afternoon joy

Posted by Alia on Monday, March 19, 2007

I stepped outside. 15 girls giggled. Several small children ran around their mother's legs carrying small plastic containers filled with jars of beads. A few girls balanced their boxes on their heads. Other girls stood, arms clutched around their boxes like these boxes were their second child. The atmosphere was happy and I felt like Santa Clause. I distributed bead boxes Saturday.

Early Saturday afternoon, Suneetha helped me sort the beads by color schemes for each of the boxes. Medani, Arjuna, and Yuvani counted and weighed beads to make sure that each girl got the same amount. Manisha, a new girl, watched in amazement, a certain sparkle in her eye like somehow she had just arrived in her fantasy land. The girl's matron watched happily and did her best to communicate with me in broken English. The beading, she told me, was meditative. They used to have problems with the girls gossiping and fighting at night. Now they sit quietly and do their own work. Better yet, they often work in groups and take time to help each other. Suneetha and Yuvani will help teach Manisha the skills we have been going over.

They are so proud of these boxes... so proud to have something to call their own. I find it unbelievable how such a simple thing, just a few dollars in the US, can make such a huge difference in the lives of people here. The boxes aren't all that the girls have ownership over. Every day they seem to take more and more ownership of the program itself. We have become one large family unit. Yuvani and Damayanthi sat below the table Saturday for more than an hour picking up beads and carefully putting them back in their respective containers. Medani's son, Pasan, slept peacefully on the floor under the table after watching them for a while. Roshenara's son clung to me like a small monkey, his long arms wrapped around my neck. Every time I tried to put him down, he would scrunch up his legs so that his feet wouldn't hit the ground and just hang on. I would laugh and return to my standing position realizing that he wouldn't be going anywhere any time soo. It was heartbreaking ot have to pass him back to Roshenara before I left.

As I left Ma-Sevana late on Saturday, all the girls clustered by the gate calling out goodbyes and "good luck." Even their kids were their waving. They were so happy, so incredibly full of life. When I think back to their faces a year and a half ago, it's hard to believe these are the same girls. They are talking and smiling and their eyes are filled with joy. There are no more hollow stares and I hope there never will be. Consequently, I too am overflowing with joy just thinking of them. Read more »

the richness of communication

Posted by Alia on Thursday, March 15, 2007

Above all else, Sri Lanka has taught me about communication. People always ask me about the language barrier. While I cannot deny the importance of learning the language of the culture I am in, I have realized that verbal communication is just one facet of a large exchange between individuals. In the States and at MIT, I feel like so much of my life is contained in my mental domain and somehow verbal communication becomes the reality of my interactions and traps me from moving beyond the surface. Sri Lanka has shown me that there is also physcial communication, emotional communication, and aesthetic communication. Sri Lanka has also taught me that listening is perhaps the most important part of communication... listening to those around me and listening to myself so that I can interact with the world in the most effective way. Because of this, I feel like I live more fully than I have ever lived before. I am forced to communicate in new ways that are completely foreign to me but at the same time are completely real. There is no room for politeness or forced exchange. It's all real and it's all refreshing.

Working with the girls on their jewelry has developed my sense of aesthetic communication. Suneetha always works in sets of twos when she is beading. Sindu uses long stretches of solid, bold colors. Damni always moves from small beads to big to small. Tiara has no sense of matching or what anyone might call aesthetic at all but she takes a certain pride in her carefree approach to her work.

60 splashes of color--60 bracelets completed in a few hours of diligent work. The girls are on fire. Since I allowed them to make products when I am not there and to run the program themselves without adult supervision they have become more passionate than ever before. They have such a pride in their work and they are so eager to help one another, to take on responsibility, to supervise our workshops and to help insure that everything is accounted for. I spread out all 60 bracelets created yesterday for them to see before I left. They all picked up the bracelets that they had made and showed them to one another and counted them in English for me.

I allowed them to choose more beads to make bracelets before our next class on Saturday. They began to set their own goals, each wanting to make more bracelets than they had ever made before. I realized a dry erase board to track the number of products they have made and set goals for the upcoming week would be a fun exercise. I will go to get the dry erase board tomorrow.

The program is progressing perfectly. I really cannot explain how everything has worked out, how it continuously develops so smoothly. Everyone here, including myself, is astounded. Everything always falls into place. I keep refining and adjusting my expectations, going with what seems best at the time. I am more concerned about their ability to organize themselves, maintain and sustain the program themselves and feel that they have accomplished something than having a large product repertoire.

The bags being sponsored by MAST Cares (Victoria's Secret) are coming along nicely as well. I can't wait to show you all! I wanted them to be simple but unique. I designed them to have the seam come up the front middle and tie in the front rather than on the side like a traditional drawstring bag. Punsara has finished the image that will be screenprinted on the bag. It's a beautiful, graceful Sri Lankan woman and will be printed on the side of the bag, wrapping around from the front to the back. I went shopping with Julie (from Victoria's Secret) for a small bead to pull the drawstring tight today. We found something that works perfectly. We've also selected the fabric and cord. So, production will begin soon! We are now just making the pattern and creating instructions (both written and pictorial) for the girls who will be making the bags.

