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<p class="MsoNormal">Well...I couldn't keep out of this thread anymore and hence
I am here.<br>
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.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>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 <span style=""> </span>different and think on our feet-therein lies
the challenge and the joy of success</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This also means all our experiences shared here are real and
cannot be questioned because that is the ethos in that place.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ask the tribal who said: we are not poor ,we only don't have
money!!<br>
<br>
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.<br style="">
<br style="">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So step1: <span style=""> </span>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<br style="">
<br style="">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Step 2: if we are, then can we just list names and e-mail
ids and info on our <span style=""> </span>geographical
presence.<br style="">
<br style="">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Step 3: <span style=""> </span>what is the
expertise available<br style="">
<br style="">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Step 4: <span style=""> </span>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?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>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.<br style="">
<br style="">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Step 5: Also if we have a particular skill set-helping find
donors/funders/bankers would you like <span style=""> </span>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</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How can we take this forward?<br style="" clear="all">
</p>
<br>-- <br> Gowri<br>VP-Intl Marketing<br><a href="http://www.globalcubeit.com">www.globalcubeit.com</a><br><a href="http://www.usasiaedu.com">www.usasiaedu.com</a><br>"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 <br>
<br><br>"Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose."Dr. Wayne Dyer<br><br><br>