Heading Home

Today I begin my 28+ hour journey home with a four hour drive to Mumbai, then an 8 hour flight to Paris and another 8 hour flight to Atlanta.

What an incredible four weeks this has been.

I think meeting the girls of the Ramgar slum was by far the most powerful experience. I will  treasure the laughter I shared with the Green Tara Foundation women at the office during our English lessons. It is true you don’t have to speak many words of a language to really connect. Women are women all around the world.

I will also not forget the difficult moments; talking with prostitutes about their favorite movies while standing in a brothel, leading games for children orphaned by the sex industry, understanding that the reality of life for the girls of Ramgar and the slim chances they have of fulfilling their future plans.

I loved have my fellow Tare, other Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from around the world, who came to India as part of the Community Programme. They are dynamic, hilarious, warm and powerful people making change. I adore them.

I could not have thrived in the Community Programme if it wasn’t for my incredible support system. I am grateful to Sangam and its amazing staff, to my partner who cared for my cat this last month without complaint, to my sister who encouraged me to take the chance and apply to the Community Programme, to my friends and specifically to my best friend who checked in on me via email on a regular basis and to my parents who have always supported my passion that change is possible when we, as a worldwide community, invest in girls and women.

Here’s to my journey home and here’s to processing all that I have experienced.

Here’s to change. 

Photos: Week 5 in Review

Goodbye lunch with the women of the Green Tara Foundation

The ladies of my English classes

ELEPHANT!

Dance rehearsal at the blind school

A rickshaw driving lesson

Behind the wheel of a rickshaw

The AM Water Tower Climbers

On top of the Sangam water tower

Sunrise in Pune

Tare Fun Day

On Monday kids from our community partners came to Sangam for a children's day of fun. The day was great. The World Thinking Day event participants joined us in leading games and crafts for the children. The face painting station was a very popular location.

For many of the children, it was their first time experiencing a whole day where they were able to just have fun. I will never forget the look on one of the girl's face, when she saw the parachute games. She had never seen a parachute before. She was so excited.

Many girls from the Ramgar slum, where I worked, were able to come to the fun day. It was fantastic to spend the day with them, to dance with them and to make sure that they got enough of the wonderful Sangam food to eat. For them, it was like a day at Disney World. Their only disappointment was that they could not swim in the pool but they did get a chance to at least stick their hands in the water.

Photos: Week 4 in Review

Dinner with an Indian family

A classic Indian truck

A fuzzy pic of Ronja and I next to the Sangam lantern!

Preparing for Tare Fun Day

Car trip back from an unexpected project with orphans.

The 4 week Tare hail their own rickshaw!

A much need chocolate fix

Hindi Movie Time!!!

ABCD- Any Body Can Dance- even mine!

Happy Thinking Day!

Happy World Thinking Day from Sangam! For all of you non-Girl Scout readers, every February 22nd Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world celebrates our global sisterhood and renews our promise to make the world a better place. 

 

In 2010, I celebrated Thinking Day with Kenyan Girl Guides in Londiai. In 2011, I was at Our Cabana in Mexico with the Guías de México. This year I was with The Bharat Scouts and Guides in India! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sangam family with the World Thinking Day event participants joined the Bharat Scouts and Guides at their Scout facility in Pune. It was so much fun to celebrate with them. The events included honoring Boy Scout and Girl Guide founders, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, recognizing the outstanding scouts from various units and a fantastic dance performance by the visually impaired scouts. The day also included an hour of activity time with the local guides and those of us from Sangam. Steff and I led the group of visually impaired Boy Scouts though building paper sculptures.

 

In the evening, Sangam invited members of the local community to join in a Thinking Day ceremony around the Thinking Day tree. I think since I was 14, I've always choked up a bit when I think about the power Girl Scouts and Girl Guides have to change the world and this year was no different.

 

The really fantastic day ended with a jump into the Sangam pool with my fellow Tare and little dancing to Ignite by the famed Melinda Carroll. 

Our way is clear as we march on,

And see! Our flag on high,

Is never furled throughout the world,

For hope shall never die!

We must unite for what is right

In friendship true and strong...

 

 

The Thinking Day Tree

 

Mail from the USA!

Today I received a package from the USA full of amazing notes, cards, pictures & cookies from my best friend and her family! She also included some much needed meds and pretzel M&Ms! I am a happy and less congested soul.

Thanks for the hug from home. xoxoxo

Marnye Walla, Walla

Today was my last day with most of the girls from the Ramgar slum. I will see a few of the girls on Monday for Tare Fun Day at Sangam. 

We have spent most of this week talking about hygiene and the importance of keeping ourselves and our clothes and our living spaces clean.  The girls did an amazing drawing of an Indian girl and labeling all of her body parts earlier this week. After they finished their masterpiece, as a group we added the methods used for cleaning each body part.

For our final activity in the unit, I wanted to reinforce the importance of hand washing. When I was in Kenya I learned about Tippy Taps. I had noticed in my visits to the slum that there did not seem to be any easy access to water and soap for hand washing. With a few clicks on Google, I found simple instructions on how to make a personal hand washing station using a plastic bottle and some rope.

After we demonstrated how germs are easily passed from one person to another by touching hands rubbed in chalk, the girls did a great job following directions to make their Tippy Taps. I wanted to make the project as sustainable as possible. So that when the initial water runs out the girls and their families could easily be able to refill the bottle and keep it near their cooking space. I decided to create a soap sling to attach to the bottle for easy use. 

The soap was the unexpected part of the day. When I started opening the boxes of soap to give to each girl, I was unprepared for the excitement and the gratitude.

I choked up a bit and then I started to cry. Of course, then the girls were a bit upset that I was upset. I then told them that today was my last day. I don’t think I have ever received as many bear hugs and kisses from so many people in one minute. It was all a bit overwhelming.

I hope the girls understand how grateful I am to them for letting me into their lives and into their community and for letting them into my heart. Of course, I am also grateful to them for teaching me “Walla, Walla” and the “Alligator” game, a game that I still don’t quite understand but I sure did enjoy screaming and giggling with them at the end of every round.

Teacher, Lawyer, Police Woman

Last Friday was an awesome day with “my girls.” For the final activity of the self-esteem unit, I asked the girls about their future plans (aka: what do you want to be when you grow up). The Green Tara Foundation sure is doing something right. The girls had amazing answers. They really inspired me. I know they have the potential to achieve their dreams to be teachers, lawyers, police officers, dancers and singers if they can break the poverty cycle. My wish for each girl is to avoid an early marriage and to have the chance live their future plans. 

Photos: Week 3 in Review

Ready for my day at the Green Tara Foundation

Yummy!

Cooking with the ladies

Standing outside my dorm

Happy Birthday Ganesh!

1 Billion Rising to end violence against women

Tare dinner at Hard Rock

Best Indian lunch ever!

The Donations are in Use!

Thank you to everyone who donated! The supplies are being used with the teens at the Green Tara Foundation, with the elementary age kids at Deep Griha Society, with the 7th grade class at Anand Gram, with the toddlers at Tara Mobile Crèche and at the Door Step School!