Many Thanks

Before I begin I want to say thank you to everyone who has given me their time, money, and patience to make this outreach project possible (and sorry to those I drugged and robbed and covered in curry). I hope by sharing my experiences in India I am enlarging the footprint of these efforts. 

I’m not promising that anything transformative, profound, or even worthwhile will be shared here, but my hope is that maybe something will ‘get you.’ Maybe one of you will wade through all my bullshit quotes, tiring self-awareness, and corny jokes and somehow find something restorative in what you have helped to accomplish—something that makes you proud of yourself and hopeful of others. 

For those of you who don’t know the plans, here is a breakdown of my travel itinerary:

India   10/18 – 12/30

         - Slum Volunteer specializing in Female Empowerment

                     Jaipur, Rajasthan 6 weeks

The first six weeks spent in Jaipur will comprise the majority of my time in India. It will also be the most trying. Here I will confront extreme poverty, working closely with young women in the slums. The goal is to help Indian women thwart institutional poverty perpetuated by the nature of the slums and the dowry system. In other words, I will be teaching them something my mom would argue I know nothing about: financial self-reliance. We will cover how to build a resume, get a job, manage a budget, use computers and software, harness vocational skills, and speak to men in a professional setting. Above all, we are there to build confidence. As the program director explained to me, "do not underestimate the effect that you will have just being around these women," because they take cues from the assertiveness of their western counterparts and internalize these attitudes. 

         - Volunteer for local children/school system

                     Kerala 3 weeks

In Kerala I will spend 3 weeks helping to renovate a local school. I have yet to recieve my specific assignment, but tasks include physical construction of the school, tending to the local gardens, teaching basic math and English, or educating the children on health and hygiene (Chip I can hear you laughing). While in Kerala I will also be studying Yoga and Ayurveda with the local master as part of the program's cultural exchange.

After India my travels will take me back to Boston for a month, followed by Italy, Turkey and hopefully Japan. 


If you would like to make a donation you can make your check out to "Women and Children Project India or Lindsey Swanson" and mail to:
Lindsey Swanson
18 Whittier Ave. 
Saugus, MA 01906

Thanks again, and stay tuned! 

Note: All fundraising efforts are solely funding the service work in India. I will be working to support myself in the other countries.

Also Note: Those who comment on this trip’s resemblance to bestselling novel Eat Pray Love will be spammed excessively with inflatophilia porn.