A sea of gray and brown. Descending to Nagpur, you see trees and shrubs burned by the scorching sun. And then, five hours of passing dried-up fields and denuded forests, with occasional patches of green. There was no way you would have guessed that bright pink and blue and green would be the colours that would define Pusad for you from now on. That the dreaded 42 degree heat would not seem like much. That you would return energized, not tired.
Three of us volunteers/social investors were on a Rang De borrower evaluation trip to Pusad, near Nagpur, Maharashtra, last weekend. Pusad, in Yavatmal district, where the cotton farmers kill themselves, unable to repay loans. We were to meet with women who had taken loans from Rang De, and evaluate their experience.
What we saw was empowerment. And so much positive energy and grit! Slum women speaking with confidence and pride about buying a buffalo, setting up a grocery shop, starting a tailoring business, a tiffin centre, a spice business, sending their daughters and sons to school, becoming decision-makers at home – freed from the fear of moneylenders, and the humiliation of being ill-treated by them. And we saw such selfless dedication – from the workers at Sagras, the field partner who distributes our loans and educates the women on managing their money better.
And we also saw tiny shanty-houses of wood and steel which the women had painted pink and blue and green inside and decorated with brightly-coloured pictures of gods and goddesses. And huge welcoming smiles and warm hospitality, and an amazing sense of community and togetherness - no one was alone among them. (All that we traded for individual wealth and personal space…)
There are still many issues they need to tackle, for example, the size of their families because of the social pressure of having a boy child, poor sanitary conditions etc. But the confidence they now have, that it is possible to be in control and change their families’ lives, to dream of a good future for their kids, that there are strangers who care for them - has already brought them many rungs up the ladder of progress.
On the way back, you think of Ram and Smita, the young couple who founded Rang De, giving up a comfortable life in the UK. 13,298 people (and growing), mostly women, now live better lives because they dared to dream. And followed it up with action.
It is mind-blowing, how far kindness reaches, whom it connects you to. The women of Pusad already have so much colour in their houses. And Rang De has brought them the colours they lacked.
Yet again, you are struck by the sheer amount of positive energy in this country. So many amazing people choosing to give. To share. To lead change. There is so much colour here, in every way. Add yours to it. Rang De!
Get started now! http://www.rangde.org/invest
My investor profile: https://www.rangde.org/investor/amokashi
You don't have time and want this even easier? Use Auto-Invest: http://www.rangde.org/
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/106491954401233999557/RangDeBorrowerEvaluationTripToPusadMaharashtra
My investor profile: https://www.rangde.org/investor/amokashi
You don't have time and want this even easier? Use Auto-Invest: http://www.rangde.org/
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/106491954401233999557/RangDeBorrowerEvaluationTripToPusadMaharashtra
There is something you will see, when you go amid people. And that which you will never learn alone.
ReplyDeleteEach time I think about all the stories I have heard sitting in the O.P. of some distant village or from a patient on the bed of the government hospital, I feel newly about my own yearnings and 'sorrows'.
Thanks for the wonderful link, Asha. You are one of those people who make me want to do what I had planned on doing and never get the last stimulus for. God bless you. :)