Photograph by Bronwyn McBride
Yesterday, Atma celebrated the work of two fantastic volunteers: Amie and Elisa. Amie from Sri Lanka has worked with Atma over the past month on HR, creating manuals and contracts. Elisa from France has been supporting Atma Partner The Foundation for Mother and Child Health in creating a workshop plan to address the dynamics of their growing organisation. We are sad to see Amie and Elisa leave us, and hope they return to Mumbai to visit!
Atma is excited to collaborate with Atma Partner, The Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH) in creating their organisational strategy for the upcoming year. We have spent the past two days this week with FMCH conducting strategy sessions: these have resulted in the strengthening of their team objectives and shared mission for the holistic development of children and mothers. Atma looks forward to reporting FMCH’s continued success.
Having worked with development NGOs in the past, I knew I was looking for a volunteer placement in education. I’ve studied education in global contexts, and wanted to get a bit of grass-roots perspective outside of Australia. The way in which Atma works in partnership with other NGOs was also attractive, as it meant that there was more scope to learn more about the industry in general.
Having never visited India before, the opportunity to work in Mumbai was too good to pass up: I finalised my travel plans and arrived in India, ready to volunteer.
One of the first things I did in Mumbai was a 3 hour tour of the Dharavi slum with Reality Tours and Travel. To see a world that is completely different to anything in Australia, so soon after my touchdown in India, made it all very real. The Dharavi tour really illustrated what volunteering with Atma is about, who it’s for, and why the work that I’d be undertaking is important.
My first week with Atma was predominantly a process of learning and being inducted into the organisation. I’ve had a lot of meetings with Summer Starr, the Atma Partnerships Director, who oversees the Searching for Goodness NGO mapping project I’m working on. This has generally outlined areas of research so that I can get up to speed with the terrain of NGO work in Mumbai.
A few meetings with Atma Partner staff have helped to get another, deeper perspective on the work. The Atma Partner initiatives are just incredibly dynamic and creative. It’s great to be around people who are so passionate about their work.
My goals as an Atma volunteer are pretty wide-ranging. The opportunity to really develop a project, as I am now with the Searching for Goodness Project, and explore the direction it can go in is a big part of the appeal. I’ll be given a lot of freedom to try and define my own solutions to challenges that arise, and present them to Summer in order to take the project forward. There are few volunteer roles in the NGO sector that give you the same degree of autonomy. It’s very refreshing. Additionally, volunteering with Atma will give me a real opportunity to see how I might enjoy a career in the sector.
So far, I’m really enjoying working with everyone at Atma. It’s a small team, but clearly works well together. It’s inspiring to see cultural issues just dealt with pretty smoothly, and usually humorously. Atma also works hard to make the learning curve as smooth as possible. They make a great effort to help you find your way around, organise your housing, provide travel advice and include you in a ready-made social circle. I really look forward to diving into this project and creating a sustained impact in the development sector in Mumbai!
The Foundation for Mother and Child Health India (FMCH) improves the lives of mothers and children by providing programs focused on preventative healthcare, education, and nutritional interventions to underprivileged communities. Founded in 2005 in Indonesia, FMCH believes that a child’s development in the early years of their life is a foundation for their future educational and personal development.
Malnutrition in children is the result of several factors, most of which fall under a lack of access to resources and education. A limited family income, poor knowledge of basic nutrition and hygiene practices, and limited access to medical support, safe water and proper accommodation all contribute to the issue of child malnutrition. FMCH’s mission is to tackle malnutrition in innovative ways. Through medical clinics, health talks, home visits and cooking and parenting classes, FMCH approaches early childhood development and health from multiple angles. By addressing health issues and malnutrition in pregnant women, infants and young children, and by teaching proper nutrition, they focus on the holistic development of the child and empower women to make smart health choices for their families.
On Sunday August 7th 2011, Atma was featured in the Midday News as a leader amongst the hundreds of NGOs that participate in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon every year. The Mumbai Marathon provides a fantastic platform for fundraising and cooperation between NGOs across India. Read the complete article, or write to Bronwyn or Lisa at marathon@atma.org.in to sign up for Mumbai’s largest community event!
