In January I joined Paul, Doel and the rest of Team India in leading a volunteer trip, and checking in with Made By Survivors projects and partners in Calcutta and Mumbai. I got the chance to meet with our pioneering silversmiths as well as most of our Indian school- sponsored kids. We also did therapeutic arts projects with survivors at the WIF shelters homes and at Apne Aap's red light district drop in center. The Brick by Brick Campaign which we ran during the holidays was very successful - Thanks everyone! It was great to see the fruits of this effort - the school and job training building at Rescue Foundation is almost completed. As usual the pace was hectic and the survivors as inspiring as ever.
Jan 27 Healing Touch
Tuesday I spent the day at the Nijoloy shelter outside Calcutta, drawing and playing and sketching in a mural map of the world.
The children look forward to our twice-yearly volunteer visits with tremendous enthusiasm. Unlike the busy and heroic shelter housemothers, the volunteers have nothing more important to do right now than to hug the girls, to hold their hands and dance around the courtyard, Growing up in a shelter home, or raised by mothers who are beaten down by a life spent in forced prostitution, the children are very hungry for affection.
Of course, it is important to let each girl take the lead when it comes to physical contact.Newly rescued girls are much more reserved, and might not want to be touched at all, or might just want to hold my hand briefly without eye contact.We follow their lead. But most have their arms around the female staff and volunteers all day long. The smaller ones want to be in our laps. I feel rich in love when I am here. Nijuloy houses about 100 girls.The youngest is four - she was intercepted while being auctioned off for $300 in the Sonagachi red light district. The oldest girls are in their early twenties. Median age seems to be about 14. Some of the girls are survivors of trafficking in brothels of Calcutta or Mumbai. Others are the children of prostituted women. All are victims of exploitation.
Before I spent time with survivors, I expected them to be fragile, emotionally distraught, visibly traumatized, or curled in a fetal position in the corner.After all, they have been tortured, raped, dehumanized, torn from their homes and families, robbed of their identities and sometimes even their names, used, exploited, starved, beaten, scorned and stigmatized, for months or for years. So you would expect them to be broken. But amazingly, they are not. Despite, or maybe even because of what they have endured and survived, these children and teengers radiate light and life.
The more you put into them - education, opportunity, respect, and love – the stronger and more hopeful they become. This work is so gratifying!!
After six months away, I am overjoyed to lay eyes on the girls again, buoyed by their enormous love and hope for the future. It takes time, according to Womens Interlink founder Aloka Mitra. When they first come here, they are not survivors right away. For a while, they are still victims, still trapped in the dark places they were rescued from. One girl did not speak a single word for six months. Another would rip her clothes off and scream for hours on end.
But with care and love, knowing they are in a safe place, almost all of the girls make a remarkable recovery. We spent the morning drawing continents for the mural map of the world.Map-making is hard, especially for the little ones, but everyone hung in there. Nobody wanted to draw Europe and Asia, with their complex, unwieldy, large shapes. After lunch, we primed the wall and sketched in the mural. When Paul gathers us to go home for the day, I can't believe 6 hours have passed. If it wasn't for the swarming mosquitoes, I could stay forever.
Jewelry Programs in Calcutta and Mumbai
Seeing the progress - both technical and emotional - of the jewelers in our two newest programs was the high point of my trip. T
he Calcutta team has been training since last summer and have now entered the production phase. In fact their first few products are now available on our website (official launch of the entire collection will be later this spring) . The girls' confidence has grown in leaps and bounds along with their skill in jewelry. Kali, who was exceedingly guarded and stonily silent last time I visited, took the initiative to speak on behalf of the entire group, expressing their excitement and appreciation. I was stunned and delighted by her spontaneous hug. Ashara, who is deaf and only joined the team in September, has quickly advanced to being one of the most skillful. The other girls have learned her self-created sign language, and Paul has also arranged for standard Indian Sign Language training for Ashara from Shaktura, a Calcutta deaf charity. This has opened up a whole new world of communication for Ashara.
