Hello everyone, my name is Lea and I am a volunteer at SAMA Foundation. I am – again – from Germany and I will stay here for one year. My exchange organisation is the ICDE (International Cultural Dialogue and Exchange), which is the indian branch of the international organisation ICYE (International Cultural Youth Exchange).
I came to India two months ago and I already feel like a member of the SAMA family. So far my work mainly consists of working in the Daycare Centre in Yelahanka and in the New Office at Bashyam Circle. But my work is far more than that.
In these two months I experienced a lot with SAMA Foundation. I had the opportunity to attend a meeting about Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and I participated in a training for psychosocial Care and Lifeskills Education. Also there was a programme introduced, named STeP, which provides courses in computer skills and English conversation. Four weeks ago I assisted six days at a training for teachers on new CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation) Guidelines at a place outside Bangaluru. At each event I got to know so many nice people and I already have invitations for the rest of the year :)
But the most time I am spending at the Day Care Centre. There I work with around 10 children, which are 3 to 18 years old. I play with them, teach them English or help to do physiotherapy exercises. The work with the children is really enjoyable and everyday holds another experience.
I like that my work is so varied and I am curious about the next ten months.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
2010/2011 Sama Volunteer
My name is Aline, I’m 19 years old, I come from Germany and I am a Sama-volunteer for nearly eight months now. As I’m here for quite a long time now it thought it might be a good idea to write something about me, what I’m doing and Sama Foundation.
I came to India through the German organization icja. Icja is cooperating with ICDE-India; ICDE-India is the organization that is taking care of me here in India.
Why did I want to go to India?
When I was about to finish school I had a pretty important decision to make: what should I do after my graduation? I had absolutely no idea. Somewhere I had in my mind to go abroad but I didn’t know which country or even how.
In the end it all went on quite fast, I got to know about the “weltwaerts”-programme of the German government, I found the organization icja and a few months later I was in India.
But why did I choose India?
Actually, the only criteria for me was that the country is English-speaking, so I decided between several African countries and India. As for me India was far more interesting I decided for India. You’d think it must have been a hard decision to choose the country, but somehow for me it wasn’t that difficult. And I’m happy with my decision. Even though I had some hard times (and a quite difficult start) I just like this country with its amazing landscapes, the culture, that couldn’t be more different from what I know, and its people.
Sama Foundation is an NGO (non-governmental organization) that is working for persons with disabilities and disability-right. The special focus lies on children and education.
The first months I assisted the teachers in the Day Care Centres and the Child Activity Centres, there I played with the children and taught them things like little chants, dances, drawing and sometimes a little bit of English.
Although I was a little bit scared of working with disabled children, because I never did it before, I’m really glad I got the chance to do it. It is wonderful when they get used to you and want to play with you. Seeing their happy faces can enlighten your day.
Now Sama Foundation is concentrating a little bit more on fund-raising. This always will be a major activity for an NGO. Therefore, I also got other tasks. I spent for example a lot of time in working on the five year report of Sama Foundation or I do smaller office activities.
I am living in a Hostel near the office (10 minutes by walk), and I really like living there. Because I’m quite independent there, apart from the curfew but that’s only a minor problem to me. I have a lot of privacy and I live there with a lot of nice Indian girls/women that are about my age.
Besides working I also spend a lot of time with travelling through India. So far I’ve seen a lot of places of South India and parts of North India.
The landscapes are always really impressing but sometimes travelling can be really exhausting.
However, I enjoy my time here in India with the “Sama-Family” and I will always remember this year.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
Fare Well to Nadia, SAMA Volunteer
Nadia, the volunteer from United Kingdom rendered the timely help to SAMA Foundation and KARO (Disability Network)in assisting to develop the shadow report to UN briefing the ground realities on the status of persons with disabilities pertaining to education, health, employment, protection etc...
Our Heartfelt thanks and best wishes for her future endeavorer
Regards
RAM
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
London girl takes on the big city
Hello!
