First Impression, September 2008
Ms. Helen Barley


I arrived in Jodhpur after a very long and exhausting journey from the UK, so I was relieved that Govind was waiting to greet me at Jodhpur Airport to take me to the project and guesthouse. As I came to enter the guesthouse, I was so surprised, overwhelmed and thankful when I saw that Govind’s wife, Mukta, and all of the girls involved in the Empowerment project had gathered to greet me on my arrival and welcome me! Seeing the girls’ smiling faces and enthusiasm for my presence made me feel very special and welcomed, so I immediately felt at home.

The Durag Niwas guesthouse is run by Govind and his family, therefore they are always very friendly and hospitable always asking if everything is ok and if there is anything I need. I met the girls of the Empowerment project the next morning when they arrived - I could hear them singing upstairs in the project teaching and crafts room. As I am getting to know the young women, I can see that they have such friendly, caring and independent personalities with incredible talents for art, crafts, sewing and design work, which are then sold in the Sambhali shop within the guesthouse. Also, the girls are being taught basic English to give them more opportunities for the future, and it must be said that all the girls are so enthusiastic about the education they receive at the project, they are thirsty for knowledge and information, so I am glad that in my time here I can pass on my knowledge to them and to help strengthen their identities and self-esteem.

I am involved in the empowerment project in order to research and identify the issues that Dalit women face in India, and to do this I will interview the young women on the Empowerment project, who are all very supportive of my work. Having gathered information from the girls on the project and local Jodhpur officials, I will write a detailed report which will be posted on the Sambhali Trust website to raise awareness of issues facing Dalit women and to promote the excellent work of Sambhali Trust in addressing these issues.

I am therefore looking forward to the two weeks I am spending here, and my most important first impression is that Sambhali Trust is an extremely worthwhile, beneficial NGO which is selflessly working towards empowering the women of Indian society who are, without education, powerless.