Hey there strangers!!! As promised, you get two posts on the wonderful weekend advenutres I have been on lately. First and foremost: adventures in Rural India from September 25th to September 27th!! A break I welcomed as we would be spending time learning about rural/village life in India (which meant no classes for this lucky duck Monday or Tuesday last week!!) During the trip, we learned about an NGO, BAIF, which works toward establishing sustainable economies for villagers mainly through supporting agriculture and educating farmers about environmentally-friendly practices such as Organic Farming techniques. We stayed at their facility and had the opportunity to see some of their efforts such as: seed storage/gathering to build up a database of thriving species of grains, corn, etc for each area they worked with; fields which grew these various varieties of crops; organic farming practices they encourage/educate farmers to be able to use such as making pesticides and fertilizers (I won't tell you the magic ingredient!); and a few of the farms which BAIF has helped support. We also got to visit two rural health facilities-one within a tribe and one which served a greater number of tribes (as well as aided rural women in child birth) AND as an EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS to our rural weekend, WE VISITED A TRIBAL VILLAGE!!!...It was definitely not the kind of tribal village I was expecting (small huts, no electricity, minimal clothing, and painted faces), but it was a great experience for sure!
BAIF:
(the BAIF facility where we stayed)
(creating a database of seeds that best thrive in various areas)
(more stored seeds from crops in the pictures above and below)
(Tricks of the Trade: BAIF educates farmers on organic methods including how to make your own fertilizers and pesticides. Fertilizers are made mainly through composting methods using worms and all compostable, natural wastes, while pesticides us a variety of the leaves shown in the colorful containers above that get grinded down, mixed with water, cow urine, and a few other ingredients to keep the pests away!)
(BAIF fields! Another trick BAIF has taught farmers is to plant one plant which is deep red in color (almost purple) in the field as it will work to attract all of the pests to itself while keeping the crops unharmed!)
(We also got to visit a farm owned by a family BAIF has helped through its work. These are mango and cashew trees BAIF has given to the family who can harvest their fruits and sell them for a living. Because the trees are still too young to produce fruit, BAIF has given the family flowering plants, which they can sell the flowers of to supplement their income until the trees are mature)
(Flowering plants given to supplement the family's income)
Rural Health Facilities:
(As many in rural villages are illiterate, the things we gather from the poster are about the same as what a villager would gather. How would you interpret what is being said through just these pictures? I would be personally inclined to conclude from the pictures that marriage causes either blood clots or some artery/blood problem...imagine that? More like high blood pressure!)
(Another odd finding at the health care facility were the pictures of Caucasian babies in Indian rural villages. Why?)
(The government offers many incentives to villagers in order to encourage them to get the proper care they need. This picture highlights one of the many efforts being worked toward: proper maternal care. During their first and second pregnancies, women can come to the health facility and stay in this room where they are given food, a bed, and even television-a luxury they often do not have at home in the village-as well as 400 rupees per day. This encourages women to give birth to their children in a safe place, not in a village which may use unsafe practices such as using rusty sickles to sever an umbilical cord. By compensating women they can ensure that women do not use excuses such as missing out on wages in order to get the proper care they need/deserve)
(Another health service center, this one located closer to the village for smaller medical needs)
Our day concluded with a trip to view this beautiful waterfall over tea and snacks!
Jawahar: Visiting the Tribal Village:
(I think many of us shared mutual curiosity with the villagers. Many of them came out and about to see us!)
(Just some kids playing on the stairs!)
(Some of the homes in the tribal village...not exactly the huts I was expecting)
(Some of the villagers make crafts-making animals/figurines out of paper mache (like what is shown above) or creating tribal art/paintings)
( I even made a friend while in the village! This is Pooja. She is a 12 year old girl, in 6th Standard. When we asked her what she wants to do after school, she said she wasn't sure, she just wanted to finish it first-a statement we could agree with even as college students!)
(This is my friend Lauren just hanging out with some village kids while waiting for the group to finish purchasing their tribal paintings. The little girl sitting near her loved having her picture taken with one catch-you had to show her the pictures you took that she was in)
(More children from the tribal village. These little boys were so adorable!)
Curious to know what I did this past weekend? Check out the second update of the day to be posted soon!!
dream.love.discover.
Dachelle xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment