Experiencing the Sandbox from an international perspective

Iria is one of the many interns at Deshpande Foundation who is part of our Global Exchange Program. She is working as a marketing and communications intern for the e-commerce website www.navodyami.com. During Development Dialogue, Iria had the opportunity to attend the field visits with other international delegates. She shared the compelling impact of having first-hand experience at these initiatives. Iria visited Akshaya Patra, Deshpande Foundation’s farm pond and malnutrition eradication program, Deshpande Startups, Save a Mother, and Navodyami entrepreneur: Somanath Somasole.

In this interview, Iria speaks to Mariah Mcknight, a new intern at the Hubli Sandbox of Deshpande Foundation.

Question:  Would you elaborate on the impact these initiatives had on the communities?

Iria:  I have read a lot about these initiatives, but it is completely different to experience the impact of these programs first-hand.  By actually seeing what goes on, it allows you to understand it in a different way.  Primarily, I was able to grasp the tremendous impact these programs have in the communities.

Question:  Expand on your experience by giving a specific example of the way one of the initiatives helped the community.

Iria:  During my visit to Akshaya Patra I was able to see the way in which they efficiently prepared the food to feed 1.3 million children every day. I didn’t realize the enormity of this exercise and the impact it has on the community. We woke up at 5:00 am to see the kitchen in production mode as everything is freshly made and then shipped off to the schools by 9:00 am. This program is extremely vital to the communities because many families can’t afford to provide meals for their children and hence send them to work. The Akshaya Patra program curtails this social malaise by giving children and their parents incentive to continue in school, while ensuring a major part of their nutrition needs are met.

Question:  Describe your experience at one of the other programs you visited.

Iria:  It was interesting to learn about the farm ponds and the farmers who are benefiting from them. Due to drought, farmers were not able to irrigate their crops, thus losing even their input investment. Deshpande Foundation introduced this sustainable agricultural initiative where rainwater is harvested to allow farmers to cultivate 2-3 crops in a year. During our visit to Save a Mother international delegates and locals were able to interact with one another, sharing and comparing their experiences during pregnancy. I learnt how last-mile delivery of maternal and neonatal healthcare is delivered by Save a Mother.

Question:  Describe what the experience was like for someone coming from a different country.

Iria:  People from highly developed countries often believe that resources are unlimited and it doesn’t occur to them that many people in India continuously struggle with lack of resources.  The underlying issues of the local people are not always obvious to foreigners.  Additionally, many Europeans and North Americans tend to think on a larger scale as if bigger is better.  So it was interesting to see how many organizations here have started small and scaled up.  It was my second time meeting Somanath Somasale, the entrepreneur working with Navoydami.  Somanath has been extremely successful with his business. He started working in a small village producing cotton bags and now he has expanded and grown his business to the point that he is in high demand from other companies.

Being a new intern part of the global exchange program myself, I am hoping to get the opportunity to see all these initiatives in action. It is clear that Iria was greatly impacted by having firsthand exposure. I know, personally, it is hard to imagine how much impact these programs have while just reading and writing about them. Through Iria’s explanation I am able to understand that coming from a highly developed country I may be sheltered and not as aware of the apparent struggles these initiatives are tackling. Deshpande Foundations dedication to these organizations is truly outstanding.  They have started a movement that continues to motivate and inspire social transformation in India.