In Mumbai, the survivors have benefited from three solid months of intensive training by Dianna Badalament, who has been living at the shelter home this past winter. Many of the 23 survivors in this program plan to make jewelry-making their career, as well as training others. Says Ruhi "I want to learn everything about this trade. I will study and practice very hard so that I can also teach others and give them this opportunity. Because i never got an education, I didn't have many hopes for the future. Whenever I did have dreams, they got broken. But now, I think I am ready to try hoping again."
These aspiring jewelers still need tools and support to convert their wages and training. If you would like to help - click here to learn how to help. Donations are still double matched by Humanity United.
Brick by Brick Campaign Success
In November and Decemb
er we requested support to build a school and job training center at the Rescue Foundation Shelter outside Mumbai. Our new jewelry program will be housed in this building, along with sewing, beauty shop, computer room, and other vocational training, as well as a formal school for 150 survivors who are currently doing their studies on the floor of the dining hall. Our goal was to raise $15,000 for this project, and our generous donors have given $17,000 so far!
As a result, the building - which was simply a foundation when I visited in August, is now a large structure with exterior and interior walls, floors and windows. It is a very large space and will greatly increase the capacity for educating and empowering the hundreds of survivors which come through this shelter home. We still need $5,000 for the roof. You can earmark donations for Brick by Brick by clicking here.
Trafficking Prevention in Birbhum District
After four days volunteering at shelter homes in Calcutta, we took the volunteer group about 3 hours out to the countryside, to the Burbhum district of West Bengal, a major source region for trafficking into Calcutta and other cities. The region is a trafficking hot spot both because of its proximity to Bangladesh, and because the inhabitants are tribal. Tribal people suffer discrimination and marginalization in India. Many people think they are backward. This is an agrarian community (70% of India is agrarian) and people survive mainly from subsistence agriculture or as low-paid assistant laborers in the construction fields (breaking bricks, carrying water, etc.) When agriculture is not sustainable (droughts, failed crops, environmental degradation), young people move to the cities or are sent to work as domestic servants – many have been trafficked into brothels from these situations. Others are exploited as unpaid domestic workers. Since many tribals have no formal schooling or literacy, they are exceptionally vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
As usual this trip has featured a grueling schedule. Much of Calcutta is crumbling and chaotic - 20 million people doing the best they can with inadequate infrastructure. I've spent an awful lot of time in cars, stuck in traffic, and I've become unreasonably afraid of catching lice - an occupational hazard in any environment full of children. I was in need of some inspiration.
Inspiration doesn't always come all at once, with brilliant breakthroughs and light-bulb moments. It came to me this time in a series of small things: the growing confidence and technical skill of the jewelry girls, the spontaneous hug from a survivor who was so guarded the last time I visited, the three boarding school-sponsored kids who stood first (top of their class) in final exams last week, and perhaps most of all the realization that my visits, our staff presence here, has become so...normal.
My trips to India used to feel more dramatic, like "OMIGOSH, I can't believe I'm in INDIA!! "We're starting a program in a SHELTER HOME!", "These kids are rescued from SLAVERY!!"," How are we going to do this?!" I realize that part of the ebb I was feeling yesterday was the absence of that intensity. I am used to being here now. The city, the shelters, the red light areas neither shock nor amaze me. They are more like an extension of my office. The jewelry center and the shelters feel like home. And while the survivors are as delighted to see me as I am to see them, it is not such a big deal as it once was because they have come to trust that our team keeps coming back, that we are here for them day in and day out, as long as it takes to ensure that they remain free, empowered and educated.
And the very ordinariness of what was once so remarkable, the fact that dreams are becoming daily reality, turned out to be all the inspiration I needed.
"We cannot do great things, only small things with great love" Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Tuesday I spent the day at the Nijoloy shelter outside Calcutta, drawing and playing and sketching in a mural map of the world.