I'm Nadia, 24, from London. I've been in Bangalore for almost a month now and it's been an absolute whirlwind! I've travelled before but never actually lived abroad so this is a completely new experience for me. I'll be honest with you - the first week was pretty disorienting and not very enjoyable. Basic things like trying to find drinking water or toilet paper are a challenge when language barriers are an issue and supermarkets are scarce. I remember feeling very confused and frustrated that you couldn't find basic foodstuffs and household items in one shop, but that there were lots of small shops and you just had to 'know' where to go. Of course now I understand that those many shops represent thousands of livelihoods and families, and the success of large supermarkets implies their inevitable demise.
Slowly I have gotten used to life in Bangalore and really feel like it's a second home now. My colleagues at SAMA have welcomed me with open arms and really made me feel part of the family. Everyday something extraordinary seems to happen here - over the weekend there was a Hindu festival celebrating Ganesh and my colleagues took me to a shrine to participate in the celebrations. That's not the kind of thing you experience on a 2 week holiday! I am really enjoying my work too - half the time is spent writing a report on disability and the rest of the time I spend visiting schools and disability centres. It's a fascinating insight into the lives of children with disabilities and one I feel privileged to be a part of.
In addition to the interesting work and thrill of living in a new city there is the added bonus of being able to take weekend trips. If you don't mind long, bottom-bruising bus journeys and the prospect of being severely sleep-deprived on a Monday morning then there are many wonderful places to go on the weekends - Kerala, Goa, Hampi, Coorg. Dramatic mountain ranges, sumptuous cuisines and historic temples are on offer for those prepared to make the trek.
Not everything is easy here - 85% of rickshaw drivers will try to overcharge you in some way or another, the pollution is so intense it's oppressive and Bangalore has a serious waste disposal problem, not helped by the fact that men pee freely and indiscriminately all over the city!
However, if you come with an open mind and an open heart you'll find that Incredible India really lives up to its name.
I'm Nadia, 24, from London. I've been in Bangalore for almost a month now and it's been an absolute whirlwind! I've travelled before but never actually lived abroad so this is a completely new experience for me. I'll be honest with you - the first week was pretty disorienting and not very enjoyable. Basic things like trying to find drinking water or toilet paper are a challenge when language barriers are an issue and supermarkets are scarce. I remember feeling very confused and frustrated that you couldn't find basic foodstuffs and household items in one shop, but that there were lots of small shops and you just had to 'know' where to go. Of course now I understand that those many shops represent thousands of livelihoods and families, and the success of large supermarkets implies their inevitable demise.
Slowly I have gotten used to life in Bangalore and really feel like it's a second home now. My colleagues at SAMA have welcomed me with open arms and really made me feel part of the family. Everyday something extraordinary seems to happen here - over the weekend there was a Hindu festival celebrating Ganesh and my colleagues took me to a shrine to participate in the celebrations. That's not the kind of thing you experience on a 2 week holiday! I am really enjoying my work too - half the time is spent writing a report on disability and the rest of the time I spend visiting schools and disability centres. It's a fascinating insight into the lives of children with disabilities and one I feel privileged to be a part of.
In addition to the interesting work and thrill of living in a new city there is the added bonus of being able to take weekend trips. If you don't mind long, bottom-bruising bus journeys and the prospect of being severely sleep-deprived on a Monday morning then there are many wonderful places to go on the weekends - Kerala, Goa, Hampi, Coorg. Dramatic mountain ranges, sumptuous cuisines and historic temples are on offer for those prepared to make the trek.
Not everything is easy here - 85% of rickshaw drivers will try to overcharge you in some way or another, the pollution is so intense it's oppressive and Bangalore has a serious waste disposal problem, not helped by the fact that men pee freely and indiscriminately all over the city!
However, if you come with an open mind and an open heart you'll find that Incredible India really lives up to its name.
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