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Volunteering for Sristi Foundation

We volunteered for 6 weeks for an extraordinary charity, based in Tamil Nadu, which cared for those with intellectual disabilities. The director is a brave, brilliant and beautiful man who has developed a team of 40+ with values of respect, kindness and courage to make a difference. Over 10 years, he has created a gated village in which intellectually disabled children and youth from all the surrounding villages are cared for. Those families who can pay do so, those families who cannot afford to pay don’t. These videos are what inspired us to volunteer there:

Our Surroundings and Daily Routine

Our day started at dawn when the night guard sitting outside of our hut woke up. We had a quick “shower” (basically a bucket of cold water) and watered the plants in the nursery by our hut. Our day of work from 7am to 7pm, spent mostly in the library and kitchen, was interspersed with meals, tea breaks, moments of relaxation with the children and other volunteers and the occasional lesson in Tamil.

Our little hut seemed ok at first but…
our mosquito nets proved no challenge to mosquitoes and the stains on them are from animal faeces which dropped through the roof.
Our lessons in Tamil, possibly the oldest language in the world, were so interesting. All the letters, going round and round, looked like the Indian jalebi sweets to us…but we learnt a few words.

The Boys and Girls

We became really close to some of the boys who lived in the village and to some of the girls who came to the village every day for therapy and education. They might all have intellectual disabilities but we also saw in them abilities which people can spend a lifetime searching for…a real sense of self without any inhibitions, pretensions or cynicism. It gave them a purity and beauty to behold.

A funny guy who loved transporting things in his wheelbarrow and made a beep beep sound every time he saw us.
This boy was Jeff’s shadow…he never wanted to leave his side and just loved stroking his head!
The girls, despite often being non verbal, were brilliant communicators.
This young girl gave Sylvie the loveliest hugs.
This little one craved our attention, particularly when we were at our most focused, working in the library. She could be cheeky but she was also very funny.
This lad carried a leaf with him at all times. He was in his own world and avoided physical contact, yet always found a huge smile for us.
In contrast, this guy was constantly shaking hands with us.
Are we allowed to choose favourites? If so, then it’s this young lad. Such a sweetheart who always asked for hugs and selfies.
Among all the boys, there were a couple of bullies, and they were managed well through education and meditation. But we’d rather remember the lovely ones like this young man who always screamed ‘Hi” at us in a super high pitch voice…
and this gentle giant who loved stuffing his pocket with pens and showing us his writing skills…
…and a boy, very much older than he looks, who had only slight intellectual disabilities and was very proud to show us repeatedly his Instagram page.
Everyone received the physical therapy they needed…
…in a happy and joyful way.

Meals

All meals were preceded by prayers of gratitude (for the multi-faith community)
The boys lining up for their food. If they left a space, someone was sure to jump in!
Staff and volunteers took turns to serve the community.
Some ate really fast…they often had seconds before our firsts!
The food served was pretty much the same breakfast, lunch and dinner- rice, veg and sambar – and sometimes Payasam, a desert made from boiled milk, jaggery, vermicelli, raisins and cashews. It was all wholesome, tasty, nutritious…and we still enjoyed a variety in our meals when we went away at weekends.

Our Roles

While Jeff was fundraising, Sylvie was in the kitchen. She was asked to turn a traditional kitchen – where the cooks prepared all the food on the floor and without any knives, just a blade mounted on a pedestal, very dangerous, but they are virtuoso with it – into a professional one. A tough ask which may take years to implement but she made a start and hopefully some of the suggestions on her 45 page report will be implemented. She bought a knife for her to use when helping in the kitchen, and after she left, the head cook started using it!

The Boys’ Jobs

All the boys had jobs in the village to help them feel valued. Before arriving at the charity, they had largely been hidden away by their families out of shame, but here we saw their pride restored and some had gone on to hold down jobs in mainstream society and become independent.

The boys worked mostly in the fields and on the farm…
Here, they had fun protecting themselves from falling amlas (sour gooseberries)…
…and proud of themselves for the results.
Some of the boys learnt to weave…
while others, assisted by this manager, produced bags made out of Lego…
with spectacular success!

Happy Festivals

The Harvest festival of Pongal, marking the start of the farming year known in the North as Baisakhi…
was celebrated with prayers…
…and games – none of the blindfolded contestants managed to hit the pot – and lots of dancing:
Another public holiday came in the form of Republic Day celebrating the freedom from British rule. We obviously kept our heads down! We also realised that, if India is a society which works 7 days a week, the abundance of festivals means there can never be a very long stretch of working days without some sort of break.
This parade, accompanied by several special needs schools and a marching band, may have looked like a festival, but in fact we were all marching through a main town to demonstrate for the rights in India of people with intellectual disabilities.

Weekends Away

We spent most weekends in the old French town of Pondicherry
It still feels French (particularly White Town) in many ways…
..La pétanque is even played on some local squares.
The promenade felt European, filled with French cafes, except for the facts that most of the women wore saries,
cows walked on the beach…
…and Gandhi’s statue took centre-stage.
On the promenade, there was constant entertainment from gymnasts,
including this gravity defying act called “the flag” on this ancient sport of pole acrobatics…
…traditional dance and this energetic drum dance below:
A trip to Goubert Market in Pondicherry was also a sensory adventure…
…from the artistic symmetry of the betel leaves
…to the pungency of the fish market.
There were lots more fish from the sea at the wholesale market on Serenity Beach.
Auroville was a world unto itself. We had never seen anything like it. Walking into the Matrimandir was like being on a sci-fi filmset.
Maybe even more moving was this old banyan tree. Its branches over the years have formed new trunks of new trees.
Nearby we visited a delightful food forest and made juices and ice creams out of all the fruits we picked. Although the best thing to do with these green papayas is a yummy savoury salad!
Spending weekends in the village allowed us time to relax, play cricket (for the first time in 50 years!)…
…take long walks around the local lake filled with lotuses. Unlike water lilies which stay close to their pads, lotuses reach for heaven, hence why they are chosen as a symbol of purity.
The best weekend was spent with our sis who visited us and became a huge hit with everyone! Here, they are all watching clips from Tamil movies. Some knew the words and tunes of every song!

Farewells

Time to say our Goodbyes, first to a lovely Japanese volunteer who left one week before us…
…and then to some of the team
…and kitchen staff.
We were given a lovely farewell and presentation…
…with everyone cheering, it was really moving!

Short Road Trip

Before heading north for the next stage of our Indian adventure, we took a short trip in Tamil Nadu.

The 7th Century ‘5 Rathas’ (great warrior monolithic chariots) in Mahabalipuram are remarkable
They reminded us a little of Luxor.
Inside one of the temple chariots.
The Shore Temple protected all around by bulls were also impressive
Nearby is the ‘Krishna Butterball’, rooted to its spot for over a thousand years, unaffected by earthquakes and tsunamis.

Our trip continued to Vedanthagal, a reserve with thousands of birds including these painted storks:

Our final destination in the South was Chennai where we received a really warm welcome from a volunteer we worked with in 2018 in Rajasthan and from her lovely family.

Next

A wedding in Delhi, some sightseeing in the North and more volunteering!

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23 comments. Leave new

stanislav zelikovich
February 21, 2024 12:52 pm

Amazing

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Lisa Becker
February 21, 2024 1:42 pm

I don’t know how you do it, but I love hearing about it!

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admin
March 9, 2024 7:58 am

We’re beginning to think it would be difficult to go back to our old lives and not do it! Miss you xx

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Liky Rebuck
February 21, 2024 3:36 pm

Fantastic work done by volunteers. Very interesting reading and enjoying seeing the experience you have achieved doing this job. Well done

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admin
March 9, 2024 7:59 am

Thanks Lily. It’s lovely to share our stories and stay close with you. Love xx

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Hassoun
February 21, 2024 4:04 pm

Bravo et félicitations à vous deux pour votre courage pour affronter ces situations dures et difficiles.
je vous embrasse. Ralph.

