Despite India's impressive economic growth over recent decades, the country continues to face challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, malnutrition and terrorism. Approximately 70% of the country lives on less than U.S. $2.00 a day. Yet, India is a home to over 3 million NGOs. Many of these leaders are working tirelessly to improve the social conditions of the country.

"Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of India" will challenge students to confront more advanced issues faced by today's social entrepreneurs. The field experience of the course will take students to Mumbai and India. Students will meet Social Entrepreneurs and NGOs working at all societal levels to understand grassroots' needs as well as the overall public health infrastructure in India.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Four Days in Delhi

Our trip to Delhi was a whirlwind and seemed over faster than it started. I enjoyed experiencing a new city and immediately noticed many difference from Mumbai. Delhi seemed to have a calmer atmosphere and was laid out quite differently, with smaller buildings and more tree lined streets. Driving from the airport I saw a man walking a small dog on a leash, a sight not very common in Mumbai. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and headed straight to the US Embassy to meet with Nandita Chopra, who is heading up the NIH's portfolio in India. She works with researchers from both the US and India to help them build relationships and work more jointly on projects ranging from cancer, diabetes, HIV and eye care. It was interesting to get her perspective on the health system in India and hear about some of the struggles she faces working with the Indian Government, something we heard as a common theme on our trip.

The next day we met with Operation ASHA, an organization involved with Tuberculosis prevention and medication adherence. Since this was the first TB focused NGO we had met with it was interesting to learn about the impact this disease has in India and the struggles they face including stigma associated with the disease. Many people are scared or ashamed to be diagnosed for fear they will loose their job or get kicked out of their housing since many may see them as a health risk. ASHA trains people in the community to administer medications to TB patients and ensure that they complete their dosage, leading to sucessfull recovery. This is especially important in places like India where incomplete treatment regimes can lead to the rise of deadly multi-drug resistant strains. We went to the slums to visit one of their programs, which was run out of a small general shop. Patients could come where unknowingly and get their medicines in private so no one would suspect they were going for treatment. I thought this was a great model that promoted a bottom up community level approach as opposed to a more top down model. 

Our next visit was unplanned but definitely a welcome surprise. We met with Dr. Kiran Bedi, a prominate government activist in India who began her carrer as the first women head of police in Mumbai. She now leads a movement of people in India who are rising up against government corruption and working to activate youth and people living in slum conditions to rise up and advocate for their best interests. She also heads a foundation that is helping to reform female government prisions. Much of our group was shocked to learn how the prison system works here in India. Females who are in jail, bring their children along who then live behind bars with their mothers. Since the system is so slow here many women remain in jail just awaiting trial for nearly 10 years. Dr. Bedi's foundation sets up schools in the prisons to help educate children, provide them with adequate nutrition and counseling to help them grow up in a more healthy environment. It was so insipring to hear to speak so passionately about her work, and despite the controvery and struggles she has faced she is still so positive and hopeful for her country. She was actually on the ground working to help people advocate for and speak out for the many inequities that exist in India such as sanitation, health care, education. Encouraging communities to demand change from leadership and not stopping until this was completed. It was very refreshing to see this, as most of us had been feeling helpless about the many social issues we had been witnessing daily during our time here. I definitely left here feeling insipired and hopeful for the future. 

The final program we visited here in India was also one of my favorites, Saalam Baalak Trust. They help to rescue street children from the Delhi railway station and place them to safe homes or return them to their families. Many of these children leave home in seek of a better life in the big city, some even think they can become Bollywood stars. However, many end up drug addicted or get sold into slavery. Saalam Baalak enlists the help of former street kids to help motivate and convince the young children to come off of the street and seek help. They offer them safe places to live, educational programs and health care. We stopped by one of their drop in centers for boys and met two young men who had run away from home when they were little. They don't remember exactly how old they were or when their birthdays are because they left home at such a young age. One, said that he had walked across the border from Bangladesh when he was just six years old. Despite what they had been through, they were excited to share their stories with us and just as eager to ask us questions. Saalam also runs a program where they enlist young boys in their program to lead walking tours of Delhi for tourists, showing them a different side of the city and sharing their own stories along the way. I thought that this was a really great way to help build their confidence as well as to show outsiders a perspective not heard by many who pass through the Delhi each year not really hearing about the cities real issues. 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The answer my friends…

