Trip Preparations II

Another quick hit today.

Excited about a few things:

1) A colleague from my physics program here at Berkeley, one Grant Larsen, will be joining Meg and I on our trip to India. I know he'll be of good help for brainstorming ideas for the NGO and helping with some technical stuff. We're super excited to have Grant coming with us.


A similar youth technology and leadership group from previous work. The students were quite excited by the computer, as you can see.


2) The Youth Leadership and Technology Groups (YLTGs) have begun meeting now that there exams have ended. To be precise, a group has been formed in Mohan Gurjar ki Dhani and another is set to be formed in Kukrela. Rohitash was telling me today about a computer they purchased that runs off of one CPU, but has two screens, two mice, and two keyboards. Thus, twice the action off of one computer. A great idea on their end. I am excited to see this system and see how the youth in Mohan Gurjar ki Dhani respond to it. As I've said in past posts, we are going at this in a trial and error fashion, so it'll be exciting to see what we learn along the way.

Other than this, we are just going through the preparations for going to India. Coming up with a packing list and also writing down what we plan to discuss with Rohitash and Gopal while there. I've also been soliciting advice on the website that I think will come into existence after my visit in May. Everything is in the works. Exciting stuff. Expect a lot of pictures in a couple weeks :).

best,

Derek

Trip preparations

Quick post today.

Talked with Rohitash and we are getting things set up for Meg's and my May visit. Rohitash and Gopal are going to purchase two computers in the next week or so and start meeting with the youth groups, now that the exam period is over for Indian students. They are planning on having an in-house computer instructor to teach them and the youth in May and/or June. Rohitash and Gopal set this up and I agree it is the best way for them to pick up all the computer skills needed to pass on such information to the students in the youth groups. I am excited too see all that they learn and to start strategizing on the best ways to make these group work. I think this work has the potential to be very innovative and to provide a boost the the local students in these villages, who often never get to see a computer before college (if they get to go). I am super excited for this work to begin.




The two on the right are wearing the school uniforms I have generally seen in RJ. I suspect the two, not surprisingly female, youth on the left are not going to school. Gender issues are something we wish to address in our work.



As for other work, Rohitash and Gopal continue to run the SHG groups and to begin discussions with other villages to start groups. They are taking things slowly, so as to make strong groups and to not over-extend, which I think is wise. There will be a bit of a break in May will all of the cool (kharif) season crops needing to be harvested and processed, but we'll be back at it in June. Longer term, we're probably going to start looking at getting funding for environmental/water management projects, as well as working on a website (which I think will be up in some form by the summer). Exciting times.

Hope you all are well.

Good money transfer scheme, preparation for trip, meeting set up, etc.

Hawa Mahal, or the wind palace, in the Pink City of Jaipur. Where the ladies of the city would look out onto the town without being seen in times past.



The seat of power in Delhi. Lots of other cool stuff like the red fort in Delhi too.




The Taj Mahal. Not much to say here. The world's most famous monument to love. Very ethereal and beautiful.


Again, it's been a bit since I last posted. Since then some things have happened of note.

1) Rohitash and Gopal set up another bank account to which Shishir from NSS could transfer funds electronicaly, with no need for the dreaded month in transport via snail mail. The second quarter's funds reached them in 2 weeks, instead of 3 months, so this is an enormous improvement over the last transfer. The last transfer was particularly bad, but all transfers thus far have taken 1-2 months, so this is a very positive change. It will take financial stress off of Rohitash and Gopal, who are dedicated and hard working in the field, but nonetheless have families to take care of. It will also allow continuous field work with no interruptions due to funds not arriving. I am very happy that we now have a mechanism for quick and easy money transfer.

2) I am in preparation for going to India with Meg at the end of May. As a part of this I have set up a meeting with Shishir and Girish from NSS, the agency that directs our funds and makes sure our work is going through cleanly and transparently (this monitoring is basically required by Indian law for the first three years of operation). We will meet in Delhi to discuss how field operations have gone thus far and how we can continue to improve communication and the smoothness of our operation. We will also probably talk a bit about other funding sources, since NSS is actually a big organization involved in lots of nonprofit work in India and so have experience with finding funding. My goal is to have Rohitash and Gopal find at least half of their funding from funding agencies within and outside of India within, say 5 years. I know they are capable and will be able to set up the proper interconnects if I facilitate with some of my funds and English proficiency. I look forward to this agenda setting meeting. It will be interesting and fun.

