15/02/2021
Paraardha's Impact Journey!
"I joined SBI Youth for India fellowship during the pandemic and it was a tough decision for my family to accept this desire of mine to explore rural India."
Paraardha Goel, a fellow who was filled with zeal and enthusiasm to work for the society, landed in a village of West Bengal called Phulia after initial orientation.
"As my community engagement developed, my connection with the lives of locals also matured. I soon understood that all the papers, policies, debates which we used to have in our classroom spaces were not for these people but were rather based on our own perceptions about the lives in rural areas. Just like an inquisitive child, I started asking questions about how they spend their day, what their ambitions are, and how they started weaving. Upon receiving the answers, I realised that they face multiple interrelated health problems due to the traditional weaving techniques they practice. To address this concern, I developed a customized yoga and stretching session for 50 women". These issues were also stemming from long hours of weaving, inaccurate posture, nutritional deficiency, unfavourable environmental conditions, lack of awareness of menstrual health, etc. Going forward, the plan is to focus on nutritional deficiency and address the aforementioned issues."
"Along with women's health, I am focusing on educating their children too. I have formed a group of 35 children aged between 16-18 years and organize sessions that cover - Social Emotional Learning (SEL), life-skills learning, communicative English, activity-based learning and also awareness sessions on issues like gender stereotypes, the purpose of education, what is POCSO, child marriage, waste management, etc."
bharat