There are just soooo many people here in India-( 1,241,491,960 to be exact)[1] that even though there are great NGO’s filling in for government programs, it just doesn’t seem to be enough to address all the problems associated with poor health outcomes and poverty.  On our last day of our two week adventure here in India, we met with two organizations that have been working in Delhi for decades.  Both Care India and Salaam Balaak Trust have established programs working alongside the government of India.  Care India has been providing technical assistance and other services to various government departments to strengthen health programs throughout India for the past 62 years; and Salaam Balaak Trust has been working since 1988 to keep runaway children who show up at the Delhi railway station, off the streets.   
Care India discussed the evolution of their mission from providing direct food aid under Public Law 480 to now building capacity by mobilizing the community to improve health.  They work in 200 districts located in 6 states.  Unlike the other NGOs we met, Care India integrates its personnel into the various levels of district government to assist in program planning.  The Care India personnel we met,s candidly discussed the need to analyze and address the social context of a particular health problem, stating that “technical solutions will not fix social issues.”  They also discussed the changing focus of international philanthropy and the constant shift in funding priorities that inhabit any kind of project sustainability on the ground.  It was particularly interesting to discuss the notion of a social enterprise and social entrepreneurship with the Care India folks who expressed some reticence about supporting it due to lack of data on programmatic success in the long term.   I found it more distressing to learn that Care India has been working in India for 62

years, and due to the magnitude of poverty and the constant shift in funding priorities from donor organizations, they end up just chipping away at the problem. 
We later meandered through the chaotic streets of Old Delhi in our ridiculously large coach bus for 13 people to the Delhi train station where we met with Salaam Balaak Trust.  Salaam Balaak tries to pick up runaways from the 370 daily trains that come into the busy train station before drug dealers and pimps get a hold of them.  They believe India has over 300K children on the streets and 40-50,000 are runaways.  Their main objective is to send the children back to their home, if feasible, or place them in children’s homes until they are 18.  They run 5 children homes (2 designated for girls and 3 for boys). Unfortunately Salaam Balaak only has the capacity to rescue a small handful of children.  They rescue 40-50 children a day and provide shelter and education services to only 360 who are not returned.  They are financially supported by various donors including the Indian government and USAID.  However, last year, USAID ceased funding Salaam Balaak and now they are scrambling to get funding from other sources to maintain their programs.  One saving funding source is Planned International. 
After we met at the Salaam Balaak headquarters, we walked about two kilometers through the overcrowded Old Delhi streets to the Salaam Balaak drop-in shelter where we met a few of the young adults and children saved by Salaam Balaak.  Both boys were impressive and had amazing stories—one young man walked from Nepal to Delhi when he was 6 and another is sooo energized by the world, he is learning as many languages as he can (he currently speaks English, Spanish and Hindi) to make something of himself.  To date, the Salaam Balaak Trust has placed 5 young men in the US for various training programs.  They also partner with the US Embassy to create training opportunities.  I was so overwhelmed by how much Salaam Balaak attempts to provide with their small staff of 137 (social workers and support staff) and frustrated that more children cannot be helped. 
Both organizations have experienced success in their various niches.  However, they are only dealing with a small proportion of the problem—much like the other organizations we met.  In the past two weeks, I have been inspired and frustrated all at the same time.  The NGOs all say they need more resources to get their work done—and we have heard about the rampant corruption in the Indian Government that stymie development, sanitation and poverty reduction.  However, even though it may be true to an extent, I am not sure it’s just the Indian Government’s fault.  Good policies are what drive social change.  The income disparity in India could not be more blatantly apparent and is begs to ask, why isn’t the Indian 1 percent doing more to help the very country that they have taken so much from?  The answer, my friends, is not blowing in the wind—it’s right here waiting for everyone to work together, because the work so far has been valiant, but not enough and everyone needs help. 



Along our walk to Salaam Balaak Trust drop-in center
 






[1] Google India Population

Sunday, August 12, 2012

6 years at home

On our final day of site visits, the group started off with a trip to CARE India, one of the largest international NGOs. We had a lively discussion with their staff members about CARE’s work and also about the concept of social enterprise.

We then visited one last NGO, Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT). The mission of SBT is to rescue children from the railway station in Delhi who are running away from home. Some kids run from abuse, others from neglect, others out of fear. They hop on the train as a stowaway hoping to find a better life in Delhi. SBT staff members, some of who were runaway children themselves, search the platforms looking for kids who appear lost. They do their best to retrieve them before they are fetched by other people looking for children to filtrate into the drug and sex trafficking industries that thrive in the nearby red light district. When a SBT staff member retrieves a child, they bring them to a nearby office and provide them with a medical exam, food and clothing, if needed. When possible, they urge the children to return home and most of the time, they do with the supervision of a SBT staff member. However, sometimes the situation at home is far too dangerous, so SBT takes them to one of the five homes they’ve established for children. There, the children grow up, go to school and hopefully make a better life for themselves than the one they had faced.

Salaam Baalak Trust 
Our group went to a drop-in center where many of the rescued children were playing. They were laughing, singing, and I would have never imagined the horrors some of them have faced. I spoke with one young man who had fled home at the age of six from Bangladesh. He took buses and trains and eventually ended up in Delhi where he was retrieved by SBT staff. He was a very outgoing young man with hopes of becoming a movie star. He didn’t talk in too much detail about his life at home before he left, but I can’t say that I blame him for not wanting to relive something so painful. SBT has provided him with a place to live and an education over the last several years and I am hopeful he will soon be able to find a job.

