One of the immersion days that I had been looking forward to most was our visit to Annapurna. I was surprised to learn that this organization not only offers their clients micro loans, but that they also offer wrap around services to ensure their success and livelihood. These services include, health care, life insurance and daycare centers. On day eight of our immersion we had the opportunity to visit one of these daycare centers that was located in Pune. In my mind I tried to envision what the daycare center would look like; I envisioned children playing in a playground, running around causing chaos and laughing. However my experience was quite the opposite. As I made my way through narrow alleys, the conditions that surrounded the daycare center were very harsh. Trash, pollution and potent smells assaulted my five senses. When I entered the daycare center, approximately twenty children were sitting in a room that matched the size of my walk in closet. I had the opportunity to interact with a four-year-old boy named Pateek. This boy reminded me of my nephew Gavin who is also four years old. Despite living on opposite sides of the world my nephew Gavin and Pateek had so much in common: innocence, joy, youth, and entire lives ahead of them. This experience upset me deeply because I felt the conditions were not appropriate for these children – I became extremely vulnerable and emotional. Later in the day, a representative from Annapurna approached me and asked me why I was crying. I responded to her that it pained me to see the harsh conditions that these children live in. The representative assured me that without the daycare these children would be far worse off, they would be roaming the street, susceptible to drug dealers, rapists, and murders. Despite this, I felt compelled to tell the representative that while the daycare is better than the alternative, we should always want to improve a system so that it doesn't just keep them away from harm but can provided them opportunities to learn and grow. As social workers it is our responsibility to challenge systems and find ways to improve them. When posed with the question of how I would improve the daycare, I felt a sense of hopelessness. Where does one begin to create change? After processing the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness with the group, the conclusion was made that in order to create change, one must first feel this discomfort and sense of hopelessness. Perhaps that is the first step, experiencing empathy and helplessness in order to generate solutions. Now that I have witnessed this, it is my responsibility to stay connected and help even if it is small and seemingly insignificant. As a journalist in Mumbai said before we departed for Jawhar and Pune, "Your experiment should be small in size but large in value."
Ever since I started the Social Work program at USC, I realized that we cannot help everyone. We try, but sometimes there are occasions where we fail or succeed. The important thing is that we tried, and looking back to the organizations that we have visited, that is what they have been doing. They challenge the system and social norms to find the best solutions to problems that their clients face, but they also tweak what they cannot change. They make small adjustments for the betterment of the client and community. That is where, I believe, social change is most noticeable. I can see why alternatives are sometimes not enough, because we are those individuals that like to make a rapid change, however, I noticed that the small adjustments can make the most difference. Your picture depicts it all. Witness the smile on the young boy. That small adjustment (day care center) has made a possible positive impact on his life.
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