RETURNING: Equipping the underserved for financial independence in Western India – 2024

Overview

A large number of rural and underserved populations in India have been displaced in the past decades due to rising inflation, industrialization and globalization. On the other hand, urban development has attracted millions of rural residents to urban areas for employment on hourly/daily jobs. The majority of these workers and their families dwell in urban slum developments and are not able to afford basic education, health care, or nutrition, or to pursue skilled vocations. This DukeEngage program, in collaboration with the Ahmedabad-based nonprofit organization Saath, will participate in projects meant to provide better opportunities to these migrant communities, especially women and children of very low-income families. During their two months in Ahmedabad, India, Duke students will work with Saath NGO focused on education, women’s empowerment, social entrepreneurship, low-income housing, small business cooperatives, and microcredit financing.

Ahmedabad is spread on the banks of the river Sabarmati in Gujarat State, located on the western coast of India. The city is renowned for its hand-woven and printed textiles and is a thriving center for commerce with flourishing chemical, pharmaceutical, and other industries. The Indian independence movement developed in Ahmedabad when Mahatma Gandhi established his ashram in 1917 on the banks of Sabarmati. Monsoons generally set in during early July. The temperatures may range from 85-100F, with periodic drizzles or heavy downpours.

Reflection sessions will be held once a week and may include Saath project supervisors. Students will reflect on their progress with their projects, their personal goals, and on issues raised by guest speakers. Discussions will also reference recommended readings. Local experts will give guest lectures on various topics, including careers in the nonprofit field and Indian history, culture, literature, art, and music. Duke students will also visit local historical and cultural sites in and around Ahmedabad.

In this program students will develop a deeper sense of social responsibility (cultural awareness, learning to respect human beings who are less privileged, raising awareness of social issues). They will deepen leadership skills (self-confidence, self-discovery, developing maturity on global perspectives, decision-making, teamwork). They will gain a better understanding of the non-profit social sector and how their service could make an impact; help inspiring the diverse members of the Saath Cooperative to serve their own communities.

Partnership Opportunities

Saath NGO has pioneered an Integrated Community Development Program that seeks to uplift, enrich and provide opportunities for the well-being of slum residents, migrant rural laborers, minorities, underserved children, women and youth moving to urban areas. Assistance is provided to these communities for access to health care, education, training in profession-based skills, employment, micro-financing small businesses, and acquiring affordable housing.

Duke students will be assigned to one of the following projects based on their interests and skills, and on interviews with Saath project mentors:

• Pre-school Education—Balghar: provides education and nutrition support to children of underserved families (ages 3-7). Daily classes are run within slum communities and on construction sites. Duke students assigned to this program will teach English, basic Mathematics, or any other field of study or artistic discipline; research and provide guidance on nutrition; and work with the Saath office to raise funds for nutritious meals.
• STEM Education: focuses on imparting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math related education to school-going and school-dropout girls, especially those in the age group of 10- 14 years. Students will help develop new teaching approaches and enrich STEM curriculum prepared in earlier years by DukeEngage alumni.
• Business Gym and the Multi-purpose Cooperative: aims to amplify the pride and resilience of small business entrepreneurs in the unorganized sectors and provides supplemental skills towards better productivity. The Cooperative is an autonomous association of people united to meet their economic and social aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. Saath encourages workers from the unorganized sectors to become members of this Cooperative and mentors them with regards to business acumen, micro-financing, financial planning, banking paperwork and other skills. Students could help with social media or with creating an app for the Cooperative, or with creating an entrepreneurial profile for members.
• Integrated Area Development: Through community-based Urban Resource Centers, the Integrated Slum Development (ISD) program ensures provision of basic infrastructure facilities, health services, education and livelihood training, and access to micro-credit loans. Students will help research the needs of the homeless and low-income families; educate the small-business entrepreneurs, engage in education programs for their children, and research possibilities for low-income housing.
• Saath Savings and Micro-credit Cooperative: Saath manages micro-credit projects to help individuals with very low income acquire micro-financing, and manage the loans and repayments. 99% of Saath’s loans have been successfully returned, and several payees have been able to establish small businesses. Duke students will be able to learn about microcredit financing, work with payees in product design and marketing techniques, create case studies, and help the office with microfinance records.
• Fundraising projects: All Duke students in this program will contribute time to work with a designated fundraiser at the Saath head office, using online tools such as crowd funding platforms and social media to assist staff in raising funds for various SAATH projects.

Requirements

Language: Hindi is the widely spoken language in northern India. Basic level language skill would be helpful, but is not required. Students will have daily spoken Hindi language lessons at Saath throughout their stay.

Coursework: Any level of study on South Asia or Indian History would be helpful, but is not required.

Skills: Capability to participate in teamwork projects; ability for skillful research towards selected projects; varied skills in using social media, computer technology or building an app will be helpful but not required.

Personal Qualities: This program seeks students with the ability to work as a team with SAATH staff and supervisors, and to work and interact with diverse populations of rural migrants as well as homestay families. Qualities sought include:

• respect for the communities served, commitment to follow protocols, patience and perseverance and the ability to manage stress in unfamiliar environments, self-awareness, self-reliance, and use of good discretion;
• An open mind, and curiosity about global cultures;
• Openness to thrive in a possibly unfamiliar foreign country for eight weeks

Logistics

Housing, Meals, and Transportation: Duke students will stay in homestays with local families. Rooms will be furnished and secured with lockable doors, and may be shared with another Duke student of the same gender. Students will have access to a shared bathroom.

Families will provide students with breakfast and dinner on weekdays and all meals on weekends; Saath will arrange for lunch on weekdays. Student preference for vegetarian or non-vegetarian food will be taken into account when assigning homestays. Saath will provide only vegetarian food, fresh from the kitchen at their head office.

Local safety, security, and cultural norms: We encourage students who have questions or concerns about health or safety in international programs to check Duke’s International SOS (ISOS) portal for relevant information. If you have special needs related to health, culture, disability, or religious practices, please contact the program director(s) or the DukeEngage office to discuss whether your needs can be accommodated in this program.

For guidance on how race, religion, sexual/gender identity, ability, or other aspects of identity might impact your travels, we suggest exploring the Diversity, Identity and Global Travel section of the DukeEngage website.

Academic Connections

This program is open to all. Students in this program will acquire experience helpful when pursuing higher level programs or careers in social enterprise, NGO leadership, community service, or microfinance. At Duke, Professor Shah will help students integrate their experiences with their respective academic disciplines and inspire students to further their commitments to community service at Duke and beyond. She is willing to mentor students in independent studies, Program II majors, or honors theses on topics related to their DukeEngage experience.