Talking with the boy who fled home at age six. 
As we left SBT, I couldn’t help but feeling incredibly depressed. I am immensely grateful for the work that they do and hopeful for the children they rescued. Yet, what about all of the other kids who slipped through the cracks? What will become of them? And perhaps what was even more difficult for me to understand was what could possibly instill such fear in these young children to make them run away from their homes at such young ages? It sickens me to imagine. For now, I’ll cling to the laughter that resonates in my head from drop-in center and hope that those children will grow up and learn to love and be loved.

After taking a few hours to decompress, our group ventured out for our final dinner at Olive, a fantastic restaurant! We were seated at a large table outside in a courtyard that reminded me of Greece with white buildings and blue chair cushions. I had some goat cheese tortellini with parmesan foam that were divine. Being surrounded with amazing food and company was a wonderful way to end our Indian adventure as a group.

Goat cheese tortellini
Looking back on this whirlwind case study of India, I am grateful to our professors for arranging such a meaningful journey. I know that what I’ve learned from this experience is just beginning to sink in and I will reflect back on my time here for years to come. As a group, I know that we all pushed ourselves to new limits and were able to grow as individuals and as global citizens. I am also left with many unanswered questions and concepts: Will the government of India, along with its many NGOs ever catch up to the growing population needs? If technical problems are not the direct solution to social issues, then how can we ensure that they are delivered within the context of social systems? What is the future of the non-profit sector if it is only as sustainable as the life the NGO that funds it? Is social enterprise a realistic and feasible endeavor for the myriad of social and health issues that exist in this world? I don’t know. But I hope to further explore these issues as I embark on my public health career. Change is happening everywhere, all the time, and that gives me great hope. For now, I am back in Bombay and tomorrow marks day one of my 120-hour practicum with the Impact India Foundation. So for now, let the adventure continue…  

Saturday, August 11, 2012

7 pills to swallow

On Tuesday morning our group arrived in Delhi eager to check out a new city in India. While Delhi is still a major metropolitan area that is similar to Bombay in many ways, it is much more geographically spread out (think LA) and less congested, though it feels like everything is at least an hour away from wherever you are. Hello, quality time on the bus!  

Our first stop in Delhi was at the U.S. Embassy where we met with Nandita Chopra, the NIH representative based in India. The security checkpoint to enter the embassy compound was thorough – there’s no place like home. When we entered, we immediately noticed a building that looked identical to the Kennedy Center in DC. We quickly learned that the architectural inspiration for the Kennedy Center came from the U.S. Embassy in India. Sorry, no cameras were allowed inside, so you’ll have to trust me that they were identical. Pictures of Obama, Biden and Clinton lined the walls. Nandita took us to a conference room and discussed the portfolio of NIH in India, which is quite comprehensive. One of the initiatives she works on is a bilateral collaborative between researchers and scientists in the U.S. and India that fosters project and idea sharing to assess and improve various health indicators. Much of the NIH work is research-based and they serve as a leader in field of development and in testing new technologies and pilot studies. Additionally, the NIH supports centers of excellence addressing various diseases throughout the country. Since the process of applying for funding is so complex both in the U.S. and in India, one of Nandita’s many roles is to support researchers in pursuit of funding. She has fully utilized her network of contacts and has become a master at navigating the complex systems in both countries. Without her, much of these partnerships would likely not materialize or would take much longer to naturally filtrate through the system. After our meeting, we took a brief tour of the embassy grounds, including housing for diplomats, restaurants, a bowling alley and a pool. Pretty cool stuff!

The following morning, we met with Operation ASHA (Op ASHA) in Delhi. Many of the NGOs that we’ve met with have multi-pronged strategies that address different populations and health issues. In this respect, Op ASHA is completely different from the majority in that they focus on one thing: treating tuberculosis (TB). To provide a touch of background information for those who are unfamiliar with TB, it is a communicable disease that is spread through the air by someone coughing or sneezing. With 2 million new cases each year, India has the highest burden of TB in the world. TB thrives is crowded spaces where the disease can more easily spread, so slum areas are an ideal setting for the disease to permeate. Just because you come in contact with TB does not mean that you will necessarily contract the disease; many people (I believe one in four), in fact, have latent TB that will never manifest. However, when your immune system is weakened, then TB thrives. The great thing about TB is that it is treatable. However, it is difficult for people to understand the need to take medication when they have no visible symptoms. As one of the Op ASHA staff members said, “People value their health in India, but there is no concept of prevention.” As a result, people start taking their medications and don’t finish them and, as a result, develop a drug-resistant strand of TB, which can then be passed on to someone else. Multiple drug resistant strands require longer-term and more intensive regimens.

