Make your Passion your Profession

'Choose your career on the basis of who you are'

Many regions and states in India are highly developed. If you looked around major cities in the North especially you would be surprised by the wealth and development which surrounds you. Not only is the landscape varied and the culture diverse but the opportunities between states and communities are vast. Each region though governed by the state controls education separately and government led schemes for health and livelihoods. This impacts the equality of how the system works and schemes are implemented. With so many rural communities and a ever growing population even on a state level villages and some districts can miss out. Opportunities are often said in England to be brighter for the upper classes, in India it is also true, the higher castes are more wealthy.

Part of the work which we are doing here in Tamil Nadu involves talking about career options after 10th Standard (Year 11), Degree courses at University, Diploma options, CV writing, personal development and training scheme and job hunting advice. Whilst in Vellore are target is to work with at least 24 individuals between the ages of 14-32 to create their own action plan. The action plan aims to help the individual think about their own qualities; strengths and weaknesses, skills and to get them to think about what they want to achieve, their dreams. To help them think about what they could achieve, a realistic plan for their future taking into consideration any issues which may prevent their success.

Our target communities in Vellore, the rural villages of Vanjur and Jebrapet have two primary schools and one secondary school between and many children from the surrounding villages  also attend them. The classes range from 30-100 pupils with few girls staying on past 9th Standard. However  the growing importance in some families is getting stronger in these communities and girls and boys are travelling to the city to continue their education, though the options of course continue to be very limited.

 Commonly known jobs, such as a Mechanical Engineer or a Doctor, are often oversubscribed and thus finding work is an extremely difficult task. However there are many roles within the fields of Engineering and Medicine that are less well know, and many other entire fields of work that are often overlooked, that can provide secure well paid work. On Monday we went to Don Bosco's Matriculation School and held a careers fair. As we were told it was for 9th Standard boys we planned to talk mainly about post 10th Standard  subject options and leading into why these choices would effect the degrees they can apply for later on. Not only did we want to inform them of the variety of career opportunities available to them but to inspire them to think about what they like , hobbies and subjects, what their passion is.Qualifications, education can be the key to their success as long as it is paired with your own interests and personal qualities.  When we arrived the headmaster gave us 11th Standard which was even better. We got the boys to promise that when they think about the next step to remember that you must Make your Passion your Profession! 

 While being in Vellore I have discovered that they choose to study Engineering or Medicine because they are told to and they aren't aware of the other choices. Sassi one of the national volunteers studied Electrical Engineering but doesn't ever and has never wish to be an Engineer. 'I never enjoyed Science or the course, I like Maths though'. When I asked him why he had studied it he said that his parents had never been to University and wanted him to study Engineering for it is thought to be a good thing to study. 'We don't know about the other jobs or degrees, people just know Doctor or Engineer.' Two young boys came over to talk to me after the careers fair to say thank you. One of the boys told me that he has always wanted to be an Electrical Engineer for that is all he knew but now he sees that even in that field of work he could train in 46 other types. The other had wanted to be a doctor but now thought his skills in Maths means he should be an accountant instead. They were so grateful and sweet, I hope to stay in touch so that after their exams we can support them further if they so wish. 

On Monday we also held a session in the Secondary school grounds for 258 6th-9th Standard pupils.  We spoke about the importance of reading and writing and education to be able to achieve their dream. We asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up. Out of all those children  they knew 5 career choices; 

• Doctor/Nurse

• Engineer

• Teacher

• Police

• Army

Then we held up 6 pictures of other career choices and the children guessed what they might be and we talked about them. By the end of the session some children said they now wanted to be an accountant or a beautician instead.  We tried to encourage them to follow their heart and to explore as many options as possible before deciding what route to take to make sure you as an individual find work that is engaging for you interests and provides the support you need.

It's easy to think that running these sessions has no impact for their is no instant evidence of change. But it's a start and it's something, a seed of new knowledge has been planted. Even if just one of these children we met on Monday starts to think about the variety of options available to them or has a happy memory. Then it's a success. Why begin to help change happen tomorrow when you can begin today?

The next few weeks will be busy filled with many more of these awareness raising and education sessions. I am so thankful to be here in India. Waking up each day to visit more children and plan sessions to help them gather the skills they need to create a sustainable and enjoyable life.

