boughton

January 14, 2012…
After a night of celebration with dinner, drinks, gift-giving to our mentors, and swimming in the restaurant pool, we all slept soundly that night.

Saturday arrived, our last day in India. Bright and early we made our way to the dining hall in the Tibetan Pavillion. Our hostess Kalsang (and company) prepared our breakfast of bread and jams, fresh fruit, oatmeal, and tea & coffee. Around the breakfast tables the consensus was people going shopping in Pondicherry for last minute gifts and souvenirs or to the beach for some last minute sun, sand and surf. (A few people had to go into their NGO’s to drop things off and say proper goodbyes.)

Everyone was happy with their last day spent around the beach, Kulu Payam, Pondicherry, and Auroville. The evening wore on and people ventured out for some food before we had to load up the “bus” at 9:30pm. Some went to a restaurant called Paris, some went to Tanto’s and others went to the ever faithful, Visitor’s Center. Many of us spent our last rupee on those meals. We were sure to leave a nice tip for those poor waiters at the Visitor’s Center :)

The pavilions had rush and adrenaline in the air. A few of us decided to create a donation bag for the Social Awareness for Liberation Trust (SALT) Children’s Home. This home is essentially an orphanage and was severely affected by the cyclone. People came by and put toiletries in the bags, a few clothing items and flip flops, first aid products, and headlamps and flashlights. It wasn’t much or very fancy, but we were positive that it would be of greater use to them than it would be to us in Paris, especially since the home was still without electricity.

True to form at the Tibetan Pavilion, we also lost power (again) when everyone needed it, while packing! Thankfully we still had some candles. People continued to pack and pray that their suitcases would not be overweight.  As we brought our suitcases down to the front of the building, everyone was saying goodbyes to Sacha, Luke and Kalsang. There were also a couple of us that were left behind (of their own volition). Kalsang said she will never forget the night of the cyclone and the night after where we shared a soup for dinner because we had virtually no food and only a stone-aged method of cooking.

We all huddled up into a big circle with our arms around one another’s shoulders and began to sway. Some started getting a little emotional. I thought to myself, “Finally!” I had been waiting the whole trip for us to bond like this and sing Kumbaya! I began singing it. We didn’t make it through the whole song but it was sort of like a gigantic, 25 person group hug and we ended on that note.

As the bus drove away we waved goodbye. Some of us waved goodbye forever, some for many years, and some will return next year. Each person took away something different from this adventure. But we can all agree that it was a “Once in a lifetime experience.” Image

NGOs Galore!

Posted on by
Reply

By Madeline Boughton

The aim of this NGO Practicum is for students to act as interns or consultants to various organizations, assisting with their communication needs. Since day 2 we’ve been touring and visiting non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In only six days we visited about 19 different organizations out of 23. Each day is packed with multiple units where they present their goals and missions to students and answer any questions we might have.

The overarching themes of the NGOs we will work with are health and human rights, environmental sustainability, alternative energy, and sustainable fashion. These broad terms include causes such as women’s empowerment, Dalit rights (formerly known as Untouchables), children, sustainable and ethical fashion, sustainable living, radio, solar energy, waste management, and more! This NGO practicum truly offers something for everyone’s interest or passion.

With so many “good causes” it is difficult to choose just one. I could easily choose about 3 places I’d be interested in working for. The other factor that could make choosing an organization difficult is matching an organization with student’s skill sets. Some organizations need assistance with website building, creating pamphlets and flyers or creating short videos to display on existing sites. Fortunately, there is a wide range of skills within the group and we also have “media mentors” that will assist us with technical questions and projects.

After a few days of visiting 5 organizations per day, most of us had an idea of where we want to work. The remaining organizations and speakers were essentially lectures and informative sessions on the functioning and practices in Auroville. Even though we will wind up doing a major project at only one organization, we are now well informed on almost all that Auroville has to offer in terms of advocacy and will use that information when completing our projects and final papers. Some of us are quite anxious to begin work right away. I have chosen to work at the ADECOM Network. This agency advocates for the rights of the Dalit community. I am happy to assist this agency in any way in helping shed light on discrimination against a vulnerable people. We will keep you updated on how our progress and projects turn out.

Thanks for reading!

Image