One dose of TB medication
Op ASHA aims to enable people to have easy access to their medications and uses the DOTS intervention (directly observed treatment short-course) to ensure that people are taking their meds every other day. Since there’s significant stigma associated with TB (people are fired from their jobs, kids are kicked out of school, etc…), Op ASHA has found a way to discretely provide and track patients with TB. They partner with local shops or small businesses in slums and villages. The owners of these shops are paid a stipend to house the small operation and are trained in medication distribution. They use a biomedical tracking device that scans a patient’s fingerprint, which pulls up their medical record through a system. Then they are given their medication while the business owner watches them take their medication. Usually, there is also an Op ASHA nurse present as well. If a person misses a dose, the Op ASHA nurse is notified and follows up with a house visit to see what’s going on. Our group visited one such site nested in a store in a village and it was excellent to see the process first-hand. While Op ASHA is hugely successful in ensuring that people adhere to their TB medication, our group of public health students could help but wonder if there was some sort of missed opportunity in the process. Couldn’t they also provide family planning services since they already have such a high rate of daily traffic? Or perhaps they could screen people for HIV or provide vitamins to address malnutrition? I completely understand that a large part of the success of Op ASHA is due to its simplicity and directness and without that, people would likely not be as adherent, but could they be doing more? Couldn’t we all, though?

Biomedical tracking computer used by Op ASHA
The afternoon brought with it an unexpected surge of infectious energy from our guest speaker, Kiran Bedi. Dr. Bedi is a well-known social activist in India. She was the first woman officer in the Indian Police Service, which inspired her quest to seek justice for many of the underserved. She is the founder of two NGOs: the Indian Vision Foundation, which supports the children of women prisoners who often grow up with their mothers in jail, and the Navjyoti India Foundation, which aims to serve vulnerable populations throughout India. She believes that there is a huge amount of corruption within the Indian government, which contributes heavily to the myriad of basic problems facing India’s poor. Dr. Bedi wants to rid this corruption so that the next generation can grow up in a safe and healthy environment, fully supported by their government. She speaks about her work using metaphors and conveys her points with such conviction that many of us found ourselves lingering on the edge of our seats so as not to miss a word. It’s rare to be in the presence of someone with so much charisma and chutzpah and it was quite refreshing. Only time will tell what will happen with India’s next round of political elections, but there is no doubt that regardless of the outcome, Dr. Bedi will rest assured that she did all that she could as an activist to rid much of the corruption that she perceives exists with the current regime. While she is passionate about her cause, she has no interest in dabbling in politics (yet). “I want to be accepted by all; I don’t want to compete, I just want reform.”

Dr. Bedi and I in her office
We ended our day with a trip to the India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s house. We ate at a fabulous Indian restaurant called Punjabi by Nature where I had the best dahl of my life!

The group at the India Gate

YOLO




            #YOLO.  It is a popular phrase these days, an acronym for “You only live once.”  It is a somewhat daunting yet exhilarating notion, and although catchy, you cannot help but recognize its underlying truth.  As another tag line from the title of an old soap opera on television in U.S. popular culture notes, we have one life to live, and the very real question of how we want to spend our lives rests on all of us individually.  I am not running around screaming YOLO in a literal sense.  In most regards, I love saying it ironically, as a hit to its wide usage by online status-updaters and chronic hash-taggers.  On the other hand, a tiny part of me cannot stray from the idea that this moment is fleeting and I better take advantage of it.

            Maybe it seems as though I am going off on some philosophical rant about how short life is, and the need to take advantage of it.  Go ahead and laugh, but as we have been visiting the various NGO sites this week in New Delhi, the starkness of the idea that life is in fact fleeting resonates on a personal level.  As I sit, listen and watch numerous individuals discussing their work and giving way to personal memoires, I am ignited by the passion and commitment to social development and assistance of so many of these individuals.  Whether more grassroots or from a more top-down approach, many of these people are spending every day working to improve the lives of members of the community through their careers.  So as I walk away from the past two weeks, one question I am left with is whether or not I will do the same. 

            To some extent, I believe this commitment and passion to improve the world on some level has been the drive for many to become involved in public health.  At some point in our lives, we saw a need for change, and it sparked an interest in this social movement to advance health outcomes and work to prevent disease on a population basis.  This brings up another observation about the work of NGOs and general trends throughout society.  It is really interesting to see how many of the organizations and individuals are making use of social media to spread their messages and stay connected.  Whether on Twitter, MySpace or Facebook, it was noted numerous times that this was one way people are striving to enhance their work and ideas.  Innovation through technology.  These Internet resources are free outlets for exposure and social networking, so why not take advantage of them?

            As I move into the day-by-day accounts of this trip, it is noteworthy to make some of these overall reflections about the work and progress at hand.  Many group discussions have brought up the point that helping to improve the world does not have to occur on a mass scale.  As many of the organizations prove, helping a relatively small number of people can still have a major impact with the potential to “go viral,” if you will, at a population level.  My use of the phrase “relatively small” is intentional, as impacting several thousand individuals is a relatively small number within a community of hundreds of thousands, if not millions.  But as we see on the Internet, several hits on a Youtube video can turn into millions within a matter of hours.  Maybe it is the same with community-based work, and the tipping point is upon us.  All of these organizations began with an idea and the need for action.  Individuals stepped up to the plate, and are working to create change.  Although many of these phrases and ideas may sound cliché, it does not matter.  I have to push these thoughts out of my head.  At the end of the day, I do want to help on some level, and witnessing the work of the individuals we have met in India proves it is possible. 