Stay Beautiful,

Zsofia xxxx 

The greatest gift of all...

A smile is often said to be the prettiest thing a person can wear. Where ever you travel in the world people need to smile. Where ever you go people are willing to be your friend. All around the world their are people who are lonely, who's hearts have begun to wonder if love will ever come their way. 

I spent last week in hospital and while it wasn't the nicest of experiences I was fortunate to meet some lovely people. Dr Harsa and Nurse Mary have the most compassion I have ever known. When I was feeling frightened or very unwell they took the time to talk to me and explain exactly what was happening,unlike others in the ward.  They visited me through out the day and always smiled and said 'hello' even if they had nothing else to say. I will be eternally grateful for their care and support and before I left I wrote them  little notes to say thank you and gave them a friendship bracelet. I feel it's very important to show people how much you appreciated there love and kindness. I also left next to my bed a note for the next patient to let them know that I will be praying for them and wishing them a speeding recovery. Everyone deserves to know that they are adored.

Similarly I have been giving out the friendship bracelets to the children and women who we have been working with. To see their faces light up is a glorious thing. When others are happy it makes me happy. Today is International Happiness Day, a day when all over the world everyone should smile even brighter than any other day. It's such a joy to feel happy. Your heart sings; your feet dance and your mind sways in the wind. The world is light and you float on a breeze. The world moves to the rhythm of your joy. while every note is sung with the voice of contentment. I asked everyone on our team what makes them happy and why they are happy today. It was so nice to hear people talk about themselves and each other in such a positive light.

Sanjeet- Happy to be away from home and with everyone in Vellore, learning and spending time together speaking English.

Michelle- Happy and simply grateful that she decided to leave her job and take part in this wonderful opportunity.

Mac- Feels free to be himself, enjoying the space from home and being in a situation where he can meet new people and gain new and enlightening perspectives. 

Charlotte- Is feeling happy as she has eaten lots of sugar! Each day is special and each day is one which matters and she will always remember. She will only have happy memories of India.

Becky- The comfort and dynamics of the group means she can be herself; free to moan and complain as we are all such good friends now. Feeling positive as her body and mind are starting to get used to India. 

Gill- All the Cows!

Karima- The beautiful moments like now when we are all sat around together eating, laughing and building natural friendships. All the experiences the uniqueness of India.

I am feel so blessed that our friendships feel so effortlessly made and have developed so organically. We are all relaxed, free to be ourselves and when people are comfortable the most magical of memories happen. People, people who need people are the luckiest people in the world, spreading cheer in all our hearts.

To be smiled at is to be given the greatest gift of all!

Stay Beautiful,

Zsofia xxxx

International Women's Day

A celebration to express respect and admiration for Woman around the world

'We realise the importance of our voices when we are silenced' Malala Yousafzai

The first International Women's Day was held on March 19^th 1911. Over 1 million people attended rallies worldwide to mark the occasion.It’s now celebrated in over 100 countries. Restless Development strongly believe in the empowerment of women and girls, that females have the right to education, a right to peace, a right to work, a right to government office, a right to vote. A right to equality across all boards. Women perform 2/3 of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but earn only 10% of the income and own only 1% of the property. At the same time, women aren’t participating in public and political life on equal terms as men.

Women from poor backgrounds, from rural and indigenous communities and minority groups are still particularly marginalised within decision making processes and institutions. Not only this but they are more susceptible to domestic abuse and sexual assault due to lack of self confidence and belief in equality.This is something that together we can change. By coming together and celebrating women and girls everywhere, we can raise awareness and make a stand for the right to equality, putting women at the forefront of change.

Tamil Nadu is a shining example of the beginnings of change. It’s a pleasure to be among people who have a real vision for their future, who realise they have the right to make their own choices about who they want to be. In 2012 the Director General of Police, Letika Saran retired. She was the first female Director General of Police in Tamil Nadu and only the second to hold this post in country. She said that from her first posting she found it hard, being only one of two women in this field at this level. It was like working in a goldfish bowl, with the eye of the public and department on you. You had to constantly prove yourself, not just as Letika Saran but as a female police officer – failure wasn’t an option. In 2010 when Letika Saran made Director General of Police, her appointment was challenged by another police officer who said that his seniority had been overlooked. After it had been to court the government reappointed her for the position.

