What I learned From Working For 6 Months In Rural India
“No good action is lost in this world. Somewhere, it will last forever.
‘ – Vincent Ferrer
The above quote, said by Vincent Ferrer, holds a moral compass, that directs the act of giving and doing good in the modern world, which, for most of my adult life, I have let guide my decisions. I have only learned this saying recently, however, the essence of the meaning has grown within my social development, being raised in a small community in the countryside of England. This feeling of responsibility to help others, expending time and effort for the greater good, is the reason I have spent the past six months in Anantapur, volunteering with the Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA), an NGO focused on helping children in rural villages, through sport, since 2000.
Occupying my time at ASA, my role in the organisation was as a Sports Development Officer, working with Development Centres Programs, located in Atmakur, Dharamavaram and Bathalapali – villages around the Anantapur District. These centres exist, to offer children up to the age of 16, the chance to play an organised sport, in well-maintained infrastructure, with trained coaches. As well as training time, children attending the centres have access to computer classes and nutritional snacks, to support the educational growth and aid the prevention of malnutrition in rural villages.
Embarking on this escapade was not my first venture outside my home country. Previous to flying to India, I was spending time in Shanghai working for a sports company, within the city, coaching physical activity to children of all backgrounds.
The skills and experiences I picked up in China were immense, in value and attributes I wanted to progress, in this different environment and culture. I felt I was growing as a person and becoming more open-minded to a different way of living, which I thought would transmit well into alternative settings. However, I had not anticipated how some skills were transferable to contrasting territories and others were not so. This proving to be the case, stepping into India was like starting all over again.
My day to day work at ASA consisted of administration work jumbled with travel and visits to the Development Centres to work with coaches and teachers, supporting the development of enhancing centre quality. These programs taught me how important community sport is for children and how much goodness can be taken from it. There have been countless times that I have engaged with the children of these centres, and spoken about topics such as teamwork, communication and respect; all areas they have been educated about and can practice at these centres.
The work with ASA has also taught me a lot about tackling issues and the delivery of sport in rural areas. Both at the same time being very different and similar from the norm of Northern England, practical implications at grassroots level sport development are approached with different lenses that help to tackle issues.
One particular example of this is with the extreme lack of access to sport. Yes, it is true, that in the UK, there are plenty of areas that do not have sports facilities or ones that are accessible for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. But the story in and around Anantapur is that children would have to travel hundreds of kilometres to find regular, sustainable sporting opportunities, without the work being conducted by ASA and RDT.
Providing the absolute basic facilities to those in need has the potential to make a huge difference in these areas and provide children with a safe environment in which to practice skills.
What I enjoyed most from my work, were the efforts I made to further life skills development at the centres; an area which should always be considered within the sport for development. Using sport to further skills that can be used in alternative settings, was a development area, I, and my colleagues at ASA felt needed progressing at the centres; as the grassroots set-up was an ideal environment for the progression.
Here, my work with coaches, as well as the planning and delivery of life skills workshops, felt the most impactful for the children, with short term results being shown in attitude and education. Leaving the program, I feel comfortable knowing that the coaches and teachers at select centres are making efforts to educate children about hygiene, nutrition, leadership, respect and much more, efforts which were not previously made.
The type of work I was conducting wasn’t new for me, as program development, coach education, and sport for development were all areas I had previous experience with, at university and alternative job roles.
However, what was new was the environment, work ethic and culture I was surrounded by, all day, every day. My time spent in India is one of good nature. I feel the experience has certainly had a positive impact on my social and professional development, furthering my skills, I had never thought possible.
The staggering aspects of life I have been able to be a part of have, I feel, made me a better, stronger and more confident person. Spending time with the staff, travelling between centres and engaging with locals, I learned what it meant to live in villages. Experiencing what the members of the Anantapur community experience every day, taught me so much about Indian culture, that would have taken years of being a tourist to gain.
Having the opportunity to engage with members of the rural villages around Anantapur, work with members of the Anantapur Sports Academy and share time with the children in the sports centres, has opened my eyes as to how money and possessions certainly do not bring happiness.
The passions and joy, communities and individuals own, not only changes my perspective of how I can appreciate all I have back home but also how I can value and respect those around me.
Relationships in India are treasured and personal, not only in private lives, but also in the workplace, and with complete strangers. Knowing, somebody you’ve never seen before, is willing to help you or spark up a conversation, is beautiful to see, in today’s society; in which, the public appears to be drifting towards the opposite end of the spectrum. This is something I will cherish.
A quote first famously said by Alexander Graham Bell is one that, in my life, I hear used out of context, the most from any other common sayings.
The quote reads; “When one door closes, another opens…”, which is where most stop. Yet, there is a much deeper thought behind this reference, as Alexander goes on to explain, that we look so regretfully upon the closed door, that we fail to see the ones that are open in front of us.
That we miss the new opportunities presented to us because we are obsessed with past ones and how we wish time would become less relative in our lives. A mindset I will not be taking forward. I will be looking back at this door with pride and happiness, taking all that I have learned into the future doors, that will open and offer more challenges, and further escapades.
Furthermore, who’s to say that the door locks behind you.