So all jokes aside, YOLO.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

            My good friend Halli on the trip often jokes about the need to “tuck and roll” out of bed when you are in a hurry.  She could not have been more spot-on with this idea than today, as today was the day we traveled from Mumbai to New Delhi. 

Wakeup.   

Pack.

Shower.

Email.

Breakfast.

            We are in India, but all of the tasks of everyday life in the U.S. have not disappeared.  As a group, we keep joking about the fact that many of our friends and family members back at home continually tell us to have a great vacation.  As I struggle to keep my eyes open on bus rides between meetings, I cannot help but silently curse those who think I am relaxing on a beach somewhere or riding an elephant down the street.  A bit harsh?  Maybe.  But with more than a dozen site visits in less than 10 days, a bout of Delhi Belly (our group stomach virus episode), visits to the slums, numerous stops at cultural tourist sites, daily group discussions and periods of reflections, I am not sure if I would call this trip your average vacation.  This is not to complain, I feel like we are all taking in loads of information and being exposed to a side of India we would otherwise never have access to, if not for the work and connections of our professors and university.  But tired, yes.

            Anyways, back to today.  We check out of the hotel and get into cars to be driven to the airport.  Right after we are dropped off, we realized we are at the wrong gate.  With limited time before our flight, panic sets in.  Just what we need, a group of chatty Americans running through the Mumbai airport like baby ducks chasing Dr. Vyas and Dr. Parrish.  I mean, it’s not like we stuck-out before here in India.  Regardless, we made it to the right counter and the professors got us on the plane.  Several people outside of our group even thanked Dr. Vyas afterwards for our group holding up the flight because they were late as well. 

Take-off.

Read.

Land.

            New city, same smells.  We arrive in New Delhi, which turns out to be just as chaotic as Mumbai, although a seemingly bit cleaner.  We have a few hours to check-in at the hotel, and then it is off to the U.S. Embassy to meet with Nandita Chopra, the representative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) here in India.  Let’s go.

            As we walk through the gate to the Embassy, we are all struck by how similar one of the buildings looks to the Kennedy Center back in D.C.  As it turns out, Nandita informed us that Jacqueline Kennedy was actually inspired by this building and commissioned the same architect to design the Kennedy Center in the States.  It is always interesting to pick up historical facts here and there, especially when you are halfway around the world from your home.  As we walk along the grounds, I cannot help but feel as though I am on the set of an old U.S. sitcom, such as “I Dream of Jeannie,” as some of the building appear as though they were built during the 1960s or 70s.


            Our meeting with Nandita takes place in a conference room inside of the USAID building.  As we learned through several other site visits, USAID’s presence in India has declined in recent years, but at one point, it was fairly strong.  Nandita does not keep us waiting, and immediately walks into the room to greet us.  As our meeting begins, Nandita describes her role as the NIH representative in India, a relatively new position, and how she landed the position a little over a year ago.  She encourages all of us to voice our interests, demonstrating the role this behavior played in helping her to get this job.  As most of her career had been spent doing domestic work in the U.S. other than a global fellowship in Mozambique prior to this position, Nandita says it was voicing her desire to work abroad that led to her being considered to work in India.

            In learning about the NIH portfolio in this country, it is incredible to realize that Nandita handles most of this work alone.  Only until recently did she have a staff member assigned to assist her, and the realities of these types of positions set in.  Nandita mentions some of her time is spent helping researchers calm down who are waiting on governmental approval before they receive their grants.  In India, government relations are different than they are in the U.S.  The process of building trust and getting your message across to government officials in this country is time consuming, requiring a fine balance between coaxing individuals into the validity of your project and ideas and not coming across as being overly pushy.  Beyond that, the time difference between India and the U.S. can really take its toll.  As the workday is ending in India, people at NIH are just beginning their days, so the emails and conference calls flood in.  These are all things to consider in terms of the logistics of global work.  

            As the representative of NIH in India, it is really interesting to hear about all of the coordination and communication this job entails.  Not only does Nandita have to represent NIH as a single entity, she also has to act on behalf the various institutions within the agency.  It is important to remember that all of these separate research facilities are working with their own goals in mind to some extent, with the need for funding and support, and to each one, they are a priority group at NIH.  It can be difficult to find a balance and to represent each one individually, but again, it is all part of the job.  Another aspect of coordination this job entails is communicating work and information between U.S. researchers and Indian researchers.  Luckily, Nandita says that Indian researchers are cooperative and willing to share disease and health-related information with U.S. representatives. 

            After meeting with multiple social enterprises and NGOs, it was very informative to listen to an individual who is working for a government agency, especially one representing the U.S. abroad.  Many of us in the group are interested in becoming involved in global health, and working for the government or for an NGO are two options with a wide number of similarities and differences.  In general, it seems as though the NGOs we have met with are more grassroots in their work, but this does not exempt them from the bureaucracies of government.  Again and again, it has struck me how large of a role government relations play in the abilities and functions of many NGOs.  Even if an organization is not receiving direct funds from the government, it is still important to for staff to be able to navigate the political system in order to facilitation their own needs and priorities.  Policies will affect an organization on some level from a top-down affect, and this must be acknowledged on a broader scope.  Politics can often be dirty and frustrating, but this is the scheme in which we live, and it is vital to learn to navigate this system efficiently and effectively, especially on a global scale.
           
