E-MPOWER E-technology for Management of Projects for persons With communication disorders in Rural areas

A community in Action: lessons in giving back

Update #5

12 Apr 2012

This Sunday I decided to visit some children from the cleft project in a small village. To go to there one has to go to Kancheepuram, and then 30 km to Vandavasi and then 5-6 km to a village on the road to Arni. My student and I picked up Premalatha the community volunteer and travelled to this village reaching there about 12. 30 pm. As is always in the communities hospitality is generous, and you really are made to feel like a visiting deity.



While I sat down to talk to the 9 year old beneficiary of our project, Premalatha and Saravanan went to talk to the village Thalaivar(headman) who knew that we had come. He knew about the work we were doing with this young beautiful girl. In the next few minutes our other beneficiary handsome 7 year old young boy who lives close landed up. Then it was a competition to speak to prove that each could speak better than the other. I must say this little boy whose speech had been full of glottal stops last year, was a revelation. I could not hear a single one in all the time I was there. Wow. I thought Premalatha and Subramaniyam have done a fantastic job with this kid. One had just had surgery (ABG) a few weeks earlier and the other was due in the next few weeks. The mothers were explaining that since they enrolled in the Transforming faces project they have not gone anywhere but Sri Ramachandra University for help. I was explaining to one of the mothers how with E-MPOWER we will be able to monitor the work better and was showing a picture of a laptop in videoconference mode and I said we will use this type of computer.. this kid pops up "aunty... this is a laptop... not a computer".



Suddenly along with Saravanan and Premalatha a bunch of about 10 young men, and some women arrived. and it was a sight to watch. As I watched awe struck, each one took out his mobile typed MHRISE P12 and sent it off to 54646. (That is the code for our project and phone number to which votes are sent) Saravanan told me the headman had already got 15 people to vote from his home. Here I was in the middle of nowhere and every guy in the village had a phone .... most with two sim cards, and each voted with both.. each was excited as he got acknowledgement. I cautioned them: "hey this will cost rs 3 for each", one guy turned back and told me" amma, you have done so much for these kids and even come here... at no cost to us.. can we not do such a small thing? We send sms for all kinds of things this is more important." They were standing on the road and before I could blink they stopped anyone going on the road (locals) picked out their phones and sent votes as messages. It was amazing to see how quickly they organized a mini campaign . Two even went and got Rs 10 charge on their phone so that they could vote before we left. This was truly a spark rising.....it was exhilarating, and the gratitude expressed was genuine.



Premalatha was magnificent such a terrific leader with a smile and enthusiasm that was infectious. When we left she said, " amma I was thrilled that you came today and met my husband (he was recovering from a surgery after a accident) and my son has been wanting to see you. I promise you all this week we will get every person in this community to send a vote. I offered to compensate her for the expenses she had incurred, she refused saying.." do not ever think we do this for money. We are all in this together." At that moment , I really wished Subramaniyam was with me to hear and experience all this. He is the one who has trudged miles of the countryside, talked, guided, planned, followed up and given the last few years of his life for this project.



I had gone to the visit feeling very despondent about the lack of capacity we had in garnering public votes. We were bothered that students who pay thousands for fees and say they have no balance in their phone to send a vote, others who earn and cancelled the sms as soon as we turned out back, those who promised and did not deliver. We were thinking is Rs 3 too much, or is our passion not evident?



Each of those 50 odd votes given unconditionally, with joy and an open heart from that little village felt like a 1000 votes each. I really felt empowered and I was thinking that here we were arrogant enough to think that we were empowering the community.... Many an important lesson learnt today but also an need to express gratitude to all those who gave us the opportunity to experience this special event ... the kids, the families, the community, the community workers, Sri Ramachandra University, Transforming faces and Smile train and Family and Mahindra too..





roopa

E-POWER - What its all about

Update #4

11 Apr 2012

 Do check out the video of our project plan and activities. Please support us by voting now!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n8TeVMd2iY

March happenings

Update #3

5 Apr 2012

We have had two major  happenings this last month other than the visit to Mahindra towers in mid March.



We had a wonderful visit  from Laura Lewis Watts from Transforming faces  Toronto. W visited Thiruvannmalai and Cuddalore. The work of our volunteers  and the enthusiasm of our beneficieries never ceases to amaze. Yet another 3three month was enrolled in the project.



Subramaniyam's training module has now been near perfected. This time delivered in Cuddalore... great NGO network and several new volunteers.



Another proud event... Vidya was invited to present through telelink  to the annual  meeting of the american audiological assocaiation in  being held in Boston.  She presented  the work being done in Kancheepuram on  hearing screening by village  workers and tele audiology  diagnostic testing . Way to go Vidya ! putting India on the international map and developing alternate models of service delivery....

E-MPOWER video

Update #2

2 Apr 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n8TeVMd2iY&feature=youtu.be

Photos uploaded

Update #1

7 Feb 2012

Please check out photos of our community work that we have recently uploaded