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Published: January 14th 2009
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The honest truth is that as we made our descent and prepared for landing at Indira Ghandi International Airport, my heart made its own small descent into nagging self-doubt. The sprawling Delhi metropolis below was unnerving. And what lay ahead for us, working in the slum colonies, was altogether beyond any previous life experience. One guide book had said "nothing will fully prepare you for India". We were out on a limb with fingers, toes and eyes crossed that we'd rise to the daily challenges about to confront and confound us.
It was a relief to find that the NGO that we were to be working with had sent on ahead a driver to collect us from the Airport. We clutched to his side as he conveyed us through the crushing melee at the airport entrance. We were taken first to ASHA head office for some induction. We got the opportunity to meet some of the centre staff - Paul, Felix, Alex and the fantastic Mr Freddy Martin. Eventually, we were taken to very substantial accommodation (we have after all been living in hostels and tents thus far!) which was a delight to crash out in and catch breath. Our
priority that evening was to purchase Kerry some suitable attire for working in the centre. Traditional dress for the ladies is prefererred. It was an amusing experiencing watching Kerry try on different items which we struggled to know what went with what and how it should be worn.
Our first day in the slum colony of Javeen Nagar, where we were to be based for 5 weeks, was memorable. Treated like royalty, the children welcomed us in overwhelming fashion. We were presented with garlands of marigolds. One at a time, the children each presented themselves using the snippets of English they already knew. They had such energy, enthusiasm and high spirits. And they had a real keeness for learning and improving their English skills.
We also got the chance to get to know some of the women of the centre - the supervisors and health care volunteers. They could not do enough for us - running around, making us comfortable, making us Cha and making sure we wanted for nothing.
Over the course of 5 weeks in Delhi, we visited the centre approx. 6 days per week and spent mornings and afternoons working with children and doing
what we could to improve upon their English. We kept the emphasis on fun in learning and so used as many games, songs, worksheets, flashcards and puzzles as we could. We did various topics - family, jobs, hobbies, etc. And as well as vocabularly, worked on basic grammar points. There were also trips organised to the National Science Museum, India Gate and the Children's Park.
One of the challenges of working in the centre was the heat which was stifling. There were times when it was so bad we had to dismiss class. Also, there were a few days when we first arrived when my stomach played up with serious bouts of Delhi Belly (in fact my poor tummy never really righted itself until I got to Oz). Kerry would go to the centre while back in our apartment I would work on some lesson plans. We then exchanged these roles when Kerry suffered a serious fall from a moving vehicle. The neglectful driver had made off while Kerry was still alighting. It was a scary moment and at one point the back wheel was inches from going right over Kerry's leg. Kerry, poor poppet, had to have staples
in her leg and attend a long course of physio after. So for a time, I taught at the centre and Kerry worked on the lesson planning.
One day, I got the opportunity to be shown around the 'Basti' i.e. that part of the slum colony where people were actually living and had set up camp. It was very humbling - and perhaps more so by how incredibly welcoming people are than the actual conditions themselves: people throughout the Basti were desperate for me to come and see where they lived and to sit me down and serve me Cha and biscuits. What I couldn't get over were the proportions of some of the makeshift housing. Families of 6 or 7 were sharing homes smaller than my mum and dad's downstairs toilet. Many of those I spoke to, mentioned their fears for the future. Nobody in the slum colony has any title to be there. The local government can decide at any moment to reclaim the land causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands in a single blow - and it happens! It's sad to think that even the little that these people have can be taken away from
them.
Later on, other volunteers arrived - Lolly, Nic, Devin and Madleine - all from the US. They were a great bunch, although they did make me feel a tad old - they all being of student age. We helped them with ideas and resources and they also got to shadow Kerry and I so they could get an idea of what's expected.
Not long before finishing our time with ASHA, we took our hardest working pupils on a trip to the Zoo. On the way there there was a lot of excitement. For most, it was their first visit. Led by Aneeta, the kids sang traditional Hindi and bollywood songs for us while dancing, bopping and jumping around in their seats. The Zoo itself was a lot of fun. It did however turn out to be one of the hottest days I've ever experienced and so I was dripping with sweat the whole way round the Zoo.
On our last day, we organised a small party for everyone and had an awards ceremony. We gave out prizes for good attendance and hard work. We even had 'Sunshine' prizes for kids who light up the class with
smiles, enthusiasm and helpfulness. We then had a prize for Overall Excellence with runners-up. We caused a real stir when we awarded the main prize to a girl!! As for the party, we brought lots of food, juice and sweets for everyone. We also had music and so attempted a Strip the Willow - difficult in the sweltering heat - and then Whigfield's 'Saturday Night' - cheese-tastic fun which went down a storm.
It was very emotional leaving Javeen Nagar. The children clinged to us asking us not to leave, to come back and not to forget them. The women were sobbing and, yes, that did set off Kerry. I held it together though but was still immensely touched by everyone's kindness.
Working with ASHA was an awesome experience. More details about the centre and what we got up to are contained in our Just Giving website - http://www.justgiving.com/kerryandross_ashaproject
Also, you can check out the ASHA website for more info on http://www.asha-india.org/
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