Final Impression
Ms. Katy Glentworth, October 2009


Working with Shambali Trust in Setrawa was a challenging and interesting experience. It introduced me to rural village life and the institutions and traditions that govern the behaviour of Rural Ragistani women. It also gave me an insight into the world of NGOs and the complications and challenges they face.

My role as a volunteer was to give the school girls extra tuition in English after school. It is important they grasp the basics of the language in order to pass their annual exams that entitle them to further their education. It became evident to me that many daughters that didn’t make the grades were being pulled out of school by their parents and forced into premature marriages. So I was eager to start my teaching in the Shambali Trust school to help the girls meet their full potentials when sitting their English exams. However I faced many obstacles along the way.

The main problem I found was that the girls had other priorities such as housework and homework so the class number varied from day to day. This irregularity made it almost impossible to plan a sequence of lessons that would suit everyone and help them better their English skills.

I was ill in my second week and in my third week there was another programme running in the village where students came to carry out various projects which disrupted the English lessons. One of the projects they established was to form a student council in the government school. Here two students were elected by the school and Govind seized this opportunity to employ them to teach at the Shambali School.

Before now Usha (the daughter of my host family) was the only teacher at the school when there was no volunteer and although she did a very good job teaching and running the school, it was far too much for one woman to take on. She needed support so having extra hands to help out at the school would be a huge advantage.

On the first day the new teachers set to work at the school there was great confusion. After introducing themselves to the girls they opened a booklet that was given to them on how to teach English and got the girls to copy down what they wrote on the board. The girls needed stimulating after a long day at school and I was worried that numbers would drop even more if they were not actively engaging in the lessons and having fun.

After having talked to me about how they thought the lesson had gone, the new teachers told to me about what they did at school and how they learnt. That week I decided that I should carry on teaching English at the school giving the new teachers time to adjust and think about their new roles. We worked together to design lesson plans and I tutored them in English. However, it soon became apparent that they were not teachers and it was unfair of us to assume that they were. They were too young to take on such roles, they didn’t have time to plan lessons and teach as they had their own homework and home lives to get on with. They were here to offer an hour and a half a day of their time but could not afford to give anymore time.

I thought instead of the centre being used for formal extra schooling it would be better used as a homework club. So there would be two very intelligent helpers in a spacious centre full of energetic girls all eager to work and learn in a supportive environment. This would be an effective way of empowering the young women and students of Setrawa to be responsible for their own learning. Here they would take on the role of learner and teacher. The bonds that existed between the girls were built on trust and respect allowing the idea of a homework club to be achievable. It would also bring the energy and sparkle that would keep Shambali School alive and full. This was a way to keep the Shambali Project to continue by itself without the influence of an outsider.

We decided that the students should keep a register for Govind to check every few weeks. This way he could see the progress of the project and it would also allow him to track the students and check their welfare. For example when I was there there were some health and family issues concerning two of the girls in the scheme and I think it is important for Govind to be aware of such concerns.

I also suggested that instead of the Trust taking on short term volunteers they could hire a tutor from the school who knows the Indian National Curriculum to teach the children once a week. Although English is important for the students I think it is more important for them to be coached through their exams by someone who is aware of the Indian education system.

I was also involved with the sewing group. And here I was introduced to very talented women who got together and socialised through craft. This was good fun but slightly confusing at first. I understood that the women used it as a place to be with others outside the boundaries of their own homes and to experiment with material and crafts. However, as the weeks went on I realised that they actually wanted to make money out of the project. Through my initial perception I thought it would be a great idea to teach felting (a craft that includes making things out of sheep’s wool), so I found a shepherd and bought some raw fleece. We set to work cleaning, dying and making things out of the wool. The outcome I thought was wonderful, we made some lovely products. However, I asked the women if they wanted to carry on with the felting which they said that they didn’t. I soon realised how insensitive and imposing I had been to assume that just because I loved felting everyone else would. I had also failed to notice how skilful they were at embroidery, a Rajasthan craft that is passed down from generation to generation. The importance of keeping it alive is immense. I asked the women what it was they wanted to be doing in this time and they all decided that it was embroidery and crochet they loved. It was weird to see the change in the women when we spent the last few days on embroidery and crochet. The atmosphere was less restless and more focussed.

The women said that they wanted more contact with Govind so they could show off what they had made and order more material in to make more. I didn’t want to get too involved with the direction of this scheme as I am aware that there will soon be self help groups which will focus on the needs and wants of these women.

So overall I had a wonderful time in Setrawa. Working with Govind and Corinne was amazing. They are really inspiring people who I will definitely keep in contact with and I would love to go back one day.