Help me build houses in INDIA!!!

I've signed up to spend my Golden Week vacation this year volunteering in India. I'll be going with an organization called Longitude, a non-profit who "facilitates volunteer opportunities in conjunction with our foreign partners, raises funds for project growth and improvement, and provides material and programmatic support for the foreign NGOs with whom we collaborate". The specific NGO I will be working with is called the Association of Relief Volunteers, "an Indian non-profit working on issues of human rights and caste discrimination in rural Indian villages."


photo from golongitude.org

In particular, I will be helping to build houses in Chevuru Village. The following information is taken from the May 2010 trip page:

Chevuru Village Background

A total of 459 Dalits (formerly known as Untouchables), including 70 widows, live in thatched mud huts in Chevuru. Most of the adults in the village are unskilled agricultural laborers and are unable to find work outside the 3-month growing season each year. Because they earn barely enough wages to support their families, missing even one day of work to repair their fragile huts after heavy rain or floods can affect their ability to feed their children. Acquiring permanent housing will not The only allow these Dalit villagers to work more days of the year but will also raise their social status, giving them the confidence they need in order to stand up for their rights.


Fifty-one families in Chevuru were able to begin building permanent houses under a state government scheme that provides housing grants to people living below the poverty line. However, these grants are not enough to cover the remaining costs of the houses. These families have requested Longitude and ARV’s financial assistance to complete their homes, which have been sitting unfinished since last year. In order to put a roof on every home, we must raise US $1500 per house.


How You Can Help

Our group’s fundraising goal of $15,000 will subsidize the completion of 10 houses in Chevuru. Please help us meet this goal by either fully or partially sponsoring one family’s home. A contribution of any amount will bring piece of mind and security to a very deserving Dalit family!

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If you are interested in helping out, please visit the group page at

http://www.golongitude.org/www/JET_May_2010.html

You can donate online through the group webpage, or they have an option for if you prefer to donate by check ^_^

The start of the goodbyes...

Today was junior high school graduation day. It's my third one now, so instead of writing about the ceremony (which I did my first year) or my attire (last year), this time I'm going to write a top ten of what I've learned in 3 years of ceremonies in Japan, should you ever find yourself at one ^_^

1) Graduation ceremonies are extremely formal, solemn events, ridden with tradition and ceremony.

2) As such, there is no cheering, and only occasional clapping. Everyone does everything, and I do mean everything, as a group. Also, you will bow, in unison, many, MANY times.

3) In a shrewd display of planning, the ceremony is held mid-week, making it easy for parents to attend.
...Also, no friends or siblings will be there; for the most part it's the students, teachers, parents, and various "important" members of the community (PTA, police, mayor, etc).

4) Graduation is a white-tie affair. Occasionally, women will wear kimono.

5) Against all their effort to remain stoic, SOMEONE always ends up crying.

6) If you live in the mountains, be prepared for snow. Heavy, wet, spring snow. And yes, it's snowing here today :/

7) Be sure to bring a change of clothes for after the ceremony - nobody wants to be "that guy" stuck in a suit all day. Especially when the kids all go home at noon! And keep in mind you're going to have absolutely nothing to do afterward, you'll have to find something to do to keep yourself busy.

8) No school lunch! Yeay! Bento!

9) The graduation enkai (work party) is the first of the "spring-enkai season". 2 weeks later you'll have the end-of-the-school-year party, followed by the goodbye party for departing teachers, the welcome party for new teachers, and then there's the opening-day party. All within the span of less than a month o_O By the way, I work at 4 schools. They're fun ^_^ But can get quite expensive!

10) Charge your camera battery, clear off your memory-stick, and be prepared for lots and lots of pictures! It's the best (and last, in many cases) chance to get photos with your departing graduates. If you're lucky, you might run into them later on in town, or during the spring or autumn festivals. Sometimes I see them if I have to ride the train, but for the most part, this is kind of the end of your relationship with them, so make the most of it!