Visit to an MCC Partner and Women's Group

For the past two weeks, Ruth and I have been busy moving into our new roles and office space in the MCC India office in Kolkata. It feels very good to finally be here even though there is still so much to learn. January is the time when we’re busy working at the annual budget and program plans for the next year. This is primarily Ruth’s responsibility as the new director for our office.

We’ve both had panic moments when various parts of the puzzle didn’t seem to fit together. Thankfully, we have an excellent Kolkata staff that has made it possible. Different people have been able to supply us with different pieces to the puzzle. Ruth and I have also been taking long walks around Kolkata to help us become familiar with our new home.

It’s hard to describe those walks past many small shops and streets full of people. We pass flowing water hydrants where people are washing. We walk past auto and machine shops that spill over onto the sidewalks. And we walk past poor laborers who have thrown up a piece of plastic supported by sticks against a wall as temporary shelter. People everywhere are friendly and we’re surprised at how quickly we’re beginning to feel at home.

On Saturday we accompanied our MCC staff to visit a development project in West Bengal near the Bangladesh border. (See the pictures above.) We enjoyed the verdant green scenes of growing crops as our train traveled through this rich river delta. At the end of the train line, we walked to the river bank where we were ferried to the other side on small boats. Then we climbed onto motorcycles that had been converted into huge tricycles for carrying passengers. After a short ride we arrived at our destination.

Our program partner, the Resources Development Foundation (RDF), has been working at rural development for seven years. As we arrived, the local welcoming committee showered us with music and flower petals. They proudly showed us around their beautiful demonstration farm which is actually situated on a small island in the middle of the vast farming delta, interwoven with canals and small rivers.

Salinity is a big problem as salt water coming from the sea makes the water in the rivers unfit for irrigation purposes. One project has been the building of a sluice gate to keep the salt water from infiltrating the area. Another is building water catchments to collect and store fresh water. As a result of such work, ten villages are now able to raise two or three crops annually instead of the traditional one.

It’s a very poor area in which seasonal agricultural workers earn as little as $25 a month and primary school teachers earn about $125 a month. A recent RDF initiative has been to start women’s groups and farmers’ groups working at economic and social transformation. One of the women’s groups was in charge of our welcome and preparing the gourmet feast for our outdoor picnic. It was rewarding to see their pride and confidence in hosting us. They are clearly determined to create a flourishing community.

Some of the challenges they talked about are the dowry system and early marriages that force women into prescribed roles with little future. Micro-credit economic schemes, raising social awareness, and adult education, are all part of their efforts. They believe women are crucial to the wellbeing of the family and the entire community. Empowering women is key to the empowerment of their villages.

The work in these West Bengal villages involves a strategic partnership between the local women’s and farmers’ groups; the efforts of RDF (in which may retired professionals from Kolkata donate their time); and MCC, representing the generous contributions of congregations in North America. Ruth and I have the blessing of serving at the intersection where it all comes together.