My first weeks at IDPR

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Sorry - this is just text info about my work - no pics this time - boring I know!!

I work as an “Organisational Development Advisor” for the Institute for Development Progams and Research in Bhubaneswar, Odisha (formerly known as Orissa), India.

This is a 12 month placement under the Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) UK program (HIV and AIDS stream). I was recruited as a Health Manager generic position by Australian Volunteers International who are in a partnership with VSO to recruit Australians into the program. VSO has an Indian office in Delhi (VSO India) which manages about 60 foreign volunteers across the country. The largest number would be from the UK with many from the Philippines, a number of Canadians and Americans, one at least from Africa that I know of, and 4 Australians.

For information about IDPR there is a website:

http://www.idpr.org.in/future.htm

So what are my impressions after just 2 weeks in the placement?

Well of course its very hot and humid here now (not specific to Odisha of course - it’s just that time of year in northern India!). But one adjusts - although I work in a non- A/C office (which is good in many ways - I find A/C can cause colds and respiratory problems in and out of extreme heat), its cool enough on the ground floor of a 3 storey building with ceiling fans keeping things moving. The evenings
after 4pm and mornings before 8am here are also quite pleasant (relatively
speaking - you don't come back from walking dripping anyway) and there
is a bit of breeze overnight - but of course work hours tend to be 9.30am to 1pm for the locals. I have tended to start earlier (8am) and take nip home (which is around the back lane) for lunch and a nap - before coming back and working maybe to 5 or so.

The really good thing is that my supervisor (Sarita) is very flexible about this - she fully sees me as a mature (should I say “older”) experienced professional who can manage his time around the work to be done - rather than having any expectation that I come in and sit behind a desk for set hours a day. Just as well - I have not worked that way at home for at least 15 years! So I would not cope quite frankly!

The work is actually exciting in many ways because I am working with
what are really very very grass roots organisations.

Example: one of the groups is a support organization for people dependent on drugs (brown sugar being the most common drug of use here) where this either puts them at risk of HIV transmission and/or seriously disrupts their lives and access to mainstream services and opportunity. The group is called "Hope
Foundation". It gets no funds at present from the Odisha Government here - and it actually would stand a good chance to get funding IF it were meeting what the Government sees as minimum standards - mainly around accountability and governance. So this is where I come in - I am to assist them improve their systems and governance so that they meet those minimum standards and then (if I can reach that point in a year) work with them to do submissions/ applications etc. for funding while all the while seeking ways to streamline and improve their operations.

Hope Foundation have only existed for 3 years and have been running a residential rehabilitation program for only 1 year (20 beds). They also do street outreach and education and support groups for non-residents. They survive currently from a ‘user-pays’ (forgive the pun) system - sometimes sponsored by other NGOs or agencies who can refer and afford to pay for the time at the rehabilitation centre).

But here's the thing: the whole organisation is run by 12 Board Members (all founding members) who are ALL ex- drug users! And (this is an issue of governance I need to address) 3 of them are also employees! The other 4 employees are also all ex- drug users and then they have about 10 volunteers (also ex- DUs). Pretty incredible - all really sincere people passionate about assisting other - working on a shoestring etc... There is a belief that no-one who is not an ex-DU can be on the board or work for Hope - something I would seek to explore with them (as while I understand where this comes from - I think there is room to be more inclusive on the basis of ‘best practice’ attracting the most skilled people possible).

Other Community Based Organisations I will be working with are: a Sex workers co-op working in a slum (with even less resources than Hope); a gay mens group of 500 members run by a 24 year old who is the first gay man to come out publicly in this state (and he's paying for that in this very sexually narrow society where inclusion is not a virtue!). These guys are very vulnerable in this
cultural context - that guy is incredibly able and strong and talented and yet last
year soon after he came out he was understandably quite depressed (with family largely cutting him off which is HUGE for an Indian - to the point of suicide ideation; and a group that works with people who are living with HIV and AIDS. This group again is completely run by HIV + people (and again there is an issue about board members being workers and whether they might benefit in time from having non-HIV+ support at that level where and if appropriate.

All these groups have some cross over regarding service users and the staff all know and cooperate with each other as well. They are all supported by the tiny
NGO (IDPR) that I am working for which has just 4 staff - not all full time.

Sarita - who is the power and energy and vision that runs the place is amazing! - she lived in the USA for 7 years while her husband did his PhD at Cornell - has 2 amazing daughters 8 and 16 - and is a very skilled and inclusive thinking professional and has great respect and influence even at a national level. So she is a ‘mover and a shaker’ and I feel very privileged to be working with her. She works as a private consultant in her ‘spare’ time (!) in Sexuality and Reproductive Health (human rights and identity stuff mainly).

NOTE: Because I have mentioned VSO and VSO India - I need to declare that all views in this blog are mine entirely and do not necessarily reflect the views of VSO or VSO India. PD

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Comments

[Rosie]

Really interesting to hear what you're doing work-wise in India. It sounds fascinating, stimulating, daunting, rewarding and challenging all at once. Much more than most of us get out of our work I'm sure, even if we're happy enough with what we do. Good luck with achieving all those goals.

[deb coleman]

Hi again, Well it sounds like you will have your work cut out during the next 12 months with some interesting challenges ahead particularly re the accountability and governance issues. I can understand the thinking behind having the ex -du on committee etc and I've been on committees where this has been the thinking and it is the ideal, but skills are still required so I guess capacity building will be a big part of your work. Loook forward to hearing how it develops. Enjoy the challenge. D