3) Meg and I have our plan for India pretty well now. We think at the beginning we'll be in Delhi and will see a few things there (when I'm not meeting with Girish and Shishir). Then we'll go the Taj Mahal for one day, before heading down to Rajasthan. We'll spend around 10 days there, most of it in the village area monitoring the work currently being carried out. However, we'll also stop into Jaipur for a couple days to pick out wedding rings and see the host family I with whom I stayed 4 years ago. They are a wonderful and kind family and I greatly look forward to seeing them. I think Meg is also excited to see many of the wonderful things I have told her about, and I'm sure other things she has read and learned about in her study of history. I think it is going to be a great time, to be with friends in India and to imbibe the local culture, as well as to work on our work of microcredit and technology education. I am very excited by the prospects.

That's about it for now. I'll try to write at least one more post before we head out to India. Hope you all are well.

Plane tickets purchased and more computer donations

Hi all, quick post here before a lengthier one in the next few days. I am very excited because Meg and I have our plane tickets for our trip to India at the end of May. We will go to see the progress of LSS and to talk about short and long-term strategy for computer education, the youth groups, and so forth. I am very excited to see the villages where we are working, and to help in the launch of the youth technology groups.




On that note, I am also happy that I now have the desired total of 5 computers for the establishment of 5 YTLG's in the next few months. In addition to the earlier donation of Mr. Quan, I have also received a donation from my older brother Denny and James Arnott, for a total of 3 donated computers. I thank all of these people for their support of LSS's work. Their support is invaluable. The other two computers will be purchased with funds from the budget. I am very happy that we'll be able to establish these first 5 groups and focus on making them work for the next year or two. After that we'll look at forming new groups one we have established methods that work.

I am very excited about all of these developments. Here's a video of a ted talk about computer education in developing countries (suggested to me by James):

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

We'll definitely be considering the ideas in this video as we design and execute our program.

Have a great day!

Frustrations and progress

It is the cool crop season in India, called kharif, and this is when, in Rajasthan, they grow wheat, chickpeas, barley, and mustard, among others. The time period is about November to March. Millet is grown during the monsoon season, along with other crops such as chilis and tomatoes. The time period for the monsoon season is about late June to October. Not many things are grown during the hot season, when it is too dry and hot for much to survive. The hot period is roughly April to early June.









I love the look of mustard fields in India. Very pretty, all the swaying yellow stocks.

Hi all,

Work continues with LSS, with some hiccups as always. I have found the most hiccups in the process come from paperwork and money transfer, not the actual work itself! The latest hiccup was in a money transfer for the first quarter's work, which I had initiated on Christmas Eve. The account was not checked in India for a while due to a death in the family of the person with whom we are working in NSS. By the time it was checked in middle of January, it was found the money was not there. After many harried calls to India in which I tried to figure out where the money was, I finally ordered a wire transfer trace from Wells Fargo. After 10 days news came back that it had been sitting in a bank account because of some currency conversion issues. Shockingly, to me at least, it seems that Indian banks cannot receive money in rupees and have to have the money sent abroad to be converted to rupees. Apparently this was done in this case, and then the money was put in a "suspension" account, waiting for action on what should be done with it. I was not contacted when it was put in this suspension account, mind you, so how I was supposed to know to call them and tell them to release the funds, I do not know. Frustrating. However, the money is there now and with it Rohitash and Gopal can be paid for their continued work this year and get the equipment for the start of this year's work. After some time and effort, all has worked out.

Some of the funds sent were for a couple computers for starting the youth leadership and technology education groups, while others were for travel costs, stationary expenses, etc. For the YLTGs, Rohitash and Gopal are in discussion with several villages about starting these groups once the examination period has ended and students have some time to focus on outside things. We anticipate some preliminary meetings of the groups in March and then we will start in earnest in May when school is out. Conveniently, that will be precisely when Meg and I will be visiting Rajasthan to see how the operations are going. The villages in which conversation have begun about the YLTGs are :

1- Berki
2- Mohan gurjar ki dhani
3- Pando
4- Kukrella
5- Swami ke Dhani / Checawala

We will focus on these 5 villages and try out different methods of computer education to see which works best.

