Robin Rowland (GLI Chairman) writes
Libby Brayshaw (Executive Director /Webmaster) and myself have just had an amazingly inspiring and very encouraging visit to India thanks largely to four of Global Links Initiative's very first Indian networkers. (We now have nearly 60.)

Two of the main events of our visit were meetings in Madurai and Trichy to talk about Global Links Initiative and to listen in turn to Tamil Nadu Community and local NGO leaders. Dr Christopher Daniel (GLI networker responsible for the Goodwill Social Work Centre) arranged most efficiently the Madurai meeting and Mr Rengaraj Ramaswamy (GLI networker responsible for the Indian Social Service Institute) was equally efficient in Trichy.

But both significantly underestimated the interest in meeting with us as they both expected 50 to 60 people at their meetings and both attracted more than 90! The interest in GLI was very encouraging and the passion and commitment of those present for their causes was inspiring.

Another purpose of our visit was to provide training to the volunteer team which Rengaraj has kindly put together to implement a GLI Tamil language website and Libby carried this is out in a Trichy internet cafe. Thank you also to Sam Jawahar, a caring journalist, who is one of our latest Tamil Nadu networkers, and who has offered his expertise to help create the new Tamil language website. Now the hard work starts!!

Additionally Rengaraj asked us to talk to 18 volunteers about their work in helping those in need, including their Tsunami relief work. We learnt a lot from them but most of all from the personal story of one of the young women who saved herself by literally, and successfully, clinging for dear life to a tree while the waves surrounded her.

But despite achieving all the above, the real highlights of the visit were probably a series of wonderfully smiley welcomes we received at a wide range of inspiring grassroots projects in and around Madurai-all arranged by Christopher Daniel and also by another of our early Tamil networkers Selvam Sonaimuthu of SAADOW.

In all we were garlanded seven times by self-help groups in the hills, by the poorest of villages and by people of all ages.

Our visit to the school created by Pandi (a quarry worker's son, adopted by Christopher and his wife for his schooling) who has created a school in the quarry village (which only had work for men the 6 non-monsoon months, and none for women) stands out.

Here Libby and myself, having been garlanded, were asked to walk between two rows of hundreds of now examination-successful school children to be cheered and showered with confetti.

I was also honoured to be asked to open a new Typewriting Training Centre by cutting the ribbon in another of the poorest villages. What was really wonderful to see was the self assurance and confidence being shown by so many of the self-help/micro-credit women and the girls now being given the chance of a real education. So right and so inspiring!

But that was not all, we spent further enlightening and inspiring times with new networker Samson and the children with physical and mental special needs who are being helped by his wonderful HEARTS organization.

We were also VERY impressed by the enormously professional but oh so caring work being carried on by M.S. Chellamuthu Trust & Research Foundation to help adults and young men with special needs obtain their self confidence and useful skills.

We only saw one of their centres but we spent several hours there and felt it was yet another organization from which many could learn from all over the world.

The same is clearly true of GLI Networker Sujata Ganega's organization SUPPORT - see her superb handbook in the Share area under How we do it Guides entitled 'The Path to Serenity' which anyone who works with children should read and which focuses on the rehabilitation of solvent and drug addicted young people on Mumbai's streets.This was the first day of our visit and it was wonderful to be able to learn from this inspiring and dedicated lady and her team.

After discussions, and lunch cooked by the older children she is training in catering skills, we went to see the facilities and the activities of the boys and girls who Sujata regards as her customers and children.

At the now extended kitchen used for training in a variety of impressive ways - e.g. record keeping as well as cooking -  I was honoured to be asked to 'break the coconut' as part of the inauguration of an extended kitchen as they now hope to become more sustainable by selling their services to local hotels and restaurants. 

(Sujata also shared with us her big worry - local government now wants to develop the main building she uses and she has to find a new place of stability for the street children she is helping so much to get back to better lives. If anyone can help her, please do so. She is making a real difference to the lives of these children, their families and those they encounter in the rest of their lives.) 

We also spent a very interesting half-day at the Lady Doak College talking with the students and the faculty about the work and vision of Global Links Initiative and are delighted to now welcome Anthea Washington as one of our networkers. We hope that many students will in time also be interested enough to join the others who have already chosen to be GLI Networkers in China, Canada and elsewhere.

But we will also never forget the welcome we received at the Goodwill Social Service Centre where we were also garlanded and given shawls and then honoured to present training certificates to many students.

The whole visit was probably the most inspiring of all those I have been privileged to make. So many wonderful people working in such inspirational and businesslike ways to create sustainability and self-respect for people in real need of such help.

All of them deserving of others' support. Thank you to you all for inspiring and encouraging us so vividly to go on publicizing your work and linking the world to yourselves. You make our own commitment to GLI and its networkers, and those they help, so worthwhile.

RR 24/11/06