First Impression, February 2009
Ms. Eliane Luthi Poirier


I arrived in Jodhpur on a flight from Mumbai, with nothing but my carry-on bag, as my suitcase hadn’t made it from Munich. I was picked up at the airport and brought back to the guesthouse on a motorcycle! So we were swerving through the rickshaws, with grit and sand flying in our faces, all the way to the guesthouse. (Luckily I didn't have that suitcase!)

At the very charming Durag Niwas guesthouse, I met two other volunteers, Johanna and Pinky. They took me out to a nearby department store to get all the bare necessities that had disappeared with my baggage. In Govind’s absence, Johanna and Pinky briefed me on what the Sambhali Trust was doing and Johanna and I began brainstorming and preparing the English classes.

On my second day, Johanna brought me up to the top floor of the guesthouse, where the English classes are, and introduced me to all the girls. We all sat around in a circle and got to know each other. Some of the girls seemed quite shy, but mostly they were eager to hear about me and very friendly.

The classes we have been giving since are challenging and very different from the classes I’m used to giving, because we're teaching a mix of literate and illiterate girls (which means, for instance, that using the board isn’t necessarily helpful to the girls). That, combined with the fact that we do not speak Hindi, makes it difficult for us to make sure they actually understand what they are learning. But the girls are adorable! I'm already very attached. Some of them come up to us to give us a hug before class, and some of them even tell us they wish there were even more classes, so it's very rewarding.

I’m just beginning to get to know them, because of the language barrier. But I can tell that this trust is a major boost to their self-esteem. Even some of the girls that have just arrived, who would blush and look away when we first asked them questions in class, are now coming out of their shells, and they glow with pride whenever they can answer our questions. It’s fantastic to see how these girls, who have been indoctrinated to believe that they are not much more than a burden to society, are learning just how valuable they are.

Johanna and I did some world geography with the girls, and some of them cannot find India on a world map. It’s made me realize just how much knowledge we have that we can share with them. If I can pass on just a smidgen of my knowledge to these girls, I will feel like I have helped make a difference in their lives.

Overall, I can say that I feel like I’ve arrived at a very interesting stage in the life of this formidable (and very necessary) grassroots effort. There is a lot of positive and creative energy coming from all the volunteers and a lot of momentum is currently being stirred up. Much of this is thanks to the way the Sambhali Trust is run. Govind and his family are both warm and professional, and the girls involved in the project have a lot of respect for them. I have the feeling that exciting times lay ahead!