For the SHGs, groups have been established in 5 villages and Rohitash and Gopal have been in he process of getting the by-laws getting written for these groups, as well as doing all the paperwork associated with getting a formal bank account for the groups. As expected, this work is humming right along, largely due to Rohitash and Gopal's extensive experience in this area of work. This work is being done in the following villages:

1. Kukrella
2. Pando
3. Berki
4. Swami ki Dhani
5. Badshapura

I am happy the funds are now in India and we are on track to begin the work with the youth. Things are going quite well and Meg and I are excited for our visit in May.

James' visit to village area

Some of the gentle people of Rajasthan, from the SHG group in Derki.

Me with the SHG group members in Derki

Rohitash and Gopal leading the discussion at the SHG group in Derki.

Dal, Batti, Churma! A delicious Rajasthani treat that I was treated to at Gopal's house.

Gopal sitting outside of his house. The straw huts are where many members of his family sleeps, though Gopal has a small brick house, and his brother is currently building a brick house.

Gopal and Rohitash on top of the office, getting ready for a day's work.

Hello everyone,

I’m a friend of Derek’s from high school who recently was privileged to pay a visit to LSS headquarters in beautiful rural Rajasthan. My visit came near the end of an extraordinary 6 week trip to Nepal and India, but in all sincerity, my brief encounter with LSS turned out to be one of the most meaningful and rewarding parts of my trip.

All told my visit was only less than 24 hours, but within this short time, Rohitash and Gopal made me feel at home and provided a thorough overview of their current work and ambitious agenda for the future. In these conversations, I was struck by the wealth of experience Rohitash and Gopal possess in microfinance and rural development. They’ve been actively working on-the-ground for 18 years, long before the concept of microcredit was widely implemented in India or popular in the West. My bottom line impression is that Rohitash and Gopal are authentic social entrepreneurs—taking personal risk to pursue innovative strategies to improve their community in lieu of more comfortable, stable (but less impactful) careers with government or business.

A special treat at the end of my visit was a motorcycle trip deep into the heart of Rajasthan to visit a recently formed self-help group. Although the women were shy at first, they did open up in a dialogue facilitated and translated by Rohitash and Gopal. They are eager to reap the benefits that they anticipate from their group. It will open doors to attaining health care, education, and investments in seed and livestock that were otherwise financially out of reach.

My hat goes off to Derek for his commitment to LSS and the beautiful and gentle people of Rajasthan. While the development challenges facing Rajasthan are reflected across much of the developing world, Derek and his able helpers Rohitash and Gopal, are effectively tackling issues in one small area with tangible results. I urge anyone looking for a worthy and impactful cause to seriously consider supporting LSS.

Photos

Older SHG member with a boy, probably her grandson.

Woman signing in the group log book after making her monthly payment to the SHG's group central fund, from which all group members can take loans. Having this central fund ensures that no interest is paid to banks, so all the money stays in the community. This group log book records the contributions of all group members and is kept by LSS to track the group's activities, i.e. amount of funds in the central fund, status of loans taken out, etc.

For women who are illiterate, they sign the book by giving their thumbprints. This women is putting her thumb in the inkpad.

Signing the book with her thumbprint.

Rohitash and Gopal sitting at the front of the group, discussing issues related to the groups activities. Once the group is comfortably formed, they will serve mainly as facilitators to the conversation, letting the women discuss amongst themselves. This is an integral part of each SHG group meeting, a discussion of the groups affairs. It usually runs for an hour or two, with often very loud and impassioned discussion. Very fun to watch.

If you look at the upper left corner (perhaps with zoom) you can see our organization's name transliterated into roman symbols - Lok Sabhagi Sansthan, meaning public participatory institute. Rohitash and Gopal ordered these books, which are kept by each member to record their contributions to the group's central fund. On it is written their name and inside is the date of the various group meetings and the amount they gave to the group's central fund in that meeting. The amount is standardized at Rs 50 (about $1) per month. See this book with our organization's name on it makes me smile.

