TRAINEE CASE STUDY

Here's the case study of Kim, who had come to Pune as an intern in the Footprints project to work with the NGO named Youth League Recreation Centre

Only 3 days remaining and then I will leave Buldhana. What an experience it has been.. Buldhana is a backward area in Maharashtra, India. I have been the only Trainee here, so that means that I was the only foreigner in Buldhana. The attention could be overwhelming at some occasions, but overall I could deal with it very well. My work involved 2 distinct social welfare organizations. The first is the Youth League Recreation Centre (YLRC) which consists of a primary school, high school, junior college and kindergarten. Furthermore there is a backward class boys’ hostel for approximately 140 children. I mainly focused my attention on these boys as they are part of your daily life, while living on the same campus. These boys are aged 10 to 16 years. Their background is basic and poor. Most parents are farmers. Some boys are very bright and speak good English. Past figures have shown that most boys pass their 10^th class exams. But what happens then? Most parents do not have knowledge about any college opportunities or just want their son to work on the fields. I believe that the role of the trainee is to inspire these boys and give them information about further study possibilities. To accomplish this aim I have organized a study trip to Pune for 15 hostel boys. Not only was the stay in Pune a great experience, but a visit to an engineering college really opened their eyes about their own prospects. The trip to Pune was an overall success and there will follow more, hopefully. Furthermore I organized leisure activities as cycling trips to Ajanta and Shegaon, dancing parties, a quiz night and a creative project. The contact with the boys is very nice and it is fun to interact about each other’s cultural differences, as there are many between HollandIndia. and

The second welfare organization is the Love Trust for Indian Children in Need. As the name already states, this is a lovely organization that takes care of unwanted children and unwed mothers. Unwed mothers can stay in the mother care center for a few months and deliver the baby free of charges. The baby will be nursed at the baby care center. After 2 months the babies are free for adoption. Abandoned children till the age of 6 years can also stay in the Love Trust. The main aim of the Love Trust is to find a family for these unwanted children. In last 10 years 255 children have gone for adoption. As a Trainee you can help a hand with caring for the babies. The interaction with the aayas, nurses, in the Love Trust is great and they will try to involve you with their work as much as possible. To raise awareness for the Love Trust, it is important to visit nearby village doctors and give information about the work that is been done. As a Trainee, it means a lot if you attend these doctor visits, the experience of seeing real Indian living standards in the villages is eye-opening. Above organizations are run by the lovely Agashe family. They speak well English and will always be a helping hand for you. A Trainee has her/his own room with bathroom and toilet. There’s even a cook who will prepare real Indian food for you daily. The accommodation is basic, but nice and clean.

Personally, coming to India has been the best decision I have ever made in my life. It has been a wonderful experience and I can really recommend the Traineeship.