… testing – testing 1, 2, 3.  Are you reading me?!

Greetings and salutations from the Nilgiris-Wynaad Tribal Welfare Society (NWTWS), at Ambalamoola town, on the Kerala – Tamil Nadu border, amid the ‘teascaped’ Blue Mountains, in sunny (when it’s not rainy season), sometimes stifling and always spicy Southern India.

For those not entirely in the know; I am here completing the practical portion of my Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree, under the auspices of Madras Christian College (MCC) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.  My internship at NWTWS has been undertaken with financial support from The Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA’s) and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada’s (AUCC’s) Students for Development (SFD) grant program.

It is difficult to know where to begin…  touched down at Chennai International Airport just before midnight on January 5th after a 20+ hour flight from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (with only one short connection in Frankfurt – cheers, Lufthansa!).  Following several days stay at MCC for a brief but lovely period of orientation and preparation hosted by the good folks in the Social Work Department I made my way along with a group of  Masters of Social Work (MSW) students via two trains, a quick rickshaw ride, a couple of buses and a short hike to NWTWS – the trip totaling 18 or so hours in all.  Their 4 or 5 day yearly departmental curriculum project complete, the current batch of MCC MSW students have long since made their way back to campus for classes and the relative comforts of the city, leaving me here to do my thing.

Much indeed can be said about the often charming and sometimes disarming sounds, sights, tastes and, yes, smells of urban and rural India, not to mention the textile textures, but I won’t start with all of that, nor will I say much at the moment about the oh so many sociopolitically, economically, linguistically, culturally and spiritually diverse people, or all of the traffic – human or otherwise.  Allow me to begin instead with some work I have done here with NWTWS, who celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2009, particularly the drafting and editing of a forthcoming promotional leaflet.  I worked on the item alongside Project Manger (PM), Mr. Peter Ronald G. and NWTWS Founder, Mr. John Wilson.  It provides a bit of information about the organization’s history, and a good deal concerning its programming.  What follows is the text in full:

“Since 1979 NWTWS has been working with the Hill Tribes of the Nilgiris-Wynaad – a region in South India that links Tamil Nadu and Kerala, once a subtropical rainforest. Our project was originally designed to solve health problems, and later began to address various other issues facing Tribal populations, in ways appropriate to their needs, priorities and cultures.

Medical care was completely lacking in the area, even for the simplest of ailments. We built an outpatient facility and dispensary at Ambalamoola – a settlement located near the North Western edge of Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary – on land provided by the Tamil Nadu Government. Our clinic soon gained the trust of Tribal patients from far and wide. Additionally, medical camps were conducted in remote villages, and field work of this kind continues today.

From time to time new health crises emerged. In some villages in the 1980s, for example, a high prevalence of Leprosy was found. This led to the establishment of a Tribal team, which conducted comprehensive survey, enumeration and treatment programmes. The disease has since been virtually eradicated in this area. Tuberculosis remains a persistent challenge. In co-operation with the Indian Government, NWTWS is controlling TB through informative health programmes, regular surveys and intensive therapies. HIV/AIDS education, counselling and testing are also now offered. Over the last thirty-plus years the clinic has grown to include an inpatient hospital with twelve beds.

School uniforms and bags have been provided for local children to encourage and enable regular school attendance. With our Children’s Club, we have initiated and organized activities such as sports days, cultural celebrations, role-model training programs and educational trips. Drinking water wells were dug in scarcity areas. Tea and coffee plants were distributed among Tribal families and communities to improve their socioeconomic stability and prospects for the future, and to foster effective utilization of their land. Through our innovative Livelihood Enhancement Programme, cows and goats have been offered to Leprosy survivors with disfigurements and disabilities as a means of generating income and improving quality of life.

In support of our work, funds have generously been given over the years by donor groups in the UK and Belgium, local Government agencies, and individuals from around the world. Our seventeen acre tea, coffee and pepper plantation continues to provide financial support for our operations.

Today the majority of our staff is comprised of people from nearby Tribal communities.  For NWTWS and our partners ongoing challenges and issues remain… To learn more about us, our many programmes or to contribute please visit our website.”

The leaflet is not quite ready for distribution.  NWTWS’s website is under construction.  There is more work on those things to do.  Daily so much other work is being done – all of these things I will let you know about in the days, weeks and months to come.  I am honoured and privileged to be here, “accompanying the process” (Whitmore and Wilson, 1997, p. 58) of administering social medicine, supporting social education and sustainable development programs, and exploring the possibilities of international social work.

Please check back with me from time to time.  You are more than welcome to comment, so feel free.

More anon.

Cheers,

Jason

PS… ‘teascape’…

Ambalamoola @ Google Maps:

http://maps.google.co.in/maps?q=ambalamoola&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=qrQ4T7K0CIKqrAePrYHWBQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=3&ved=0CA8Q_AUoAg

References:

Whitmore, E. and Wilson, M. (1997). Accompanying the process: Social work and international development practice. International Social Work, 40: 57 DOI: 10.1177/002087289704000105.

Category: India, On location // 14 Comments »