[OLPC India] Decisions

[Usha Gowri]

Well...I couldn't keep out of this thread anymore and hence I am here.
I read all your mails and am sure that we know nothing about each other -to
ask Marc do you know rural life was for me, well,"funny" because he runs a
rural school. To know that Satish came from a rural background is for me
interesting. So we all have a wealth of knowledge and information that comes
from hands-on experience at the grass root level.

 Now can we find a commonality in our experiences?-no way because like the
blind men and the elephant we are talking the same thing that is not same in
any way: each village, each state is going to be so different that we have
to think out different ways as we go along. Traditional methods are not
going to work-we have to be  different and think on our feet-therein lies
the challenge and the joy of success

This also means all our experiences shared here are real and cannot be
questioned because that is the ethos in that place.

Let's leave out comparisons with other countries-if only India was as simple
as another country we would be different-the sheer diversity even in poverty
is stunning-no two guys are poor in a similar way.

Ask the tribal who said: we are not poor ,we only don't have money!!

I think I am going to take the lead: I can feel frustration and anger and
that is not going to help. We are sitting in front of a feast and we don't
know how to eat-frustrating.

 So step1:  who are the real participants in this process? In other
words-how many of us are going to /willing to go the whole hog? I don't mean
the mailing list-I mean the real doers

 Step 2: if we are, then can we just list names and e-mail ids and info on
our  geographical presence.

 Step 3:  what is the expertise available

 Step 4:  As I told Satish, I am experimenting a particular mode of getting
the product across to the children-let me see if it works and I will share
it in this forum. Do others have similar thoughts and ideas? Can we collect
data?

 I am a strong votary for the South .Satish, can we form regional groups?
Can we then come to the mother group and share information? I am willing to
help with South India. I know you all did a Bangalore prog but well...I
don't wish to comment on it. Can we find real players who want to
participate and can take it forward? I can get you a few.

 Step 5: Also if we have a particular skill set-helping find
donors/funders/bankers would you like  to share it with the group? In fact
what we need is one nationalized bank to show some interest-we can always
quote it elsewhere

Step 6: Trust the members and give us something concrete in our hands to
carry to the funders: I spoke to some people here in TN and Bangalore and he
said I am excited but show me a product and tell me more. Well….I am lucky
that they know me personally. So if we are formalizing this process-how can
OLPC help?

Step 7: Call the NGO's for a meet- by that I mean call the grassroot guys
who have soiled their hands not in the air-conditioned comfort of their
offices. Show the product and share all concerns and problems. THEY can come
up with solutions that can be so simplistic that it can take your breath
away –but also one that is workable and real and one that's fits the local
ethos.

How can we take this forward?

-- 
Gowri
VP-Intl Marketing
www.globalcubeit.com
www.usasiaedu.com
"The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but >far too many people
come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank >car... a
teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result >they
get little." ~ Ben Sweetland


"Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from
growing. You get to choose."Dr. Wayne Dyer
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