Looking Backwards and Forwards: At a Juncture

Displaced by a recent fire, the residents of our pilot project in the Ramavaram slum are to be permanently relocated. This isn’t goodbye; we certainly still have plans for them and a few visits are being planned. But it’s clear that this chapter is coming to close far faster than we envisioned.

We’re here at a critical juncture in Sangam India. We look back and we see many successes, as well as several failures, in our attempts to promote self-sufficiency in the Ramavaram slum. For us, it was a tremendous learning experience, both in personal and professional ways. Personally, I will miss many of the people and I have learned much about myself from them. Professionally, we have learned about how to work with residents in underprivileged communities to better their lives. For the residents of Ramavaram as well; the experience was a positive one. The children, I’m sure, many of whom knew me and others by name, will miss our presence. They certainly appreciated the time and energy we put into our weekly visits.

Though we’re saying goodbye, we have much to look forward to as well. We have learned much over the last year about slums, the problems they face, and ways in which we can confront them to produce meaningful solutions. We look forward to implementing these ideas in new communities and producing real, lasting changes in them.

Our team is growing quickly and leadership is coming from across the globe. We have new ways of operating and planning our operations, and people from across Chennai are showing an interest in volunteering for our cause. Despite the sadness that comes from leaving one community prematurely, we remain nonetheless excited about an opportunity to form a cohesive plan, move forward, and make a difference.