Nimgaon Bhogi Village

Today was the best day in India yet.  We went to Nimgaon Bhogi (nim-gown bo-guy) Village (vill-age) to see the work of an NGO called Ashta No Kai (ANK, https://sites.google.com/site/ashtanokai/).  In this very poor, rural village, ANK has helped empower women by starting self-help groups in which women collectively save money to make loans to one another.  With this money they are able to buy things like cows and chickens that enable them to have a livelihood.  Or at least one that is not dependent on the monsoon for crop growth.  This particular village has a dairy cooperative that is run by the women that is quite profitable.  Not only does the self-help group give women some financial autonomy, but the fellowship and relationships between the women build their confidence and strength.  I was so moved and humbled by the strength of these women, who have overcome centuries of cultural norms to redefine their roles in the village.  

ANK also works to support the school in the village, and we went there next.  As we have been everywhere, we were ceremoniously welcomed, this time with a drum and clapping from the entire student population.  Next, we help facilitate "Sports Day," which is like field day, in which each grade level participated in one race.  Wheelbarrow races are transcendent.  Next we broke into pairs to do an activity with one class of students.  Tracy and I were paired and had planned to make toilet-paper-roll-framed-balloon-cars with a group of 18 fifth graders who didn't speak English.  It was excitingly successful, and we had so much fun with the kids despite the lack of verbal communication.  High fives and smiles are universal!

We left the kids and went to have lunch in a home in the village.  The families were so nice and welcoming, and the food was amazing.  Next we went to see an e-learning center that ANK built in the village for adolescent girls.  These girls meet regularly and study a curriculum that alternates between typically fun adolescent girly things and more serious issues such as marriage customs and sanitation.  They also teach the girls karate for self-defense, and we saw a demonstration of that from the girls.

After a long, exhausting, muddy, monsoon-y day, we loaded on the bus for the 4-hour, though only 60 km, drive home.  This was our first REAL experience with Indian traffic.  Waiting for us upon our return to the hotel were our host families.  I am staying with a Zoroastrian (Parsi) family that owns and runs a transport company here in Pune.  Sandy is staying with me, and Jeff is staying down the street with host-grandfather. My host mother is a Duke MBA grad who lived in Durham for many years.  Her oldest daughter is a psychologist, and hopes to apply to UNC-CH in the fall for Ph.D. studies.  I loved talking with them about hometown connections!