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:12 am

Merci Ralph, pour ce généreux commentaire. Nous ne faisons qu’y passer quelques semaines et nous avons le choix et la possibilité de nous éloigner pendant le weekend et une fois notre bénévolat terminé. Les vrais courageux,à nos yeux, ce sont les personnes qui n’ ont pas ce choix que nous avons, les personnes qui vivent là, et qui sans se décourager devant l’ ampleur du projet ni se révolter contre les inégalités et les obstacles qu’ ils confrontent,s’attellent chaque jour à créer un peu de mieux être dans le monde qui les entoure. Ce sont eux, à notre avis, qui méritent les félicitations. Merci pour ta lecture fidèle et attentionnée.

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Marta Cristina Rodriguez Santa Cruz
February 21, 2024 8:11 pm

Congrats, dear friends!!
Love from Argentina!

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:13 am

Thank you Marta xx

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Audrey
February 22, 2024 10:44 pm

Wow! What an experience! I can absolutely see why you were inspired to go there. The young man who started the village is just brillaint. It reminds me of the Youth Aliyah villages in Israel. A similar concept – not necessarily for people with special needs,but for children who come alone from different countries, such as Ukraine and Russia, or from disfunctional Israeli families . The same ideas: work and study togethter, contibute to the running of the community, grow the food etc. They call it The Village Way.
Well done for overcoming the multiple challenegs!

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:14 am

Thanks for letting us know, we’ll look it up. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Love xx

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Nancy Diamond
February 24, 2024 5:12 am

I love your blog. Your work is so meaningful and the joy you get from giving is beautiful to see in photos. I am proud of my cousins! Thanks for taking the time to share your travels and work with us. Luv you!!!…Cousin Nancy

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:17 am

Oh but we have so much fun along the way. Join us one day, it will be a blast. Love xx

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Rena
February 27, 2024 6:59 am

So wonderful to see and read your blog it’s so interesting and I love seeing this place where people with different ability are living life to its fullest, thanks for always sharing your amazing experiences! ♥️

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:18 am

Thanks Rena, we are always moved by your warmth. Much love xx

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James Curtis
February 29, 2024 1:04 am

What an incredible adventure! I love some of these photos. Though obviously you two under the butterball is the scariest one to me! How is that so stable?!

I’m so proud of you both and I love you around the world!

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:31 am

The story goes that the British used 7 elephants to move that butterball (granite rock, 6 meters high x 5 metres wide, weighing 250 tons) because of safety concerns but it didn’t budge. It is said that it has been there for 1200 years, unaffected by a history of earthquakes and tsunamis. So, we felt very relaxed to sit there for just a few minutes. See you soon, can’t wait xx

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Nicole
March 3, 2024 12:40 am

Well you two…..you both looked so well…you blow my mind with your travel and experiences. I love the way you do your blogs these days with the writing over the photos it brings everything to life.
Thanks for sharing

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admin
March 9, 2024 8:32 am

Dearest Nicole, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here. We will be forever grateful xoxo

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Jeff Salter
March 12, 2024 3:10 pm

I want a butterball in our garden. Extraordinary stuff from extraordinary people xx

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admin
March 12, 2024 5:00 pm

High praise indeed from you super extraordinary people xoxo

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Indira
March 27, 2024 11:13 am

Hello Jett,
Very well penned and interesting thread to follow the whole blog. I’m eagerly waiting to dive in to your next venture through your eyes. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Say hello to Sylvie too for me!

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admin
April 5, 2024 10:06 am

Thanks Indira! Hope you are keeping well. We’re already missing mother India. We’ll be back soon for sure. Love, Sylvie and Jeff xx

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