From the SLT program (Service Learning Trip) a group of 14 young students and group leaders arrived from Standford University to visit the Setrawa project and learn about India and indian culture in Jodhpur.

A press release prepared by Ms. Jessica Robinson

Under supervision of Sambhali Trust on this Monday 10th of August 14 students (11 women; 3 men) from Stanford University will arrive in Jodhpur as part of a Service Learning Trip (SLT) organized by the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD). They will be staying for approximately one month and will be working between Jodhpur and Setrawa with the focus being on the Setrawa village community.

They will meet with Mr. Govind Singh Rathore, director of the Sambhali Trust, to discuss the SLT project. The Sambhali Trust is an organization focusing on women’s empowerment and development and has been operating for 3 years. It runs three projects: the Jodhpur Project, which focuses on women and empowerment in the Dalit community; the Literacy Project; and the Setrawa Project. The Setrawa Project aims to eliminate prejudice and discrimination based on caste. Sambhali Trust also operates a small center in Setrawa where participants are trained in basic academic subjects as well as practical topics such as health and hygiene.

The SLT students will begin by participating in educational workshops to learn about India, Jodhpur, Safety & Health, Development & Issues, Culture & Caste and Society & Behavior.

The group will then travel to Setrawa to conduct a community assessment including observational activities and discuss ongoing data collection & analysis. They will prepare their findings and conduct a community discussion to share these findings and future preparations, and plan projects. The SLT group will cover different area topics and gather different sets of information.

After this first week they will transfer to living with a host family in Jodhpur. Here they will meet with a lot of other Non profit organizations and different government authorities. The group will also participate in cultural events organized by their SLT program placement agency on time to time.

They will then return to Setrawa to begin outreach activities and prepare for and conduct a community meeting. The outreach activities will continue over several days and the planned activities will be implemented. Education workshops and “Clean Village Campaign” activities will also be carried out. Following this there will be community meetings and evaluations, after which the findings will be shared.

Back in Jodhpur there will be a chance to review and reflect upon the trip as well as meet with Sambhali Trust Director Mr. Govind Singh Rathore one more time. The group will depart on Friday 5th of September.