Wednesday, August 8, 2012

            This morning we met with Operation ASHA, an organization aiming to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the slums of New Delhi.  Two young American women introduced the organization and their work to us, one of whom is a completing a fellowship through iCATS at OpASHA.  Their drive and compassion in their work was immediately evident as they stood before us, asking questions about our own interests and tying these back into international nonprofit work.  These two women spoke about their education and work experience in the States, and how they eventually became involved in international health work in India, encouraging us to do the same.  As one of them put it, “Work experience abroad is worth its weight in gold.”

            The great thing about this conversation was how candid the women were in their discussion about nonprofit development work.  International work tends to be idealized, but you do not understand the hardships and frustrations of grassroots level work in global health until you step into the field and listen to those who are actually doing it.  Beyond language barriers, there are countless other cultural factors to consider when entering a foreign community to engage in social development.  Gender roles, age distinctions and other factors may influence behavior, acceptance and participation of community members in a particular program.  Sometimes translating appropriate health behaviors is not as simple as saying, “A, B, C.”  In this regard, forming an effective community health intervention can be a complicated process, but as the dedicated staff at OpASHA demonstrate, reducing stigma, effective use of technology and engaging with members of the community are essential to effectual nonprofit work and stimulating social change.  


            After meeting with the two women, we were accompanied into the field.  This means that we were able to go to one of the sites where TB is distributed on a daily basis.  We got to observe the storage of the medication, and speak with the woman running the site about her involvement with the organization.  Learning about the long-term task of adhering to daily TB medication requirements from the perspective of those who hand out the medicine was really interesting.  Beyond the stigma associated with the disease, ensuring individuals show up to the site and take their medications every other day seems like a demanding endeavor, requiring commitment from both organizational staff and the patient.  It can be difficult to imagine this type of work being conducted on a mass scale, but as OpASHA shows, working to do so with any portion of the community will help to reduce stigma and encourage individuals to seek treatment.


            The next stop we made was to an organization titled India Vision Foundation.  This nonprofit is working to improve conditions within female prison facilities in the country.  As we learned, the prison system in India is somewhat different to the idea of prison life that exists in the U.S.  In India, there is apparently less violence within the prison facilities, and children live with their mothers who are imprisoned.  These children receive formal education through schools on site, and they sleep with their mothers in the cells.  The women in the prisons learn how to weave and are taught other vocational skills to help provide support for rehabilitation and eventually a smooth transition back into society. 


            At this point, we were able to meet with Dr. Karin Bedi, a founder of India Vision Foundation.  Dr. Bedi was the first female police officer in India, and since retiring from this job, she has become one of the leaders in the anti-corruption and female empowerment movements in the country.  It was really inspiring to meet with an individual who has been inspired by her own experiences to create social change through nonviolent political activism.  She spoke of the drive within herself to work out of her somewhat privileged position in life in terms of education and opportunity, in order to impact others who have not been as fortunate as her.  It will be interesting to see where Dr. Bedi ends up in a couple of years, as she struggles with the decision to become more politically involved or remain more oriented in advocacy work as a social activist.



Thursday, August 9, 2012

            This morning we made our last NGO visit to Care India.  This was the first larger organization we met with, and this meeting provided yet another perspective on the nonprofit sector.  Some of the main concern expressed by members of my class were in regards to the large size of Care, and how different sectors of the organization are able to cooperate, as well as cooperate.  Is it possible for some of the more genuine aspects and commitment in regards to community development to dissipate through the hierarchy of such a large organization?

            The members of the Care staff who we met with described the technical assistance provided by the organization, and how this compares with some of the grassroots work being done by smaller nonprofits and social enterprises.  As one member noted, social enterprises have their own niche, but there is still a need for technical programs.  In order to provide adequate and effective technical assistance, the need exists to enquire throughout the community and learn about people’s perspectives on their specific needs.  These ideas must be incorporated into the planning and design of projects in a practical manner.  The technical assistance being provided must exist in the context of the social system that has been in place for years.  The underlying question is how do we build upon the infrastructure that is already in place based on what members of the community believe? 
           
            These were all ideas thrown around the meeting, and one member finally noted that development work should not be thought of in the context of technical versus social.  Both types of work are interconnected, and the best practices will develop in respect to both sides of the puzzle.  Technical assistance should be planned and implemented through a social lens.  Once an organization reaches the level and size of one such as Care, it is important to maintain a focus on the actual needs of smaller communities.  What the best model should be for this approach is where focus should lie.

