Posted: 31/01/2008
On Monday 28th January, we welcomed Dr Demie O. Tidon and Mr Jairus Broce for a 3-day visit to give them an in-depth understanding of Asha's programmes.
Dr Tidon and Mr Broce are the Chair of Trustees and Project Officer of Signpost International respectively, and are based in the Philippines. The organisation is dedicated to protecting and improving opportunities for needy, abandoned or abused children in the Philippines, the UK and several other countries around the world.
Our guests were interested to learn how Asha's programmes are developed and run in order to have the successful and sustainable impact that is seen in the 46 slums in which Asha works.
Below is an extract from a report written by Dr Tidon following their experience..
Shortly after arriving at the ASHA headquarters, I sensed earnestness and pride among the staff in what they were doing.
The orientation with Sunita conveyed painful meticulousness, cold science, and very very serious business. Already it was becoming clear that all these were about people - not mere projects, and certainly not for profits.
The people (in the slums) regarded us with indifference. I reckon they were used to foreigners visiting their environs. Oddly, there seem to be more males on the streets and in stalls. Most likely, the women were hard at work inside homes. The Kalkaji outpost itself, except for the security guard, was an all-woman fortress! The staff there had the same purposeful demeanor seen earlier at the headquarters. They were also very hospitable. In the middle of slum squalor, depression was conspicuously absent. Hope was palpable.
I was impressed by what the women were doing but more so with why and how they were doing their job. Motivated by compassion for their own, they worked with passion and diligence. They were stubbornly resolute in their good cause to better themselves. Here was women liberation in its sweetest, feminine, unassuming egalitarianism! I was surprised that some women groups had already independently registered. A big step towards self-determination yet maintaining unity in looking after each other intimately on the most relevant issues. They themselves said it in many ways, it was their relationship that brought them together thus far. And their collective influence on the backdrop of their rights awareness has empowered them enough to actually and considerably improve their community.
The women and children shared common characteristics. Their eyes were very alert and attentive to our discussions. Speaking in clear and eager voices, they exuded self-confidence without self-righteousness or self-importance. It was a refreshing atmosphere! The finer traits of indigenous village folks we saw in Chennai were not lost to these slum dwellers. They retained the best of the admirable Indian qualities. Indeed, India's greatest treasure is her own people. And I dare say, in her women equally with her men!
I found the children school, their meeting, and the lane walk with them most moving. I consider it as the summit of my exposure at ASHA. If the greatest treasure of India is her people, without doubt, the bearers of her dreams- and the promise for her greatest future yet-are to be found in her young sons and daughters.
At Tigri, when I inquired about the three top concerns of the women, I was informed that they were as follows: clean-sufficient water supply, environmental sanitation, and education. They never mentioned money! That was very, very significant. It spoke volumes! The adolescent boys and girls, when asked what motivated them to volunteer at ASHA, they told me that it was for the training, skills acquisition, and opportunity to serve their community. They never mentioned that they joined because of fun and entertainment. That too was very, very significant. It spoke volumes!
Demie O. Tidon MD, (Signpost International)
I used to drink too much and beat my wife, and then she died. Asha has helped me to get better and to find work. I was suffering from TB but couldn’t travel to get treatment. I went to the Asha clinic where they diagnosed the TB, and now they check that I'm taking my medicine so I can fully recover.
Devender, Ekta Vihar
