Written by Lisa Robinson-Spader.
I am currently in India for my third visit to the Karaikudi projects. On past trips, Martin, my partner here, organized visits to many villages where formal presentations were given and I was expected to give a short speech – village after village after… The visits were lovely, but the formality of them made me feel separated from the villagers, and I didn’t feel I really grew to understand their lives or issues better. This year I asked Martin if we could skip the formalities and just meet informally with villagers to discuss what was on their hearts. I was still welcomed into each village with traditional practices, like adorning my hair with flowers, sprinkling turmeric water on my feet, children performing lively dances…, but the speeches were eliminated and instead we just talked. This has proved a much more effective way to get to know them, and they me. There has been more laughter and heartfelt conversations.
The most surprising thing I learned through these meetings is how many women still have to use bushes for bathrooms. Even in our poorest project areas around the world the people at least have pit toilets, but not here. Of the 29 teachers & nurses I met with, 11 still are using a bush! As densely populated as India is, even in rural areas, I can’t imagine there is much privacy. Women must use the bushes while it is still dark in the morning, then hold on all day while they wait for sunset so they can eliminate again. Women often suffer abdominal pains and urinary tract infections as a result, not to mention the danger of deadly snake bites from entering bushes when it’s dark.
The most common issue raised is the changing patterns of rainfall. Agriculture sustains these rice farmers, but the annual monsoons have been failing with devastating results. Many men or entire families have migrated away to seek unskilled labor jobs to keep their families alive. At least 19 of the men have returned home to die from AIDs – but not before infecting their wives. Women, meanwhile, can no longer afford to buy vegetables and meat to eat with their rice, so nutritional health is declining. What water supplies they have are now shrinking and increasingly polluted, so they often must buy their drinking and cooking water from water trucks – a severe financial hardship. It is no surprise, therefore, that an agricultural bore well is at the top of the wish list for these villagers!
But what delighted me most was an issue raised by the children. In one large meeting with several villages combined, after all the adults had a chance to discuss their concerns and desires a large group of children approached us and told us they, too, had a need – not a want; a need. Such boldness among low-caste Indian children is very rare, so Martin was quite surprised and impressed with their assertiveness. These children have never been out of their remote rural village, but in their school books they have seen pictures of town life. They wanted to see what life was like outside their village. When Martin told the children that could be arranged, they exploded with giddy excitement! Bore wells might be the most important need, but there is something absolutely delightful and satisfying about bringing unbridled joy into a community that is normally more known for its suffering. I can’t wait to see photos of their field trip!
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