ஒவ்வொரு நாட்டின், பழங்குடி மக்கள், மற்றும் மொழி: Development Day!

As the title suggests, today was a day spent completely in a village, documenting the community development initiatives taking place through the Adopt-a-Village program. We were accompanied and guided by an IGL worker named Sarah. She, along with a few other workers help oversee the development work taking place throughout Tamil Nadu and surrounding states. Each adopted village has a viable, witnessing church present, most of which are the result of barefoot pastor work in the area. This program is meant to be based in the church but available to anyone in the community who is interested. We met Hindu and Christian alike who were benefitting from the program.

The Adopt-a-Village program is a 5 year initiative focused on meeting both immediate physical needs and bringing long term sustainable change to a community. The program is tailored to fit the needs of each village. There are many different facets to the Adopt-a-Village, which include but are not limited to:

Providing affordable housing
Construction of infrastructure (roads, sewers, etc)
Water well provision
Life Center construction
Women's Transformation Groups
Micro-Loan Programs
Micro-Financing Programs
Trade and Production Center's
Early-Middle Childhood Supplementary Education
Day-Care Centers

We were able to see an example of each today. And for the sake of my brain not exploding on you lovely people I will try to keep it short...but I'll make no promises. :-)

Our village was Kanavaipudhur, which is actually a conglomerate of many (12) smaller communities. We first met with the pastor, Rev. Sathrack, who has been working in the area for 20+ years. We then visited a Day-Care Center which is host to 15 unsponsored children, most of which live in the area. The Day-Care Center provides beginning literacy education as well as small Bible lessons. They keep profiles for each child and run a medical camp (seemingly identical to the one we visited at Bethel Care) every 3 months. We were able to hear some testimonies from local Hindu women about how grateful they are for the Day-Care, as they now have more time to work to provide for their children. One of the women's children had some issues with eating soil instead of food (don't we all?) but was resolved with proper eating among village children at the Day-Care.

We then heard several testimonies from church members, as well as a long story from the pastor about their fellowship and how the Adopt-a-Village program has impacted their community. I absolutely LOVED hearing so many different stories of redemption and transformation. Once we get the 'official' translation back I'll have more details to share...stay tuned.

We then traveled to a Tailoring Center, where 8-10 women were standing by their cherished sewing machines, which are provided by donation through IGL. There is a tailoring program that the women go through at their own pace, though they must complete an "album" of examples to prove their skills. These machines and the training provided help women to make a supplementary income while learning valuable time/money saving skills.

Next was the Life Center and the Production Center. There we met Daniel, the first believer in the village. He is a leper who has managed to bring the Light of Christ to this village after meeting Sam Stephen's father, Rajah, in a train station many years ago. It was through this man that IGL began work in the region, and has continued to this day. It was a privilege meeting him today. The Production Center is home to 8 women who make merchandise for Sharon Enterprises, the division of IGL that sells the handmade goods made by women in IGL programs. This center produced bags, floor-mats, and block printed napkins. There were 2 large looms and 8 industrial sewing machines in the center. Today was floor-mat day, and the looms were in full gear. I was not expecting to see looms!!!

The Life Center serves as a meeting space for both church services and adult literacy programs. There is a well on the property which provides a safe source of drinking water. I don't think I can overstate the importance of safe water. There were many puddles and clogged gutter systems full of contaminated water in the area. This contamination can seep into the groundwater and damage the entire water source. As bottled water can be a luxury here, many rely on boreholes or streams as their water source. Many people die from preventable diseases because they were driven to drink contaminated water. There is also a large Hindu family that lives and farms next to the Life Center. We discovered an elderly women living on the edge of their property in a VERY small woven hut and soon realized that she is an older relative of the family. She was apparently "banished" from the house once she became "useless" to them. I found her quite dainty.

We then went to the center of the village and saw two of the homes build for community members. They are small but extremely sturdy cottages built from cement brick which are built through IGL, though the beneficiaries must provide their own land. We had the honor of hearing the heartbreaking yet wonderful story of a woman named Chitra. She is HIV+ and buys, raises, and sells goats for income, which was actually started through a micro-loan program from IGL. There was a baby goat on her property that was just born that day. It wouldn't shut up, but it was adorable so I let it slide.

Also in the town was a Women's Transformation Group (WTG). This is essentially a co-op of women who share trade skills such as literacy, accounting, etc. This particular one was very good at making soap. There is a micro-finance portion to the WTG which allows for the pooling of community funds which can then be used for loans, large purchases, etc. Only women who participate in a WTG can the be a beneficiary of the micro-loan program. Small loans (2,500 Rs. or about 45 USD) are given for the specific purpose of starting a business (like Chitra and her goats). Loans are then paid back with minimal interest, and those returned funds can then be given out as another loan. Larger loans are available to those who successfully repaid their first loan.

LASTLY we visited the evening study center, which functions as an after-school program with some additional teaching from the Bible. We were warmly greeted by a crowd of around 40 children, and we were able to distribute gifts to each in turn. Some of these children were "graduates" of the Day Care Center we saw earlier that day. Kyle distributed to the Day Care Center children in the morning, while I distributed to the older children in the afternoon. It was a good end to a rather exhausting day.

Overall, I was very impressed with everything I saw. This program is multi-faceted while still being strategic and inclusive. The amount of accountability was encouraging; these villages get regular visits from IGL staff, and some of the church members act as liaisons between each part of the program. Also encouraging was the capacity-building which I saw almost across the board. It is EXTREMELY important to make these efforts a part of the community environment. Otherwise, it becomes just another handout, and the recipients will lack the training and motivation to continue the work themselves. When people take part by financial or relational investment, they gain a sense of ownership in the things they're investing. For example, the loans are paid back with interest. The houses are built on land that they acquire themselves. They produce goods which are then sold locally. They pool community resources for wider sharing. Above all, they are investing in one another, regardless of spiritual beliefs. This bond of community, this morale if you will, is often the hardest yet most crucial part to any development effort. This is a major component to sustainability; getting those involved to be motivated to make sure the work continues. This village has been transformed as a result of a 5 year commitment, and there are many other cases dotted throughout the country. It costs $75,000 to Adopt-a-Village for 5 years, and considering the outcome, I believe that it's well worth the sacrifice.