Day 5: Thursday, 11 December

View from the front row of the coach
Our driver is amazing. You may think you know traffic but unless you've driven in India you can't know its full potential. No roads in Bangalore go straight and getting places often requires U-turns in the most unlikely places. Our driver has no fear and he always seems to know where he's going. Well, mostly!

Below is a night scene heading home from MG Road (the road is called "MG" which is an abbreviation for Mahatma Gandhi).

Your fearless leaders. Steven Larmar and Pat Dorsett from Griffith University are on the left. Tim and Louann Palmer (WMU) are on the right.

Janakiramnagar Community (by Ryan)
Our day started off at a business conference here at Christ University. The focus was on emerging business trends and it was very informative and sort of re-instilled a lot of the things we talk about in HCOB.

In the afternoon, we took a trip to a slum in Bangalore and that was definitely something that will forever be burned into my memory. A "slum" is an official designation, defined by the UN as an area that is technically uninhabitable because it lacks necessary infrastructure like drainage, water, and toilets. The conditions that the people there have to endure are mind boggling and really made all of us appreciate how fortunate we are.

We learned specifically about self-help groups that women are a part of that allow the women to look out for one another and encourage each other to keep advancing. Specifically, there was a self-help group called Second Hand Shop where women take materials that we would otherwise consider as garbage and use these materials to make all sorts of amazing and practical items. After that eye-opening experience, we were taken to a really modern mall where we shopped and had dinner. Needless to say, it was a packed and fulfilling day.

Janakiramnagar Community (by Chelsea)
I love how much the women in India work together to build and thrive within their communities. They use things we consider "trash" and turn them into beautiful purses, wallets, iPad covers, and much more! For them to start as a small Self Help Group and transform into their own independent business is so rewarding.

Janakiramnagar Community (by Tamara)
It's hard to believe that I've already been in India for five days now! Today we had the opportunity to visit the Janakiramnagar community, which is a slum located in Bangalore. Christ University has a great influence within this area of Bangalore. One of the projects within this slum area that they help support is the 3D Empowerment project.

This project focuses around the women and children that live in the Janakiramnagar slum area. Various students from Christ University sponsor youth within the community by providing them with resources that are needed to further their education. In addition to the financial support, they act as mentors to the children. Students will take the time to visit the slum community that their paired student lives in.

For me having the first hand experience within the slum community and seeing the various development projects put in place was the most impactful part of my India trip thus far.