Project Maitrigram, The Slum

My first full week has been one for the books. Being an intern with Maitri has already taught me so much about others, myself and everything in-between. Whether I am in the office or out at a project site, I am always learning something new. Recently, I was able to visit the project Maitrigram in a slum of New Delhi. Upon arriving at the site, I was greeted with warm hands and many smiling faces. Within the project, Maitri provides education in topics that are believed to be the most essential for future employment opportunities like math, English and Hindi. I was able to meet a group of older students who had become involved with the organization to help set a career path for their futures. These students had been attending job fairs in hopes to land an occupation in a field where knowing English is of value. Five of these students were able to receive employment, and it seemed to have meant a great deal to them. The other students who were unable to receive a job didn't just quit there. They were going to be attending a job fair the next weekend with the same hopes as the previous five.
 

I was then able to meet the younger children who come for their basic education skills. The youth were of all ages and were ready to learn. There was even a very little three year old girl who had her pencil and paper in her hands and was paying very close attention to the teacher. I was then able to  have a conversation with them in English, and I was quite surprised at what they already knew! I told them my favorite word, which is hope, and their teacher asked them if they knew what it meant. None of the children did, so she explained it to them in Hindi and then had them repeat the word multiple times. It is so humbling to see children wanting and enjoying to learn. We then taught them duck, duck, goose, and I believe they thought it was pretty exciting. Following that, I saw the seamstress program that is set up for the underprivileged women; they too were all so willing to learn and were all very hard workers.


As the day had ended at the program and the youth were leaving, I was provided with many thoughtful goodbyes. I don't think in my life I have ever seen many happier people. I know that they do not have all the privileges I have received in my life, yet they were all so grateful for the littlest of things. These children and the older students taught me so many things just from meeting in that short time period I had with them, and I don't think I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.  

Brok Dixon
University of Utah

 

An inspirational summer!

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, one of India’s  reformers, abolished the practice of sati as he considered it a social evil. However, even after so many years, the societal pressures and stigma that a widow has to face, remains more or less the same. The oppression, exploitation and ostracization that they continue to face in the society, should make us aware of the patriarchal structure that continues to oppress women, and most of all, women who don’t have “men to protect them.”

Luckily, it was the second day of my internship that I had an opportunity to visit Vrindavan and be a part of the inauguration of Maitri’s second shelter home for widows, there.

When employees from Maitri and I started distributing food and fruits to the widows, I realized how important is it to have these organizations, the ones that willingly take up causes that need to be addressed, and selflessly continue to put in efforts to make lives better.

Without Maitri, these widow mothers would have had very limited access to any necessary resources, as most of them are forced to beg or take up sex work. 

In India, within a rigid patriarchal mindset, a woman is oppressed within marital norms, and if the husband dies, it gets worse for her survival. She is devoid of all basic necessities which are beyond understanding.  Often blamed for her husband’s death, the woman is exploited by her in laws and left on her own. The societal stigma is so much that they are left with no other option than solitude. Hence, it becomes necessary to reach out and provide for them.

For a week, I taught children from underprivileged backgrounds, some of them, as young as 2.  It was slightly difficult as these children are in different grades and it was quite a challenge for me.

However, I was able to teach and give homework to all of them, after I brushed off my nervousness. It was a very different experience and a learning opportunity.

Maitri has also collaborated with Teach India, to train young individuals to get jobs after a 3 month course in English; I accompanied these young adults for their annual job fair, and to my delight, most of the students got jobs that day.

In today’s times, possessing the working knowledge of English really helps and I feel that training these adults in the same is very beneficial for their future.

The internship experience was very useful overall, as other than learning a lot of things, I also grasped how to apply the same.  Even if I was accompanying a senior to the field, there was so much to learn and understand how communities and society functions. I was able to recognize as to why access to education is so difficult and even after provision of the same, how much effort it takes to convince the people and make them trust an organization.

The office staff and the other interns are all very friendly and helpful. Not even once did I hesitate to ask a question or for help from anyone. I believe that this kind of positivity in the work environment also makes a big difference.

I want to thank Maitri for giving me this opportunity and making my summer special.

Aiman Khan