About me
23, Foodie, Traveler, Civil Engineer. I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list.
Social
Day 10
/
0 Comments
Day 10
Our first full day of community development started off with a 2 hr drive through the mountains. Probably the scariest drive I have ever been on. It felt as if we were testing death driving along these cliffs, and at such a high speed. We passed a car of teenagers on a Sunday drive about 5 times. The jeep was packed, with people sitting on the roof and in the boot. I really felt scared for them when watching it tip side to side on the winding roads.
We stopped along the way to explore the hill sides. We were lead to this cave just off the path. It reminded me of a scene from the Blair Witch Project. To my surprise a heard of livestock was being held there. A tribal family owned the live stock and live in the natural cave too. Just from looking at the mountainside I would never have guessed that it was a home to a family and a family of goats. It is clear that the people working at Lokpanchayat have gained the trust of the community and also gained privileged information.
We met with the community of Pope Sunday. This is an agricultural community that produces these hard seeds (that I cant remember the name of, Something i have never seen before).
The meeting began straight away with no introductions and straight to business. The volunteer from Lokpanchayat talked about the equality of men and women in that village and their equal role in agriculture. There was 15 woman self help group in that community. Water was a big issue for that tribal community. They would have to walk 3 km to the nearest water source and in the monsoon season they have little or no access to water. To fight this problem the government has built an open stone tank from the rural sceam. This scheme entitles farmers to 100 days of work every year no matter what the season is like.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch made with produce from the local community. The roti bread was rustic but delicious and we ate it with a black paste and an Indian bean. I have to say though it was probably the hottest meal I have ever eaten in my life.
We finished off the day visiting a conservation forest which was turned into a sacred land. One of the main struggles now is Younger generation deforesting in the desperate need for agriculture.
One of the best parts of today was being invited into a baby shower just from walking past the hotel reception. I don't think i have ever had so many photos taken of myself in 10 mins. I had the honor of blessing the mother by dotting her bindi. We joined them for dinner outside along with their hundreds if family members. I felt so welcome, and also like a super model.
Our first full day of community development started off with a 2 hr drive through the mountains. Probably the scariest drive I have ever been on. It felt as if we were testing death driving along these cliffs, and at such a high speed. We passed a car of teenagers on a Sunday drive about 5 times. The jeep was packed, with people sitting on the roof and in the boot. I really felt scared for them when watching it tip side to side on the winding roads.
We stopped along the way to explore the hill sides. We were lead to this cave just off the path. It reminded me of a scene from the Blair Witch Project. To my surprise a heard of livestock was being held there. A tribal family owned the live stock and live in the natural cave too. Just from looking at the mountainside I would never have guessed that it was a home to a family and a family of goats. It is clear that the people working at Lokpanchayat have gained the trust of the community and also gained privileged information.
We met with the community of Pope Sunday. This is an agricultural community that produces these hard seeds (that I cant remember the name of, Something i have never seen before).
The meeting began straight away with no introductions and straight to business. The volunteer from Lokpanchayat talked about the equality of men and women in that village and their equal role in agriculture. There was 15 woman self help group in that community. Water was a big issue for that tribal community. They would have to walk 3 km to the nearest water source and in the monsoon season they have little or no access to water. To fight this problem the government has built an open stone tank from the rural sceam. This scheme entitles farmers to 100 days of work every year no matter what the season is like.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch made with produce from the local community. The roti bread was rustic but delicious and we ate it with a black paste and an Indian bean. I have to say though it was probably the hottest meal I have ever eaten in my life.
One of the best parts of today was being invited into a baby shower just from walking past the hotel reception. I don't think i have ever had so many photos taken of myself in 10 mins. I had the honor of blessing the mother by dotting her bindi. We joined them for dinner outside along with their hundreds if family members. I felt so welcome, and also like a super model.
About Post Author