Some of the girls who are leaving soon want to continue to produce jewelry and I have found some women to pick up their products monthly and drop off new supplies once they leave Ma-Sevana. Overall, I think we have developed a strong product, beautiful packaging, a fabulous team of support, and some happy girls. Still tons more to do but things are great. I am so alive and full of energy. I am stretching, growing, loving, learning, listening... communicating with myself and all around me. Read more »

progress in sri lanka

Posted by Alia on Thursday, March 08, 2007

Progress in Sri Lanka is slow but it occurs nonetheless. It's a hot day here. I'm not sure whether that is because I just returned from a quick trip to England (for an interview) or if it is because we are approaching April which is arguably one of the hottest months here and also when the rains begin again. Perhaps it is some of both. Jet-lagged from yesterday's flight and sweating, I pulled into Ma-Sevana and one girl called out that I had arrived. Before I knew it, girls began to come out of the woodwork, each holding a precious bag of beads. I had done an experiment with them last week, trusting them to do some work on their own, and their excited arrival was a testament to my experiment's success.

Last week I realized that it was time for the girls to start doing their work when I am not there. They have begun to rely on me to fix their problems and I want to make sure that they know they can do this on their own. Afterall, they will have to make their products on their own when I come home. I first asked the matron if she would open their locker of beads on Saturday when I was away in England so that they could do some work. But, she was hesitant to take on the responsibility. I began to fear that I was going to face problems with ensuring the program's sustainability. During my last trip, one of the matrons loved making jewelry so she was happy to help the girls. But, this time the matrons are much less interested. So, I decided to do an experiment that several people advised me against. I gave the beads to the girls themselves to watch. If we can build a system that they monitor completely themselves, we can both insure the sustainability of the program and simultaneously are empowering the girls to take care of themselves and each other and learn about responsibility.

The girls lined up last week, nervous and giddy to be given responsibility. One girl was in charge of a single pair of pliers that they would all share to each make a bracelet while I was gone. You may be thinking, "Alia, a single bracelet? What's the big deal with that?" But, when you consider giving each girl a bag with more than enough beads for a bracelet, it could be a disaster if none of the bags came back. Still, I knew it was time. I weighed out their beads and told them that they were responsible for ensuring that all the beads came back and that the beads and final product should match the same weight. If they didn't, they would miss our next class. I knew this experiment would be rather telling. Part of me was afraid it would be a disaster but I needed to know so that I can design this system to work by the time I leave.

Well, I am happy to say that every bead was accounted for (amazingly! Not a single girl lost her supplies!) and each girl made a beautiful bracelet and was extremely proud to show me today. I cannot be more excited. Today I allowed the girls to take two pairs of pliers and two new girls will be watching them this week. This responsibility will continue to rotate so that all girls have the responsibility of monitoring the tools. The girls will make 2 bracelets over the weekend before next Wednesday's class.

This actually feels like a really big achievement to me. For the first time, I am able to witness them organizing themselves, them working when they would like to work, them taking complete ownership in the process and running it without the support of the supervising matron or me. I see tremendous potential for this system of organization. Victoria's Secret has agreed to give each girl her own tool box that will lock and she will be able to keep her beads and other precious items in this box. There is something very important, in my opinion, about having something to call your own, having a sense of personal space and privacy, and a place to store meaningful items that can be remembered forever. I am quite excited about providing this for each of the girls.

So, things are progressing beautifully. I have been working with a woman from Victoria's Secret to design small square drawstring bags out of a very simple cotton material. I am planning to open bank accounts for a group of handicapped girls (most are deaf) at Sarvodaya's Vocational training center and paying them to sew the bags. A local artisan is working on a very traditional, ethnic image that we will screen print onto the bags. Victoria's Secret is donating the silk screens, printing ink, material, and drawstrings and is having their silk screening department teach a course to the girls at the vocational training center on silk screening. I think this is a really exciting development for the project! We've found a way to support a whole new group of at-risk girls. Eventually, they are hoping that some of the girls from Ma-Sevana may also come and do a jewelry workshop with these girls to allow them to start making jewelry for export as well.

Limited Brands, the group that owns the Limited, Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works and many more, has an annual field day in May where they sell products from all of their different charity projects. So, we are currently aiming to have many products and the program rather complete by the end of April in time to export for this event. I think I will be back in the US around May 1st.

On a more heart-felt level, Tharanga has returned home to live with her aunt now that her baby is gone. I miss her and am encouraging Sarvodaya to conduct follow-up visits. Priyanthi and Damayanthi are preparing to leave and Ma-Sevana is preparing for new girls to enter. Nanda had a baby two weeks ago who is growing beautifully and has a thick head of hair (which Nanda is incredibly proud of). Medani and Roshenara keep trying to convince me to bring them back to the States when I return. In general, my girls are doing well. Read more »