Three days three centers with Eleonore

After four months of amazing work in Sambhali Trust, my last three days were really intense as I wanted to make a small round of several centres before leaving Jodhpur. 

Through this short article, I will take you inside three centres representative of Sambhali’s activities: Eklavya Children Education Centre, Sisters for Sisters Empowerment Centre and Jodhpur Empowerment Centre. 

Tuesday 6^th December - Eklavya Children Education Centre

Teaching kids is something almost all the volunteers wish to do. Pia, a german volunteer, has the opportunity to work there every day from 3pm to 5pm in the advanced class. Through her daily feedback, I realised that teaching children and women require a complete different approach. Thus we have decided that for my visit in the centre we would do an activity where they could express their creativity. 

Using cleaning pipes and toilet paper rolls, we firstly did a bunny pen holders. Far away from our initial example, they succeeded to surprise us with really personal and funny realization. The kids were so excited to exchange exercise’s sheet for craft materials. They were really reactive, happy and proud about their own creation which they brought home afterwards.

Eklavya's children will for sure have more creative workshop in the future.

Wednesday 7^th December – Sisters for Sisters Empowerment Centre

"I was and I still am very positively surprised of their eargerness to learn English and math"

Recently reopened in a new area in town, sisters for sisters is gathering new participants. On the 16th of August I was their first and only teacher. Even though they were new and not used to Sambhali's foreign volunteers, I was and still am really positively surprise of their eagerness to learn English and math.

I will always remember Pushpa reading out loud with a lot of assurance and determination Malala's life story for the united nation international day of girls. Every single girls and women in the centre that day was completely silent while listening attentively to their friend.

Thursday 8^th December – Jodhpur Empowerment Centre

The participants of JEC had welcomed me with cute and elaborated farewell postcards along with their sheer joie de vivre. They installed the speakers, played their favourite Hindi and Punjabi songs and we were ready to dance during one hour straight. 

We danced altogether the choreography they showed during the past dance competition and Muskan surprised all of us by performing on Justin Bieber song’s “Baby”. 

I was so happy to see girls usually more reserved during classes, lighting up and dancing incredibly well. Priyanka, a 19-girl embarrassed by her small height, showed her huge strength while dancing on “Nagada Sang Dhol” Ram-Leela’s powerful song.

Those three last days and all the moments I had in those centres will be printed in my heart. I’m really happy to have had the opportunity to spend 4 months with those wonderful women, to have participated to their empowerment and have enhanced their self-esteem as sharing with them my experience in return. 

Sambhali Trust is a non-profit organization based in Jodhpur, whose focus is the development and empowerment of women and girls in Rajasthan.

Since 2007, Sambhali Trust is working to improve the lives of women in Jodhpur through education. English, Hindi, Mathematics and vocational training such as embroidery and sewing classes are given daily in eight different empowerment centres throughout Jodhpur.