Longitude Blog

Toki Burke’s post We visited GP yesterday and got to see what some of the finished homes look like. I was definitely surprised by the workmanship and quality of the finished homes. While there’s been a lot of progress they still need a little more work and supplies needed for the remaining homes. Today we came back to Chevuru and worked on building up the side walls before the roof can be built on Anil’s house. I had a lot of fun bringing bricks up and down on the ladder but I’ll admit I got pretty worn out. We have one more full day tomorrow to get some work done.

Laura Popp's Blog

Yesterday it was really amazing to see the contrast between Chevuru village, our primary work site, and Gummallapadu, where the Association of Relief Volunteers (ARV) has been working for five years. Nearly every villager had a solid cement house to live in. It was a festival day, so we spent it touring the village, visiting the villagers and playing with the children. As they led us around, they proudly declared “This is my house! That is my grandmother’s house!”

Longitude’s March volunteers have arrived in India ready to work.  Follow their adventures as they work hand in hand with the villagers whose homes they are building.  Here are the first two blog posts, but stay tuned for more to come… Toki Burke’s Blog Post First day of camp at Chevuru!! I had no idea what to expect but I was blown away by the friendliness of the villagers. We were greeted by a festive group of drummers and paraded through the main street until we got to the building site for an opening ceremony.

 

After some sightseeing in Hyderabad, I went to the airport and met up with the group. We didn’t actually take this picture until Monday or Tuesday, but here’s everyone, enjoying a break of coconut water in the middle of a long car ride:

 

The PROFESA Academy, a non-profit vocational training school in Abeka, Ghana, is booming with activity and learning.  After changing the school's focus in January of 2010 to give a greater emphasis to computer and technology training, the academy saw an initial dip in enrollment.  The students did not stay away long however, and currently the school is back to serving more than 40 young men and women.  

Our first car ride to Gumallapaddu Village was the perfect formula for paradise: the sun shining overhead, a gentle breeze flowing through the window, and the kind of vast landscape that you’d imagine when listening to Toto’s “Africa.”  Every so often a holy cow would roam casually into the path of our jeep, which coming from Los Angeles, never ceased to amaze me.  As we neared Gumallapaddu, the car suddenly came to a stop—the entire village had come out to greet us!

It is my first day back in Japan after a truly amazing time in India and as I pore over the many photographs I took in GP village I am transported back there by the children’s beaming smiles, the warmth of which I can physically feel despite the cold of my office!  As I gaze at each photo I ponder a little sadly what my friends are up to now that the volunteers have left but can imagine them playing cricket and volleyball and running barefoot around the village chasing the puppy to their delight.

LONGITUDE STAFF MEMBERS’ TRIP UPDATE

The fish farm-lined road to Gummallapadu holds a healthy bit of traffic this morning. The car bumping along it is blasting Bollywood tunes as it winds through the bustling crowd: a few nervous goats pick at the grass; a lazy water buffalo stubbornly refuses to move off the path; a chicken crosses the road (why? The other side looks quite nice). A cow-pulled cart laden with hay lumbers by, leaning treacherously close to the water where the bathing beauties are all buffalo. The man on the radio sings “Baby, you’re so sexy, baby, you’re one in the galaxy!” to a dance hall rhythm.