Patrick Kirby - India
Patrick spent 8 months in rural India. Hear his stories and find out about the work he did...
Patrick's Postcard from India
This is a story I heard during one of my field visits: Ms. Pakawa Hadpad, a member of a village self-help group, was suffering from chronic malnutrition. Her group gave her a portion of a loan for medical treatment in a nearby city. Despite this, she died. The debt passed on to her mother, who had troubles of her own. Her husband was crippled by malnutrition and disease, and was unable to work. Her income came from a small compost business, supplemented by labour on local farmers. Realizing her situation, the group reviewed the repayment schedule they had set. No one could afford a complete write-off of the loan, but the existing schedule was clearly impossible. In a decision that was half altruistic and half commercial, they unanimously decided to forego the additional interest on the loan, and collect only the principal. In addition, they would collect the money as provided – the mother could pay whenever she had any rupees to spare. Fortunately, her business has been profitable. So far, she has paid Rs.350 of the Rs.2000 (about $50) that she owes.
What I find interesting about this story is its contrast with the heart-warming case studies so common in development reports, where the aid recipient vaults out of poverty as if by magic. The world it represents seems to me a more accurate portrayal of life for the poor, where the boots of debt and death keeping them down far outnumber the hands helping them up. If it were not so, poverty would already be extinct. This may not be a joyful realization, but it is one that I think makes me a better development worker.
Patrick's Update
I’ve been back from India, where I did microfinance work with a local NGO, for about as long as I was away. For eight months, I’ve been working a 9 to 5 job, spending time with friends and so on. It’s a good life, but compared to India, it feels like it has gone by in a flash. It’s very easy to let the days run together here. There, it was impossible. Working for the poor gives every day a certain intensity. Wasted time feels stolen. Such a life can be exhausting, but it pays back. I learned patience and a certain peaceful, Gandhian outlook. In the chaos of India, inability to laugh at thwarted objectives very quickly translates into perpetual nervous break-down. Now that I’m back, everything seems easy. It’s a nice feeling, but I know it won’t be too long before I start craving the challenge all over again.
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