After spending a couple weeks in Bangalore, we got the chance to experience rural India with a full day in a village. We were overjoyed to wake up to a cool and rainy morning after a hot day. When we arrived in the village, we were welcomed to the school and waited for the rain to pass by meeting community members and playing some games with the kids.
We spent the day working on community projects that were organized by Samuha, an NGO working to improve the lives of vulnerable people. When the rain let up, we got started on our first project, creating three pits for plastic, paper, and organic waste at the school. Previously, all trash at the school was burned in a pile next to the school, so we taught the students the importance of cleaning up and waste segregation. After a short break for chai and cookies, we headed to a farmer's house.
Because of indoor cooking, the thatched roof was charred and needed replacement. After taking the old roof off, we got to assist in putting up the new roof on their home. Throughout the day, we experienced the generosity of the community and got to understand a bit about rural life by working alongside the village on community projects. The rural visits helped us understand more about India, the challenges of rural life, as well as some causes of urban migration and the impact on urban development that we experienced in Bangalore.
