First and foremost I feel I owe an apology to everyone. By not blogging last night and leaving this a full 12 hours late I feel I've let down the group, the readers and ultimately myself. The editor made the comment at dinner last night that "now it's basically ruined" and so for this I am truly sorry for the delay.
While in New Delhi on Friday (yes that is a long time ago now) I was able to see two areas where we as Kiwis have an opportunity to make a difference here in India. Firstly, talking to the economic department of the NZ High Commission it seems that through this free trade agreement (which is moving towards the final stages of discussion) our economies' interaction will be hugely beneficial for both countries. This seems like a reflection of what we're achieving in India. While I've been here I've learnt a lot about myself but also had the opportunity to help Indian communities in a small way. It's just the basic principle- by helping others we help ourselves.
Secondly, getting a glimpse of the ASHA project was refreshing. So many times the problems in India have just seemed so big that we as individuals cannot even begin to fix them. ASHA, which started as one woman's decision to make a difference is now fixing the slum problem on a large scale. Hearing from a girl, living in what we've often seen to be a largely sexist culture, saying that she may get married later but she wants a career first, sums up the progress and hope there is for India.
Fletcher
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