Contrast - by Mike

Contrast

Our reflection session yesterday revealed a common feeling amongst the group. Everyone has felt a sensation of being guided through the activities like a campaign and there is an opinion that the YMCA staff are very conscious of us ‘inspecting’ their work, rather than appreciating it.

This has made our stay here in Kayukamari very different to that in Nagpur. That is not to diminish the work of the YMCA here. On the contrary it is clear that the rebuilding projects that have been undertaken here are an incredible achievement given the problems with infrastructure in the wake of he Tsunami. The YMCA have pledged to build 610 houses nationwide to help the reconstruction of affected areas, which when combined with the other agencies who are taking part in India, will hopefully serve to have a massive effect on those whose lives were dramatically altered by the biggest earthquake and resulting Tsunami in modern times. That 550 of these houses are already complete (with the others due to be finished by the end of February), is a remarkable testament to the commitment of all those involved in the projects across southern India.

That said, it would be very easy to declare the job ‘done’, whereas the reality is that there is much more work and many more targets to achieve. The self help groups that we had chance to interact with seem to be a recurring feature of the redevelopment work that characterises the 2nd phase activity of the YMCA. While a step in the right direction, it appears that this could be a token effort on behalf of what is essentially a patriarchal society.

Compared to the frank openness of J.P. and his staff in Nagpur, this contrast has been difficult to adapt to. Whether this is a cultural idiosyncrasy or something else is not clear but after seeing how much value is added to projects when both genders are equally involved in the process, it is frustrating to see such conservative attitudes prevail in a situation that could have been used as a real opportunity for wholesale change.

Mike