Inside of the book, showing the first contribution of Rs 50 on December 4th, 2010.

James Arnott with the SHG group members.

James was tickled by this village lady, who spent the whole time sifting grain while talking on her cell phone. Typical rural India: ancient methods and cell phones side-by-side.

James got a treat at Gopal Singh's house: Dal Batti Churma. It is sizzling hot wheat balls with butter (batti), a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and flower (churma), and Dal. There appears to also be yogurt (chach). This is one of the best meals in India, though I'm not sure you can find it in the US, as I believe it is a Rajasthani specialty dish, and Rajasthani cuisine is not too common in the US.

Gopal Singh's field. The winter crop consists of wheat, barley, chickpeas, and mustard seed. This brings me great joy, as this field had turned to mere dust because Gopal did not have a good source of water and rain had been bad. A successful well project and good monsoon later, things are much improved. It makes me so very happy for Mr. Singh, a class act if there ever was one.

Rohitash and Gopal posing at their desks, where they process paperwork for the running of the SHG's and other aspects of the LSS's work.

The desks, computers, filing cabinet, etc. that were purchased in the last year.

The bed James slept on, consisting of fabric stretched over a metal frame. Sounds simple (and is), but this is one of the best places to sleep. So comfy, and James concurs.

Great smile from Gopal Singh. He has LSS's camera in his hand. Gopal is ebullient and hardworking, a tremendous asset to the organization.

Good close-up of Rohitash Kumar Meena, a gentle and kind soul. Doesn't he just look it? Love these guys.

Rohitash and Gopal on the roof above the office. Rohitash has on a light blanket, as it does get cold in the morning in the winter. They have surely had some chai and have probably read the paper in preparation for their day.

It's been a while since my last post, with finishing up classes and the holiday season. However, the workers have been busy continuing their work, with SHGs going in Derki, Kukrela, Pando, and Sundarpura. They are also in talks with women in the villages of Kechawala and Amloda. We have also hammered out the budget and agenda for next year, which includes the start of the Youth Leadership and Technology Groups (YLTG's). More on this below.

I have to say, first of all, that I got a most wonderful Christmas present: some pictures of the NGO's office and work, from a friend of mine who was visiting in early December, James Arnott. I have been to India and seen Rohitash and Gopal's work, but not since we formed this new NGO to focus on issues of women's equality, technology education, and environment. It's quite gratifying for me to see the workers at their desks, or with the women in their SHGs, doing the work that we started LSS to do. We have the proper facilities all set up and now we are just going to slowly build up our operations.

Indeed, we will continue to form SHGs, since Rohitash and Gopal are experts at that, having spent roughly 17 years doing such work. The benefits from such activities are also immense, in terms of allowing women a degree of economic independence and allowing families access to small loans to improve their condition. However, we will start moving into our other areas of planned work, starting with the YLTG's in 2011. We have the funds for two computers, have two others donated, and will look to get one more laptop to bring over when Meg and I visit India in summer of 2011. So, we will get groups set up in 5 villages and focus on them for the next year, and most probably 2012 as well. We will work to find what is the best structure in which the youth can learn about computers and how to use them to advance themselves professionally.

One things that's hard to fathom as Americans is that in these villages only a small number of the students have ever SEEN a computer, let alone used or learned about one. Indeed, in a group of 20 students aged 13-18 that I visited last year, only 1 of them had seen a computer. There is tremendous opportunity to allow these students to develop themselves and their skills so that they will be greater assets to their communities. We will be looking for the best ways for our computers to be used for the benefit of the communities in which we work in the years to come. It will be a trial and error process, and we welcome ideas on methods we can implement.

Verily, James suggested the idea, taken from a Ted talk, that student be given access to the computer in groups of 3 or 4, and through discussion they will learn about the computer, teach each other, and eventually will have a working knowledge of the computer. So, my thought is that we'll put up a schedule in each village and the students can sign up in groups of 3 or 4 for hour timeslots on the computer. We will probably supplement this with short lessons from Rohitash and Gopal, who will be trained the first two months of the year by a live-in computer teacher (something else they were busy arranging in the last month or so). So, let the work begin! Enjoy the photos and updates will be coming as we begin this work with the youth.