First published in CNN i reports For the Girls + Education Assignment Posted on February 9, 2013
BY NANCY WOODS
I went from London as a volunteer through an organisation original volunteers. This is about a village school in Tamil Naidu which has seen the growing predominance of westerners. This kind of multi-cultural exchange programmes of Volunteers gaining popularity in North and South India But certain issues need to be ironed out.
I went by train from Madurai to Villipuram.
The school was 15 kilometres from Villipuram main line station. On Gingee main road. It has a hot and dry climate. Villipuram is in the Tamil Naidu state of India. There are predominantly Hindus and Christian. Farming is the main occupation. It happened to be a festive occasion with the celebration of Pongal. The villagers celebrate the harvest festival. It is a joyous occasion. They sell sugarcane and cow racing even till today to celebrate the festival.
Villipuram is one of the few places where you can see Indian life. The school is in Kanjanur Village in the Post District of Vilipuram Tamil Naidu. The Vallalar Educational Trust.
Is run by the coordinator and his wife. The school was started by his father. The building was converted to a school 10 years ago. It serves mostly schedule caste children and backward class. There are 5 Tamil teachers and 75 children. This is a primary school. The class rooms are basic. There is open field which is also used as classrooms. Set in a rural location. The school has been exposed to European volunteers. This may have been good but the organisation body do not visit the premises and neither has grasped Local life of the Tamil people.
The cultural exchange programme from UK is excellent as there is interaction with the western world. However it’s not about imposing western culture on Tamil life, but it should also be and influx of Tamil way of life to westerners.
I spent two days with the coordinator. He was positive about discussing the issues openly and the constraints. The coordinator is a dedicated young man with a lot of enthusiasm. This kind of International volunteering experience between two countries is the best way to move forward. Villipuram can easily absorb this, however the Tamil women in the village, did comment on the dress code of westerners a number of times. It was also felt that sometimes volunteers did not turn up at the station pick up point in some cases Chennai where there is the Intrnational airport, and the coordinators were not reimbursed for their expences.This could be a phenomenal £50 loss to them. Another problem was the coordinators lack of knowledge in dealing with the European volunteers for example they could pretty much teach what they liked. There was a tone of disappointment in him as one of the volunteers had applied for an overstay in Goa.
The Villipuram School is also in need of funds .There was no taps or drainage system. The water is pumped from a nearby well. The school building is incomplete. Villipuram School should not keep Volunteers without the basic facilities. For example the toilet facilities were inadequate.
But there was a progressive discussion and in the short time I was there.
The best that came out was to put a literacy hour in Place. Lesson material for English based on UK teaching methods. I also showed them you tube and this will help the Tamil teacher’s .Although there are no computers in the premices.They can easily learn the new techniques of teaching. In addition he spoke about a Trustee board .There is no support from the government. Once there is a trustee board set up it will transform the Village life. The coordinator wants to make this a local hub for women and disabled people.
Original Volunteers is the organisation from London coordinating these programmes. One must be careful as most often organisations have not visited the place and therefore you may be surprised. Should this happen then you can stay in a budget hotel as I did and enjoyed the experience.
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cnn-docVOLUNTEERING FROM BRITAIN TO INDIA (TAMIL NAIDU)
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