Preetiswamy’s Weblog

Training started on 23^rd June, 2008. I came to the BVB girls Hostel in Hubli on 22^nd of June, in the morning. This is my second visit, but I didn’t know anybody. I felt like, “Where have I come to? How can I stay here?” All people were new to me. Then a co-fellow came, her name is Ms. Shahina and she is from Bangalore. We were very hungry, and we went to a Hotel for breakfast.  Afterwards we met Mrs. Dibya, who is in charge of the fellowship program. She gave us a one week orientation schedule, module readings, and bag. Then, on the 23^rd morning, training started. Each individual fellow did a poster and presentation about themselves. Along with us, there were innovators who came from the USA, called Sandbox Fellows. The DFP works in Northern Karnataka. The DFP selected 5 districts (Gadag, Hubli, Dharawad, Haveri and Uttar Kannad) in Northern Karnataka, which is called the Sandbox Area. The Sandbox Fellows have to work with DFP partner NGO’s. The DFP fellows and Sandbox fellows week-long orientation was sometimes mixed, and we visited some organizations.

First, we went to Akshaya Patra. This NGO serves midday meals every day to 1 lack 80 thousand children in different Govt. schools.  It is the largest kitchen in the world.

The next visit was to Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF). Dr. Mani Bhai Desai was the founder of this organization, and it is situated in the village of Shurshettykoppa. This organization works in 14 states of 19 districts in India.

Afterwards, we visited the Mann Deshi Udhyogini organization in Hubli. This organization is working for women. They have one bus, which goes to various villages, where they give training in basic computer knowledge and tailoring for the girls. They are doing a great job, and I appreciated their work.

Our last visit was to Agastya Foundation. The Agastya Foundation is working for children, and they have buses called “Mobile Labs”. The buses go from village to village, conducting shows and involving children to understand different science concept. The organization has 16 mobile labs in North Karnataka. The organization improves children’s knowledge and builds capacity. This visit was a great experience for me. I will never forget that day. After these visits, we had an English class. I cried a lot on that day because I am very weak in the English. At the beginning, I didn’t understand. Everybody was talking and understanding, but I was simply sitting and watching. But, now that fear is not in my mind, as I am practicing English daily. The beginning of the fellowship training has been a wonderful experience for me, and “I want to be BETTER than yesterday”.