Week 6:
How to Go with the Flow in Marathi

August 20, 2018

If You Want It Done Right, You Have to Do It Yourself

A lot has happened in the last week. I finally completely recovered from my cold/throat infection and so I was able to start observing community sessions in addition to my other various projects. Observing the community sessions was more difficult than I initially thought it could be, and I have learned a lot about myself and working in the NGO field because of it. To explain what exactly is difficult about observing those sessions I first need to describe what a community session looks like.

The team that leaves from the CRHP campus to lead the sessions is comprised of the Mobile Health Team (MHT) and four “Master Trainer” Village Health Workers (VHWs) (they are referred to as this because they are the four that are going to every community session). They set up posters and lead the pretest, a song, a puppet show, and then a lecture on diabetes. One of the MHT members records attendees’ names and marks if they are diabetes patients, high risk, a family member, or other. After the session, it is the MHT that takes glucose scores from villagers and log those numbers into the register. Also, it is the MHT and VHWs who advise people with very low or very high glucose scores to go to the hospital. All of this information is important to record correctly because it is used to exhibit what activities CRHP has conducted with the World Diabetes Foundation’s grant money, and to show progress.

A lot of this might be repeated for those who have read my previous entries, and this might be as well: I love being in control. I have always had a tendency to micromanage, and I am a firm believer that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This is not because I think others are incapable of quality work, but because I want things done in such a specific way that if it is not exactly how I pictured it, then it is not right. This mindset was directly challenged while I was observing community sessions. Attendees don’t arrive on time, the MHT member who takes attendance does so (seemingly) sporadically, and I was constantly worried that names or numbers were not being recorded correctly.

There are a few things that are wrong with this picture. First of all, I am not a full-time staff member of CRHP. The MHT and the VHWs know worlds more about the work they’re doing and how they need to communicate that information to the audience in a way that they will remember, and it is not my place to intervene in that. Secondly, just because something is executed differently than I would have chosen does not mean that it wasn’t productive. Villagers arriving late or having to leave throughout is normal and so of course attendance is written sporadically, but it is always written down. Lastly, I have to be extremely careful with my actions because this is not my culture and because there is a racial difference between myself and the MHT and VHWs. If I were to step into what is their community session to lead, I have to understand that I am stepping in with a power dynamic that impacts what I am saying and how it is being received. I cannot divert attention or respect away from the MHT or VHWs because they are the experts and they should be the ones who the community trust and talk to.

On the other hand, I was able to learn a lot from the International Programs Manager (IPM) and how she chooses to interact with the MHT and VHWs in this setting. There have been times when it was necessary for her to step in and ask why something was or was not being done because the information from these sessions is important, but she only stepped in when she had to. Otherwise, she was completely disengaged from the team, allowing them to make the decisions and lead the session in its entirety. She has shown me how to redirect the attention and respect given to me simply because I am a visitor to those who deserve it, the MHT and VHWs. Although initially attending the community sessions was difficult for me, I am grateful that I was able to recognize my own mindset so that I can more effectively start reflecting and growing as I begin to transition into the professional sphere.

“Where’s My Cat and What’s Up with That Snake”

It is rainy season here, so in addition to puddles and mud, there are also snakes. The other interns, fellow, and myself have been asked to be careful and to keep our eyes open, but we have yet to glimpse a slithery friend. In other news, the IPM’s cat has started wearing a Helping Hands scrunchie as a collar (one of the staff members tried to catch her and take it off because they thought it was choking her). Otherwise, it has been fairly quiet around Jamkhed, filled with village visits and tea. I have enjoyed the weather and working on my small projects, and I’m sure next week will be no different.