The children look forward to our twice-yearly volunteer visits with tremendous enthusiasm. Unlike the busy and heroic shelter housemothers, the volunteers have nothing more important to do right now than to hug the girls, to hold their hands and dance around the courtyard, Growing up in a shelter home, or raised by mothers who are beaten down by a life spent in forced prostitution, the children are very hungry for affection.Of course, it is important to let each girl take the lead when it comes to physical contact.Newly rescued girls are much more reserved, and might not want to be touched at all, or might just want to hold my hand briefly without eye contact.We follow their lead. But most have their arms around the female staff and volunteers all day long. The smaller ones want to be in our laps. I feel rich in love when I am here. Nijuloy houses about 100 girls.The youngest is four - she was intercepted while being auctioned off for $300 in the Sonagachi red light district. The oldest girls are in their early twenties. Median age seems to be about 14. Some of the girls are survivors of trafficking in brothels of Calcutta or Mumbai. Others are the children of prostituted women. All are victims of exploitation.
Before I spent time with survivors, I expected them to be fragile, emotionally distraught, visibly traumatized, or curled in a fetal position in the corner.After all, they have been tortured, raped, dehumanized, torn from their homes and families, robbed of their identities and sometimes even their names, used, exploited, starved, beaten, scorned and stigmatized, for months or for years. So you would expect them to be broken. But amazingly, they are not. Despite, or maybe even because of what they have endured and survived, these children and teengers radiate light and life.
The more you put into them - education, opportunity, respect, and love – the stronger and more hopeful they become. This work is so gratifying!!
After six months away, I am overjoyed to lay eyes on the girls again, buoyed by their enormous love and hope for the future. It takes time, according to Womens Interlink founder Aloka Mitra. When they first come here, they are not survivors right away. For a while, they are still victims, still trapped in the dark places they were rescued from. One girl did not speak a single word for six months. Another would rip her clothes off and scream for hours on end.
But with care and love, knowing they are in a safe place, almost all of the girls make a remarkable recovery. We spent the morning drawing continents for the mural map of the world.Map-making is hard, especially for the little ones, but everyone hung in there. Nobody wanted to draw Europe and Asia, with their complex, unwieldy, large shapes. After lunch, we primed the wall and sketched in the mural. When Paul gathers us to go home for the day, I can't believe 6 hours have passed. If it wasn't for the swarming mosquitoes, I could stay forever.
Jewelry Programs in Calcutta and MumbaiSeeing the progress - both technical and emotional - of the jewelers in our two newest programs was the high point of my trip. T
he Calcutta team has been training since last summer and have now entered the production phase. In fact their first few products are now available on our website (official launch of the entire collection will be later this spring) . The girls' confidence has grown in leaps and bounds along with their skill in jewelry. Kali, who was exceedingly guarded and stonily silent last time I visited, took the initiative to speak on behalf of the entire group, expressing their excitement and appreciation. I was stunned and delighted by her spontaneous hug. Ashara, who is deaf and only joined the team in September, has quickly advanced to being one of the most skillful. The other girls have learned her self-created sign language, and Paul has also arranged for standard Indian Sign Language training for Ashara from Shaktura, a Calcutta deaf charity. This has opened up a whole new world of communication for Ashara.In Mumbai, the survivors have benefited from three solid months of intensive training by Dianna Badalament, who has been living at the shelter home this past winter. Many of the 23 survivors in this program plan to make jewelry-making their career, as well as training others. Says Ruhi "I want to learn everything about this trade. I will study and practice very hard so that I can also teach others and give them this opportunity. Because i never got an education, I didn't have many hopes for the future. Whenever I did have dreams, they got broken. But now, I think I am ready to try hoping again."These aspiring jewelers still need tools and support to convert their wages and training. If you would like to help - click here to learn how to help. Donations are still double matched by Humanity United.
Brick by Brick Campaign Success
In November and Decemb
er we requested support to build a school and job training center at the Rescue Foundation Shelter outside Mumbai. Our new jewelry program will be housed in this building, along with sewing, beauty shop, computer room, and other vocational training, as well as a formal school for 150 survivors who are currently doing their studies on the floor of the dining hall. Our goal was to raise $15,000 for this project, and our generous donors have given $17,000 so far!As a result, the building - which was simply a foundation when I visited in August, is now a large structure with exterior and interior walls, floors and windows. It is a very large space and will greatly increase the capacity for educating and empowering the hundreds of survivors which come through this shelter home. We still need $5,000 for the roof. You can earmark donations for Brick by Brick by clicking here.
