Summer Archives

Caroline Mulligan Udaipur, India - Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD - Prayatna Samiti

This summer, I conducted my summer project in Udaipur, India, working for Prayatna Samiti, a non-governmental organization striving for food and water security in the villages surrounding Udaipur. I created an impact assessment report to help Prayatna Samiti gauge the sustainability of their efforts, record the beneficiaries’ perspectives, and gather recommendations for future projects. Through group interviews, I studied a project that was completed in 2013. My results indicate that Prayatna Samiti was successful in constructing wells to increase water and food supply, and the next step is for the NGO to use trainings with the villagers to ensure they know how to use the structures and self-help groups most efficiently. Prayatna Samiti will use the report as a data reference, impact measurement, and recommendations for the future.

Living in such a foreign place this summer, I was impressed with the inherent human goodwill I witnessed. For example, the couple who offered me a ride when they saw me walking along the road or the customer at a jewelry shop who, upon hearing my request for a certain type of earrings, pointed to the earrings she was wearing and offered them to me. Little acts of kindness gave me hope for the future that we live among innately kind-hearted people. I hope everyone is lucky enough to experience such genuine thoughtfulness from a stranger at some point; it makes the world a much brighter, more united place. These generous gestures from strangers also remind me that we are more similar than we think. This summer showed me that even with physical and cultural distinctions, we have more similarities than differences. Sisters sharing clothes. Neighbors borrowing missing ingredients. Birthday parties ending with lots of sugar and balloons. A love of selfies. Joy in watching a fire cracker explode. Appreciation for a meal shared among family. Looking for a cell signal in any location. Seeking answers in religion. I believe that we are often too quick to separate by differences rather than identify similarities. From this, I will work to resist the urge to assume or stereotype and instead find commonalities that form the basis of human connection.

I discovered many aspects of the workforce this summer: how to give and receive feedback, the importance of positivity in the office, the value of being flexible, the constraints of a time limit, and the benefits of being resourceful. When thinking about service work, I look at my 9-week project and know it only has a small impact within Prayatna Samiti’s bigger mission. But that is okay. I like the quote: “Don’t let your inability to do everything undermine your determination to do something.” I am only one person, but I can try to improve society in my own way. I will work my hardest, be positive, look for innovative alternatives, and serve others however possible. If everyone commits to similar priorities, many small efforts of service and minute acts of kindness build up. They have an effect. Another quote: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” You only have one life, so use it to improve your sphere of the world, wherever you are, with whatever resources you have, and in whatever passion you find.

[Caroline's summer project with Prayatna Samiti was via the Ingram Scholarship Program's partnership with Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD).]