Update 1: August 23

Dear Friends, Family, and Mentors—

Hello from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India!

The team (Eamon and Aniee) and I have arrived here safely—we spent a rather rushed day in New Delhi/Agra, and had the opportunity to see the Taj Mahal. It was incredible.

India is so different this time. This time, there is a feeling of being armed with purpose. Not only am I free of culture shock (how easy I slipped right back into my pseudo-Indian-accent and my head bobble), but I also feel like I’m here for a reason. Having purpose removes so many obstacles and fears. Furthermore, what else could the “divine” throw at me? Last time in India, I had a terrorist attack AND malaria! If I can handle that, I can handle this!

The bank we are working with is incredible. They have been so helpful and so kind—and very prepared. They have obviously read everything I have sent them, and they have placed it into report-form! Today was our first meeting at the bank: there were about 10 people total, including the Chairman of the bank, Mr. Devaraj. We had a three-hour briefing on the project and the programme for next week. Eamon was able to film the entire meeting for us to review later and take notes on.

We went to the Taj! (Click to enlarge to Taj size)

Mr. Devaraj has been working on this project for over 30 years—Activists for Social Alternatives (ASA) was the original program, based entirely on development programming (schools, public health, etc.) Devaraj then moved to North America to do schooling, learned about credit, and returned to India—right about the same time microfinance was happening in Bangladesh with Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Devaraj spent 10 days in Bangladesh studying this model of banking before he returned to institutionalize it here with ASA, thereby creating ASA-GV (Grama Vidiyal). (More here: http://www.gvmfl.com/)

Technically, the Child Leader Project falls under “ASA”—we are a development program, complimenting the work of the bank. The school we will be working at is forty minutes away from Trichy in a very rural area between here and Madurai (a big Hindu pilgrimage site). The school was built 10 years ago to accommodate the families there, and now has over 800 students. The school, however, operates at a deficit, and the chairman very excited to hear about the scholarship/tuition piece of our program (all money we raise in the USA will be given to the 20 students selected to work with us here).

On that note, they have selected 20 students! I saw the list of names and was so excited! They will arrive on Monday morning with their parents in tow, and we will do a one hour parent-student orientation. We planned an activity where students and parents will get up together and share the hopes and dreams they have for their children. What an exciting prospect! How wonderful it will be to hear these ideas!

On a personal note, they are very excited I will be here until September 20. They are enthusiastically willing to help me with my thesis research in whatever ways are needed—they even want me to interview recipients of loans in some of the most remote rural villages of the area, and are allowing me to follow them to bank meetings where they collect the loans given out to the women’s circles! They even told me about a special “women’s empowerment song” that they will help me sing at each meeting! I must of looked so excited when they told me I could come and be a part of that, because they all started laughing and smiling at one another! Their model is based nearly entirely on the Grameen Model—from the “14 decisions” to the meeting structure of the women, everything.

Yay! Microfinance!

I have much more to tell you all about, but the power in the bank has just gone out and this computer is operating on a special battery. I’m on a count down till it dies! However, we should have wireless when we move on to the campus from our hotel on Monday (isn’t that wonderful? We will be living on campus with the students!). Expect something long, excited, and slightly drawn out. :-)

On a personal note: Wow. I can’t believe I’m here. My heart feels like it may burst with gratitude for this opportunity: to be at this microfinance institution, in India, working with these women and their children. Everyone here is so excited about how we can work together-- it is obvious that we all feel so grateful for what we are offering to one another.

Thank you for your support and kindness—I love you all very much.

I look forward to emailing you again soon!

Samantha

(PS: I have blind-copied everyone on this email, but please feel free to send this along to anyone I may have left out-- I rather frantically put the email list together before the power died!)