            The final NGO we met with on our trip was called Saalam Baalak Trust.  This organization aims to improve the lives of street children who have runaway from home and arrive at the train station in New Delhi.  Most of the children rescued by Saalam Baalak are restored to their families if possible.  Emphasize if possible.  Thousands of children arrive in New Delhi each year from all over the countries, and it can be difficult to trace their parents or other members of their families.  If children cannot be returned to their families, or do not want to be returned due to histories of abuse, etc., then they are placed in one of the 5 shelters or children hopes to help educate and raise the children into maturity.  One of the greatest things about this organization is that some of the staff are former runaways themselves who have grown up through this system and are now contributing back to the community through this program.  These individuals know the needs and mindsets of runaway children firsthand, so their assistance is extremely beneficial.



            After visiting the site at the train station where children receive their health evaluations, we were able to visit the new drop-in center a few blocks away.  This site appeared to be somewhat of a community center, where young children were working on computers, doing artwork and socializing with others their age.  There were also several volunteers at the center when we visited.  We got the chance to actually speak with some of the older teens, many of them having runaway from home at very young ages.  They were friendly, open to sharing their stories, and seemingly appreciative of Saalam Baalak Trust.

Friday, August 10, 2012

            Well, that’s it.  We wrapped up this morning with a final group session at breakfast, during which we all introduced ideas for our business plans.  There were a lot of ideas to throw around the table, considering all that we had seen and done over the past 2 weeks.  It seems that many of us are revising our original plans based on our broader knowledge of the work of social enterprises and NGOs.  I think many of us now have a deeper appreciation for the work these organizations do, as well as hope for community development and social change through public health.  Now to actually write our plans… YOLO.

           

Friday, August 10, 2012

Final Thoughts


Our official time in India ended this morning over brunch in the hotel. We all had the opportunity to discuss our business plans for our final projects. I came to India with an idea to help the DC community, but have been so struck by the poverty and health disparities in India that I have changed my idea. Mumbai is a city covered in trash, a problem I believe is the underlying issue of the health crisis facing those living in the city, especially in the slums. Factors relating to government corruption and population size make the waste management infrastructure nonexistent. The piles of trash and sewage is an image that has stuck with me the entire trip, it is something I cannot walk away from.

While driving through Delhi the other day we passed by an open area filled with pigs. With a little direction from Dr. Parish, it occurred to me that pigs could be a solution to waste management. The idea will need to start on a small scale, just one slum, and I still have a lot of research ahead, but I think this is an idea worth thinking through. I have a few weeks to work it all out, but I will share my plan with those who are interested once it is done.

India provided me with many struggles. At home, I often feel that everything is my “comfort zone”. Even if something is unfamiliar I adapt quickly. India was an “uncomfort zone” at almost every turn. No one likes feeling uncomfortable, but I was happy to find that I do have boundaries and there are things that make me feel out of place. I am looking forward to getting back home, but India has helped me realize that I can do work in rough areas (just as long as I have a nice place to go back to at night).

Throughout the trip I often thought of how many people would benefit from seeing what I saw. We live in a country of complaints and I am sometimes frustrated by the lack of patience from everyone, myself included. I saw Indians living in worse conditions than any homeless person in the US without complaint. There is a balance. People in slums should be more outraged at their situation, but at home we should stop complaining about everything (and if we do complain being proactive about a solution). I would love to bring groups of Americans to India to see how the rest of the world lives.

For those of you at home, I am excited to show you my limited number of pictures, but it might be a few weeks before I can wrap my mind around everything I saw and put it into a cohesive conversation. It is not to the Taj Mahal for a day then one more day in Mumbai before heading home.

Last Group Day (Elizabeth)


Today was our last day in the field. We visited with two organizations. CARE, one of the largest international organizations, works all over India in areas of health and the underlying issues of poverty, sanitation, food security and capacity building. We met with a number of people in the office and had a wonderful discussion with them about their programs. They shared their challenges and successes while we shared our views on social entrepreneurship and how it might be able to help India’s future.

Next we met with a great organization, Salaam Baalak Trust. They rescue street children in Delhi from train stations, bus stations and street corners. Last year alone they helped over 5,000 children who had left home for any number of reasons. Their main goal is to reunite children with their families, but in the majority of cases this does not happen. Either the family can not be found, the child does not want to go back or the organization does not feel that the home environment is safe. In all of these cases Salaam Baalak tries to place the kids in one of their five shelters. Some children stay for only a few months, but some children stay until they age-out at 18. Salaam Baalak provides the children in their shelters with clothes, food and education.

We walked to their newly formed drop-in center where we met two boys who told us their stories. Both have been with Salaam Baalak for years and are thriving. One of the boys left his home in Bangladesh when he was 6 because his parents died. He walked across the border into India and eventually found himself in Delhi where one of the social workers spotted him. He is over 18, but still comes to the drop-in center to hang out and help. The other boy ran away from Mumbai and is currently completing his high school degree. He left his home at such a young age that he does not know his birthday, so does not know how old he is. His English was very good and he was incredibly bright. He schooled us on US history and politics and asked us about the upcoming election. He wants to go to college and then move to the US.

