End of Orientation and Beginning of Mobilizing Health

Orientation came and went in a flash. The three day orientation was a well-organized and helpful mechanism for all of the Innovators to get acquainted to our new surroundings as well as manage expectations about the work environment in India. Perhaps one of the best parts of the orientation were the site visits to local non-profits. It was inspirational to see the amazing work that these organizations were doing in a variety of fields. The non-profits served as a good reminder of why we, USC Global Impacters, are here and the work we can accomplish over the next 8 weeks. Special recognition should be given to the Deshpande Foundation and everyone who helped put together an excellent orientation session.

With the end of orientation, we moved onto our first day of working on our project. This morning, Rolf, Breanna, and I met with Abhi, an individual at Deshpande working on a project to encourage physicians to visit villages to provide health care. We were able to get his thoughts on our project as well as gain basic insight into how the medical system works in India. From there, R, B, me, and the Frontline SMS team visited one of the non-profits we are working with, the Bhoruka Charitable Trust (BCT). The meeting itself was helpful and informative as we were able to meet with the individuals we will be working closely with over the next several weeks. We agreed to have a detailed brainstorming session this Friday with a view to outline a project timeline/schedule for the remainder of our time here in Hubli.

While the meeting went well, it was a challenge to find where BCT was located. Leaving our sanctuary (Deshpande Scholar House) around 11 am, we did not arrive at our destination until 2 pm. Through a combination of monsoon, multiple bus rides, and overall confusion over where to meet, we had quite an adventure trying to find BCT. One can either get extremely exasperated at this situation or smile, know this is India, and make the best of the situation. We all choose the latter and enjoyed our mini-excursion on our way to BCT.


Furthermore, much to Rolf's delight, there was music playing on the bus to and from Dharwad. Unfortunately, there is no video of him dancing in his seat. Maybe in our next blog post.

Best from Hubli,
Ken