People see Letika Saran as a super achieving cop, people like Letika Saran show the world that they can achieve anything if they fight hard enough. On the Friday before International Women'd day we held a celebration at Don Bosco's youth centre in one of our target villages of Vanjur. The aim was to create a festival style atmosphere for the young women and housewives who attended, to empower them and for them to understand that they too can have a dream which with hard work and faith (maybe some fairy dust) can develop in something beautiful. It could be confidence and understanding, a skill, a job and a sustainable income. A bright future!

It was a truly incredible morning. Around the hall we had case studies of inspirational women from around the world and Tamil Nadu and a chain of paper women covered in quotes and facts all about the empowerment of women. We begun the celebration with a speech from us all which was translated into Tamil and then we music and games with craft activities and a guest speaker. Each lady  make a friendship bracelet and so did all of the volunteers so there was the understanding that we are all connected as friends and equals. We also painted a banner where everyone printed a fingerprint onto the tree and by the end of the morning it was blossoming and shining just like the women's smiles.

I had a lovely time and was touched by so many of women's joy and laughter. It was so magical the way they were so willing to share this celebration with us. At the end of the morning the national volunteers asked the women how they were feeling and if they had enjoyed themselves. The feedback was unbelievable, not only did they have fun and could be care free for a few hours but many told us that it has encouraged them to want to work and to brave. What more can you do but light hearts up one at a time. I hope in the weeks to come we can continue their journey on a beautiful path.

I am so grateful to share this time with so many inspiring and lovely women. They will forever be in my heart.

Stay Beautiful,

Zsofia xxxx

                                       

'Each one of us can make a difference, together we can make a change' Barabra Mikulski

'Spread love wherever you go. Never let anyone leave you without leaving happier' Mother Teresa 

An adventure to Vellore

We're all different
Yet we're the same
We may have different views
But together we should stay.
For if we work together
Who knows what joy we could bring
To those around the world
In pain and suffering.

This first week in Vellore has mainly been about exploring the city and discovering the local communities in which we shall be working. It was also spent cleaning the house for in 2 months a blanket of dust can quite quickly build up. We are extremely fortunate and have a western toilet and a working shower, even if it it's cold and the toilet actually doesn't flush. We also have mattress for the floor and a water filter. As soon as we cleaned it started to look much better and it already feels like home. It feels natural and normal to wake up to the shinnying sun through my bleary eyes and it is so refreshing having a freezing shower.

The Living Room

The Kitchen

Washing up anyone...

  One week down and the sun is getting hotter and the fans are proving not to be very powerful. We have been to visit the communities which we will be working in and spoken to the local schools about working in them. Sadly as it's exam time we haven't had much success in booking sessions for the older age groups. I have been learning to be more patient in the process, for everything takes a long time to get started.  Planning sessions  also takes time as we are a large group and so we must all discuss, which is good just sometimes less action is taken as we spend so long talking about what to do.  The previous team mentioned in their handover notes, which we got a week and half after arriving at placement, that they left a manual of resources and ideas which they had started so we could continue and have a good starting point. Unfortunately this hasn't been found and so we are starting at the very beginning, which may usually be the place to start (Sound of Music) but for development sustainability of these poor communities I fear  our work in these short few months won't begin to make the impact it could have if we had been better resourced. 

We have however made an amazing connection with the Don Bosco's orphanage and have been given 3 sessions a week at the community centre for women and children. I am so excited. The man who runs the centre used to know and work with Mother Teresa. Brother Lucas runs a week of training for the women where they learn trades such as sewing and weaving in the morning followed by an afternoon of study up to 12 standard (sixform) and then they are fully funded to study future at college and university if they wish too.  

This first week and a bit has been incredible, I have learn't so much about development work; to be patient; how to become involved in discussions and have had incredible experiences with the national volunteers as I continue to discover more about this beautiful culture. I am so used to eating with my fingers now, who needs a knife and fork. 

All my love to my friends and family all over the world,
Thinking of you,

Stay Beautiful,

     Zsofia xxxx