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What an overwhelming and beautiful last few days. Our group has spent many hours bouncing in our Tempo. Two nights were spent at a guest house on the grounds of Siloam Girls' School in Tirukoilur. This is a wonderful boarding school filled with a caring staff and amazing young women. We were fortunate enough to talk with several girls, play during their recess, be part of a community meeting, and share notes/gifts from a few sponsor families. Early into our visit we got to hear a report from local LPGM staff and partners on the projects being supported. Hearing about the efforts to educate people on women's rights and children's welfare was both uplifting and depressing. Listening to details about what women and girls face (low status, arranged marriages, dowry, rape, limited opportunities, near constant harassment, loss of status if a widow, ...) was frankly depressing and overwhelming. Gaining insight into programs (and knowing we will get more contact with them in the days to come) was a ray of hope.
These were also days filled with school visits, watching school performances, meeting school administrators, touring buildings, and meeting students. We traveled to a village school and a town school (where we participated in the English + program). We also went to schools in the Kalrayan Hills. Traveling into the mountains was truly breathtaking, as was seeing the poverty that the students in these areas face. Finally, we continued to Tiruvannamalai where we participated in Sunday worship and spent time at Saron school. Playing soccer and volleyball with the boys gave us time to connect with the students in a more direct manner.
The diversity of schools that we have seen (including Park Town) is truly shocking. All of the schools focus on working with students from incredible poverty. Being around these children forces the stark reality that global poverty and poverty in the US are not comparable. Bearing witness to the physical constraints of a child with limited access to protein (for some a single egg a month), creates more questions than answers. It is difficult to express the difference in words. We are confronted by constant information to process, and need a bit of time to contemplate to truly allow for greater expressiveness. At this stage my mind is simply swimming with emotions that I need time to reflect.
Ty Thayer
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