Rein checking in -
"Today I joined Simon to APSA to help conduct a final fact finding session for his Women Self Help Group Impact Study. It was (supposed to be) a focus group with ten ladies from different SHG's to ask them some open questions about their experience as a SHG member.
We drove off on our scooter to the APSA campus in the morning where we were supposed to be met by a coordinator to take us to the place where the focus group would be held. On our way we were pulled over by the police (ok, we were going down a separated carriage way on the wrong side of the road, but as this appears to be common practice here we assumed this was no big deal). As I was the driver, Simon jumped off the bike and I quickly handed him my wallet miming at him to empty it of all the money in it. We were warned by friends that it is best to have an empty wallet when dealing with the police in case they want its full contents as bakshis. The police officer turned to me and asked for my Indian driver's license. I stammered that I left it at home and that I thought what I did was OK as I was just following all the other drivers doing the same (in fact there was even a car driving up the wrong side of the ramp, so I wasn't even lying). The officer clearly didn't care much for having to deal with a foreigner so just grunted at me to produce 200 rupees (about € 3.25) and he'd let me off the hook. For locals that would a big amount, but I gladly took the opt-out and quickly pulled the notes from my pocket. Relieved we got away with it we continued on our way to APSA.
When we arrived we found that nobody was there to take us or even knew about the focus group, so Simon rang around a few of his colleagues and finally got some directions where to go. We set out again and after a bit of searching we finally got to the meeting place, only about an hour or two late. True to Indian hospitality, we were assured that this was no problem at all. Our host insisted on making us chai and letting us relax before we were taken to the ladies. After a refreshing cup of tea and some polite chit chat we were finally taken to the group. As these are all self employed women it was best to go to their huts in the slum to do the focus group.
When we got there they managed to pull out the only two chairs in the whole slum for us and quickly the community gathered around us curious to see what us two gora's where up to... Our host operated as the translator and we quickly started the process.
At first the ladies hesitantly answered our questions but soon the whole community joined in with their opinions about the subject, regardless of their knowledge or experience with the self-help group. I asked the questions, our translator translated (when he wasn't busy recording the whole process on his photo camera) and Simon dutifully tried to write down the answers, while we both knew we weren't getting any real new insights from the responses, but boy did everyone enjoy the process. As did we!
In the end I realised, once again, that the journey was more important than the destination. Clearly the benefit of conducting this focus group wasn't in the information we were gathering. Instead it was in the fact that we were there, showing an interest in these ladies and what they were achieving through the SHG, thus validating their feeling of significance and self-worth. After we thanked them for their contributions we left them feeling energised and happy about the exercise in the thought that we had helped them a small step further in their growing self confidence.
I now also realise how often we forget about the true benefit of the work we do in the Western world, focusing too much on producing a pre-defined result or outcome and thus missing out on a lot of potential value-add.
I hope I will be able to think back of this important lesson when I pick up my career at the other end of this sabbatical."
- Rein checking out
"Today I joined Simon to APSA to help conduct a final fact finding session for his Women Self Help Group Impact Study. It was (supposed to be) a focus group with ten ladies from different SHG's to ask them some open questions about their experience as a SHG member.
We drove off on our scooter to the APSA campus in the morning where we were supposed to be met by a coordinator to take us to the place where the focus group would be held. On our way we were pulled over by the police (ok, we were going down a separated carriage way on the wrong side of the road, but as this appears to be common practice here we assumed this was no big deal). As I was the driver, Simon jumped off the bike and I quickly handed him my wallet miming at him to empty it of all the money in it. We were warned by friends that it is best to have an empty wallet when dealing with the police in case they want its full contents as bakshis. The police officer turned to me and asked for my Indian driver's license. I stammered that I left it at home and that I thought what I did was OK as I was just following all the other drivers doing the same (in fact there was even a car driving up the wrong side of the ramp, so I wasn't even lying). The officer clearly didn't care much for having to deal with a foreigner so just grunted at me to produce 200 rupees (about € 3.25) and he'd let me off the hook. For locals that would a big amount, but I gladly took the opt-out and quickly pulled the notes from my pocket. Relieved we got away with it we continued on our way to APSA.
When we arrived we found that nobody was there to take us or even knew about the focus group, so Simon rang around a few of his colleagues and finally got some directions where to go. We set out again and after a bit of searching we finally got to the meeting place, only about an hour or two late. True to Indian hospitality, we were assured that this was no problem at all. Our host insisted on making us chai and letting us relax before we were taken to the ladies. After a refreshing cup of tea and some polite chit chat we were finally taken to the group. As these are all self employed women it was best to go to their huts in the slum to do the focus group.
At first the ladies hesitantly answered our questions but soon the whole community joined in with their opinions about the subject, regardless of their knowledge or experience with the self-help group. I asked the questions, our translator translated (when he wasn't busy recording the whole process on his photo camera) and Simon dutifully tried to write down the answers, while we both knew we weren't getting any real new insights from the responses, but boy did everyone enjoy the process. As did we!
In the end I realised, once again, that the journey was more important than the destination. Clearly the benefit of conducting this focus group wasn't in the information we were gathering. Instead it was in the fact that we were there, showing an interest in these ladies and what they were achieving through the SHG, thus validating their feeling of significance and self-worth. After we thanked them for their contributions we left them feeling energised and happy about the exercise in the thought that we had helped them a small step further in their growing self confidence.
I now also realise how often we forget about the true benefit of the work we do in the Western world, focusing too much on producing a pre-defined result or outcome and thus missing out on a lot of potential value-add.
I hope I will be able to think back of this important lesson when I pick up my career at the other end of this sabbatical."
- Rein checking out
Rein,
ReplyDeleteThe experience you express in your two last sentences makes your sabbitical already 100% worthwile.
Make sure, you indeed pick it up when you're back.
Love, Papa