India 2007

Wow. So much to write about; so little time...

We've been at the Families for Children project in Podanur for four days. It's an amazing place. Almost 400 orphans and another 150 adults who work onsite (many of whom were taken in as children). It's a welcoming place, run like a huge extended family. We walk through the compound to the music of children singing out "Hi auntie! Good morning uncle!" Sometimes they call us mommy or daddy. The older children and adults call us sister and brother.

FFC is more than just a home. It also offers vocational training and employment opportunities. Every day, we learn about another project they have going - goat farming, goats milk soap making, paper making, weaving, embroidery, bag making, silk spinning(incredible to see the process of going from cocoon to fabric). One of the looms weaves long strands of plastic cut from grocery bags. The other weaves raw silk (they call it Madleri here). There is also a "lending library" and a computer training centre.

My job here is to get a women's co-op going - mostly sewing, but some jewelry making as well. This will provide an income for local women, and the proceeds from sales in Canada will help to fund the orphanage. The day I arrive, 12 women are standing by the old Singer treadle machines, awaiting my instructions... We take a bit of time to tour the project and get settled, and then I dive right in.

The women are used to sewing with patterns. I'm teaching them to use sari scraps and left over pieces of the Madleri silk to make crazy quilt bags (passport bags, yoga bags and over-the-shoulder handbags - I'm taking orders!). It's a little more free-form than they're used to, but they quickly catch on. I soon learn, though, that the Indian aesthetic is very different from the North American one, and their colour combinations are unlikely to sell in the N.A. market. At first I pick the colours for them, but they have to be able to do this when I'm gone, so I construct a big chart with different peices of fabric indicating different workable colour combinations and ask them to start picking their own. This goes pretty well.

I don't know if you're familiar with "the waggle"? It's the very fluid side to side head move that is used here to indicate 'yes' and/or 'maybe' and/or 'I understand' and/or 'I don't understand, but I'm very agreeable...' (Kind of like the motion a Bobblehead makes - tip your head side to side so that your ears move towards your shoulders and you'll get the idea). It's used here constantly and goes on throughout the conversation. Every time I give a bit of direction to the women in the sewing room, twelve heads waggle their understanding. A sea of bobbing heads. I love it.

In addition to the 12 women who were hired this week, there is a 24 year old women named Mano who lives onsite. She does most of the sewing here, making beautiful silk bags. She has been at the orphanage since she was ten. Her mother died when she was eight and her father (in her words) "went bad in the head" and abandoned them, so she and her three younger brothers were left to fend for themselves. She was a bonded labourer when FFC paid off her 'debts' and took her in, along with her brothers. I don't know the full story, but she is incredibly grateful to Sandra (the Canadian who started the project).

The staff here seem to have the goat farming well in hand, so Chris' dream of tending a herd in India has been dashed :-) Chris and Grady have been working on various things. They've spent some time with the special care kids (Lots of disabled kids here; they are often abandoned at birth). Sandra also has them checking on various projects - soap making, composting, checking out a new piece of land to see what it would take to start growing crops on it. Arden has worked in the sewing room a bit, as well as with the kindergarten kids. (Oh man are they cute. All in little uniforms. Their sing-song voices saying their numbers in English: "Two-one, twenty-one. Two-two, twenty two. Two-three, twenty three." Then writing their ABCs on their slates and running them over to Arden to show her).

We are staying in two side-by-side guest houses onsite. One of the houses has a kitchen, but we usually eat at the canteen where four smiling women dote on us and feed us almost to the point of discomfort. "Sister, chapati?" "No thank you" "One more chapati sister? Dosa? Rice?" The food is fantastic, so it's hard to say no...

The dish washer in the canteen has taken a real shine to us. She's developmentally delayed and mute, very joyful and VERY affectionate. You'll have to ask Grady about her when we're back. He wants to bring her home with us.

Last night, the driver at the project took us into Coimbatore. Grady wanted to buy a suit, so we visited The Chennai Silk Shop - a huge six story emporium. Grady was waited on by about five men - felt like a rock star. We've uploaded a photo of them all huddled around him (link below). Notice the bare feet on all the clerks. After much pomp and ceremony, we walked out with a beautiful wool suit, as well as a "Chennai Silks" pink plastic purse - "Complimentary madam". Quite extraordinary. I hope Grady will post something about the experience - he loved it.

The seamstresses have the day off today, so we have taken some time to go exploring. The village is beautiful - most of the houses are painted a light, chalky blue. We came across a cricket game and were invited to join, but didn't want to intimidate them with our fabulous cricket skills :-) Chris visited the local barber for a shave with a straight razor - said it was the best shave he's ever had (not to mention the cheapest!).

Grady has uploaded a few photos at http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r3/indua2007/

All for now.