Trafficking Prevention in Birbhum District
After four days volunteering at shelter homes in Calcutta, we took the volunteer group about 3 hours out to the countryside, to the Burbhum district of West Bengal, a major source region for trafficking into Calcutta and other cities. The region is a trafficking hot spot both because of its proximity to Bangladesh, and because the inhabitants are tribal. Tribal people suffer discrimination and marginalization in India. Many people think they are backward. This is an agrarian community (70% of India is agrarian) and people survive mainly from subsistence agriculture or as low-paid assistant laborers in the construction fields (breaking bricks, carrying water, etc.) When agriculture is not sustainable (droughts, failed crops, environmental degradation), young people move to the cities or are sent to work as domestic servants – many have been trafficked into brothels from these situations. Others are exploited as unpaid domestic workers. Since many tribals have no formal schooling or literacy, they are exceptionally vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. High risk women in this region are now making the very cool leather wallets and handbags that we sell on the MBS website, as 
an alternative to trafficking and exploitation. Soon we will be carrying unique embroidered silk scarves made by women in these villages. The leather and scarf production is part of an impressive 34 village intervention project by our partner agency Womens Interlink Foundation. WIF founder Aloka Mitra empowered the villagers to transform their downtrodden villages, using traditional terra cotta bas-relief murals and other indigenous crafts, and adding traditional music and dance programs to attract tourists.
an alternative to trafficking and exploitation. Soon we will be carrying unique embroidered silk scarves made by women in these villages. The leather and scarf production is part of an impressive 34 village intervention project by our partner agency Womens Interlink Foundation. WIF founder Aloka Mitra empowered the villagers to transform their downtrodden villages, using traditional terra cotta bas-relief murals and other indigenous crafts, and adding traditional music and dance programs to attract tourists. The region is now a World Heritage site, and the villagers are proud and much more prosperous. Low self-esteem resulting from years of ethnic prejudice, slavery and exploitation, have been replaced by pride in awareness of their rich heritage, and sustainable livelihood through crafts. Made by Survivors is helping by offering the women access to a larger market for their exquisite products, and also by offering design development for the US market and increasing production capacity through simplification and replication of marketable designs.
Feb. 5th Inspiration from Mother T.As usual this trip has featured a grueling schedule. Much of Calcutta is crumbling and chaotic - 20 million people doing the best they can with inadequate infrastructure. I've spent an awful lot of time in cars, stuck in traffic, and I've become unreasonably afraid of catching lice - an occupational hazard in any environment full of children. I was in need of some inspiration.
Inspiration doesn't always come all at once, with brilliant breakthroughs and light-bulb moments. It came to me this time in a series of small things: the growing confidence and technical skill of the jewelry girls, the spontaneous hug from a survivor who was so guarded the last time I visited, the three boarding school-sponsored kids who stood first (top of their class) in final exams last week, and perhaps most of all the realization that my visits, our staff presence here, has become so...normal.My trips to India used to feel more dramatic, like "OMIGOSH, I can't believe I'm in INDIA!! "We're starting a program in a SHELTER HOME!", "These kids are rescued from SLAVERY!!"," How are we going to do this?!" I realize that part of the ebb I was feeling yesterday was the absence of that intensity. I am used to being here now. The city, the shelters, the red light areas neither shock nor amaze me. They are more like an extension of my office. The jewelry center and the shelters feel like home. And while the survivors are as delighted to see me as I am to see them, it is not such a big deal as it once was because they have come to trust that our team keeps coming back, that we are here for them day in and day out, as long as it takes to ensure that they remain free, empowered and educated.
And the very ordinariness of what was once so remarkable, the fact that dreams are becoming daily reality, turned out to be all the inspiration I needed.
"We cannot do great things, only small things with great love" Mother Teresa of Calcutta
January 2011 Project Visit and Volunteer Trip | Fighting Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking and Slavery with Social Enterprise
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