India Trip 2023 and Fall Recruiting!
Happy September! This blog is the first in a series of monthly blogs published by Georgetown Project RISHI to keep you updated on our work and community. Currently, we are in the process of receiving and reviewing applications for 2023-2024 committee members. We are so excited to welcome more members to our community who are passionate about our work! Our first blog will focus on our incredible summer trip to Rajasthan, India. Earlier in the spring, we received a grant from Georgetown’s Social Innovation and Public Service (SIPS) fund to send three of our board members to Rajasthan. This was a great opportunity to meet with our on-the-ground partner NGO Grameen Evam Samajik Vikas Sanstha (GSVS), discuss the progress of our projects, and speak with some of the women participating in our projects!
Day 1: GSVS and Mineral Grinding
Co-Presidents Shreya Arora and Sanchi Gupta and our Co-Vice President of Finance Sresth Viswanathan arrived in India in late May. On the first day, the group met with Abhay Singh, the head of GSVS, at the NGO’s Ajmer headquarters. Abhay gave an overview of the 3 pillars of GSVS: child rights and abuse prevention, livelihood improvement, and women’s health and nutrition. During this visit, the three board members also met with Sumant, our project manager for our anemia project, who showed them the hemoglobin machine we purchased for the project. Anemia is a condition characterized by low red blood cell count, and is diagnosed by a low hemoglobin level. The hemoglobin machine we purchased allows GSVS members to test hemoglobin levels of the project participants throughout the project and see whether their hemoglobin levels increase while using the Lucky Shakti Leaf. The Lucky Shakti Leaf is a natural cooking tool that releases iron when added to acidified boiling liquids. Our hope is that by increasing the amount of iron consumed in our study participants’ diets, we can increase their hemoglobin levels and alleviate or eliminate their anemia symptoms.
After meeting with GSVS, the group headed to Beawar where they explored hazardous copper grinding sites to learn more about occupational hazards in the mineral grinding industry. The high presence of dust in mineral grinding units can lead to conditions like silicosis, an incurable long-term lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust. There is no silicosis prevention in 80% of factories and no compensation is given to workers with silicosis, so GSVS is working to raise awareness about worker rights, implement safety measures, and scale up accident prevention. After the visit, the group went to GSVS’ Beawar district office to watch a video with more information about GSVS’ work at the copper grinding sites. It was an insightful and informative first day!
Day 2: Supporting Girls’ Education and Data Collection
Back in Ajmer at the GSVS headquarters, Shreya, Sanchi and Sresth met with Sumant and Abhay. Abhay explained the work of the Kailish Satyarthi Foundation which aims to end child marriage in India. GSVS is one of 156 partners and started a scheme 6 months ago called the Udaan initiative to sponsor high performing girls in government schools who cannot otherwise afford tuition, uniforms, and textbooks. We hope to raise awareness about this initiative through our social media so that as many girls as possible can be sponsored–for more information on how to donate, see the flyer in our Linktree (linked in our Instagram bio @georgetown.projectrishi).
In the afternoon, the three board members traveled to Fatehpura and Suhawa Villages to visit participants of our Lucky Shakti Leaf project. Sanchi and Shreya spoke with the women participants and completed a comprehensive survey in Hindi. The data we collected with these surveys helped us design part two of our Lucky Shakti Leaf pilot project!
Day 3: Crèche Centers
On Day 3, the group visited 3 crèche centers run by GSVS. These centers supervise and care for between 40 and 60 migrant children each day. They run 6 days a week from 10am to 5pm and provide 3 meals a day to the children. They also provide general childhood vaccinations and lessons in basic English and counting. Shreya, Sanchi, and Sresth met with the crèche staff and children and distributed biscuit packets. This is another GSVS project that we want to raise awareness about. Some children at these centers do not have shoes or basic clothing items, and we want to ensure that each child has access to these basic necessities.
Day 4: Insightful Discussions
In Amritupura Village and Gopal Sagar, Shreya, Sanchi, and Sresth were able to have a great conversation with women who participated in the Lucky Shakti Leaf project. During the conversation, Sanchi explained the purpose of the Lucky Shakti Leaf and reiterated the importance of using the leaf as much as possible. From this visit, we learned that a calendar to help track usage of the leaf would be helpful for the women, and we worked on developing one over the summer. In Nokheda, the group got to meet with women who participated in our EcoFemme project and speak about their experience using the EcoFemme pads. We learned that most women preferred the modern style pad over the cloth style pad, and the women saw some benefits to using the reusable pads. It was so insightful to speak with the women participants and discuss their opinions on product usage and improvement for the future.
Day 5: Goat Rearing and Administrative Meetings
In Piplaz and Fatehgarh, the group learned about goat rearing, an environmentally friendly, sustainable source of income that serves as an alternative to working in potentially hazardous industries for low-income women in rural India. Through goat rearing, women can gain financial independence and often use their income to empower their children and communities, so everyone wins! GSVS provides an initial loan for women to buy a few goats, then the women are trained on the proper upkeep of goats. Twice a year, the female goats give birth and the calves are sold in the market for meat. The women then pay GSVS back the initial loan in up to 15 installments. GSVS also pays for a doctor who can be contacted in case of emergencies and visits once every 3 months to vaccinate the goats. Goat rearing as an alternative industry has many benefits. Firstly, there is no risk of occupational hazards or diseases prevalent in other industries such as the mineral grinding industry. Goat rearing from home also decreases the incidence of sexual abuse at the workplace. Additionally, workplace autonomy allows women to devote their time to other occupations or hobbies if desired, and they can experience financial independence and empowerment!
In the afternoon, the three board members had meetings to solidify the future of EcoFemme, Lucky Shakti Leaf, and to explore options for future projects. After much deliberation, we decided to move forward with a project on child malnutrition in the migrant labor of the Brick Industry. We will work to provide ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) packets and nutritional education sessions. Stay tuned to learn more about how this project develops!
Day 6: Wrapping Up
On the last day, Shreya, Sanchi, and Sresth met with GSVS staff members to discuss what they had learned so far during the trip. They worked on a budget breakdown for the Lucky Shakti Leaf Project and devised plans for the creation of an informational video on anemia and Luckt Shakti Leaf.
Looking ahead
Overall, it was amazing getting to see Georgetown RISHI and GSVS’s work in person! Having face-to-face conversations with the women participating in our projects in addition to meeting with GSVS staff was very informative and a great start to brainstorming future endeavors for Georgetown Project RISHI.We look forward to integrating all the information and ideas learned on the trip. We also look forward to welcoming new team members next week–if you haven’t, please consider applying by this Saturday September 9th!
For more updates before our next blog post, follow us on instagram @georgetown.projectrishi, or email us at dcprojectrishi@gmail.com!