This is an amazing organization that deserves a lot of credit for the daily struggles they encounter in their work. "Scale" has become the buzz word among NGOs and social enterprises. Can this organization or model be scaled up to impact more people? It seems to be the main method of evaluation for many groups. Salaam Baalak is an organization working against this notion. They work in Delhi and will probably always work in Delhi because that is where they are needed and I do not think they should be devalued because of it.




Thursday, August 09, 2012

Who is Kiran Bedi?


We heard early in the morning about a change in the day's schedule. We were going to meeting with a group called India Vision Foundation, and perhaps their founder Kiran Bedi. All we were told was she is famous in India.

After Op ASHA and lunch roulette, we went to Ms. Bedi's offices where an associate gave us an overview of IVF. The foundation provides day care for children of incarcerated women. These children are fed and go to school near the jail and sleep with their mothers in their cells at night. 

Then Kiran walked in. Her office decorated wall-to-wall plaques, trophies, fan letters, photos of her with dignitaries.

Turns out, she's a HUGE deal in India, especially among youth (I later found out a friend who grew up in India would buy clothes to dress more like her!). She first came into the spotlight as the first woman officer in the Indian Police Service in the 1970s. Although she came from a privileged background, she went into the IPS believing the police were there to serve rather than to suppress. She gave Indira Ghandi, the prime minister at the time, a parking ticket! Not everyone thought it was funny. When her enemies tried quash her by reassigning her to oversee Delhi's biggest prison, she responded by completely transforming the prison system.

Since she retired from the IPS, Kiran has become an anti-corruption activist icon exposing corruption and atrocities perpetrated by the government. Giving a voice to the hundreds of millions of people who demand reform and seek a better life. She leads rallies of millions. There's a documentary about her narrated by Helen Mirren. She's been on TED multiple times. And she's sitting there chatting us up.
We asked a lot of questions about corruption in the government, her philosophy, and her background. I particularly liked this about leadership:
Build yourself, not to be a leader. Lead yourself first. Then you'll start influencing others. Practice constant inside-the-boot polish. 
This woman is a symbol for courage, perseverance, and truth. She's emerged through serious personal and professional battles, and continues to confront new challenges as she moves forward. To us, Kiran says she's comfortable with activism and is conflicted with the pull she feels toward politics. She's going to be prime minister of India one day.

12 dancing ladies

This past weekend in Bombay was both relaxing and exhilarating. On Saturday I met up with some friends for brunch. We walked from their apartment to the restaurant and it was an abbreviated way to see Bombay’s two-facedness within a 10-minute timeframe. On our walk, we navigated through traffic, puddles, trash mounds, people and even a family of rats feasting on something in the street. Ick. We arrived flustered, damp and ready for some good food. Walking into the restaurant, the Tasting Room, it was like stepping into a different world. Plush couches lined the walls, sangria flowed freely and it was open, comfortable and pretty much the stark opposite from the world just outside the doors. My friends in Bombay are total foodies and having done some serious traveling in their lives, they have learned how to quickly navigate to the best food a city has to offer. Their restaurant choice did not disappoint! The Tasting Room imports many of its meats and cheeses from Europe. They offer creative dishes that are exquisitely served. We were seated on some purple couches and I felt right at home! We ordered up some incredible tapas: watermelon with feta, fingerling potatoes, vegetable mac and cheese, skewers of chicken, hummus, mushrooms in a divine sauce and so on. Am I really in India, I thought? Unfortunately, my upset stomach from days past hadn’t fully worked its course, so we left after lunch and went back to relax a bit. Given my ailments, they were the best doctors a girl could ask for and set me up with some medication that really helped out. I returned to the hotel with some Indian ramen noodles (totally yummy!) and saltines and took it easy to prepare for the week. I hope we’ll make it back to the Tasting Room once more before I leave Bombay because it was such a diamond in the ruff!

One of our dishes at the Tasting Room 
Eating with Mel and Imran
The following evening, our group was invited to dinner at the home of Netra, the woman who was our right-hand lady in Bombay in scheduling our buses and helping us navigate the city. She lives in a lovely home just on the outskirts of the city. Her mother had prepared a feast for us and it was delicious! We sat out on their balcony and soon became the talk of the neighborhood. What were all these white people doing at Netra’s house? Perhaps what was even better than the food was the pre-dinner performance. Netra’s sister is a minor celebrity here in India because of her dance career. She practices traditional Indian dance and has traveled the world performing. She and a few of her friends performed one of their most famous dances and it was amazing! I mean, amazing. They moved so eloquently and in synch. Even their eye movements were in unison and portrayed with such intensity that you couldn’t help but get chills when watching. Then they invited all of us in a circle and showed us some Bollywood dance moves. Now, I am not much of a dancer, but I sure as heck tried! Dasi girl, anyone?! We danced around laughing and singing as a group. All of the harsh realities we had been trying to process from the week melted away and in that moment we felt like anything was possible – carefree laugher filled the balcony! It was probably one of the happiest moments I’ve had on this trip and a wonderful way to get to know some of my fellow students. I can only hope that if Netra and her family ever make it to DC someday that we could show them half as much fun and hospitality as they showed to us!

Learning some Bollywood moves!