My time with working with Society Welfare Action Nepal (SWAN) was a truly transformative experience for me. Foremost, it introduced me to rural life that I had only fleetingly glimpsed at in the past, which helped me realize my own privilege that I carry with me due to my gender, ethnicity, education, family background, among others. I was also introduced to the divide that exists within the marginalized communities themselves, where a few well-off members conspire with the elite class to maintain a status quo to benefit themselves financially. The reality of abject poverty, and the conditions in which families go about with their own lives enduring hardships, and the toll it has on their children was something I had not fully prepared myself to face. Reading about the socio-economic divide and experiencing it first hand are two completely different concepts to get around.
Working with SWAN was also a vivid reminder that plans and a whole lot of preparation can all seem to be ineffective when faced with ever-changing realities on the ground. However, flexibility, innovation and resilience are key in not only working with grassroots organization, but is also an allegory to the movement it hopes to champion as well. Also, as important are dedicated people who believe in change. The Social Mobilizers I met through SWAN, and the staffs at the organization were utilizing the limited resources to full capacity and even though the organization was constrained financially, and technically there was still a hope for change.
I would have preferred to be more effective in the services I provided to SWAN in terms of capacity building, but I myself was fighting an uphill battle throughout my time there. I just hope the small program I helped initiate will be influential, even in a small amount, for the young girls and their families. However, only hoping for it does not make it come true. I would definitely like to revisit this program in two years, and see the impact of the program both for SWAN, and its benefactors.
