Development as its meant to be.

Doing some volunteering right away on my return from Delhi.  Spent the day photographing villagers whose lives have been forever altered by the rural development program SARVAM, affiliated with the Sri Aurobindo Society.  We're collecting their amazing stories to help spread the SARVAM model to other villages in India.


This woman is a 55 year old widow (she's ONLY ~55) who lives in a mud hut with her two daughters and four grandchildren.  The door is so small she has to crouch down to get in.  Before SARVAM, the roof of her hut leaked so badly, her family would have to stay in a temple when it rained, and the door offered little protection from the street dogs, who would occasionally enter and steal what little food they had prepared for dinner.  SARVAM not only helped patch her hut, they offered her a microloan (Rs1000 - less than $20US) to purchase produce which she then sold door-to-door, making enough for more purchases and repayment of the loan.  SARVAM also trained her to make a "kitchen garden" in the small plot of dirt around her hut, and she can sell this produce as well.  She also enjoys using some of her savings to take the tours to nearby cities (like Madurai) which are sponsored (but NOT paid for) by SARVAM.  SARVAM does this every year to encourage the women to save money - they are only allowed to travel if they meet certain criteria (in terms of debt, income, and other items).


A very humbling day, putting lots of perspective on my own struggles.