A Learning Journey in India

In collaboration with Instituto C&A and C&A Foundation, I had an incredible learning journey in India. It was almost 3,000 km through out the country to learn, meet and imerge in projects of organic cotton development and forced child labor in the textile industry.

In 10 days, we visited several cities and communities through out the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttah Pradesh and State of Delhi. We also learnt a lot with the C&A Foundation team in India with projects to support smallholders farmers and education to children. We visited particularly two local partners who have done such a great and impactful work in field: Action for Social Advancement (ASA) and Goodweave - founded by the Nobel Peace Laurete Kailash Satyarthi in 1980.

India is a special country. It’s part of the culture the belief that visitors are representatives of God. India allows a transformative experience and at personal level I’m coming back with many questions and doubts over the assumptions I had/have about social, environmental and economic development.

I’ve been going through a long digestion and acceptance process and I’m convicted how important is the work of social entrepreneurs and social organizations. Not only here, but in all World. In India, I saw extreme poverty, I saw indifference, I saw the bankruptcy of the institutions. Nothing quite different from where I coming from, but in India the scale is distinct. It is desperate.

“The immense social injustice in the World is only visible to those eyes of who dream with a fairer World. To those insensible, it is invisible.” Jung Mo Sung

We can look back and still move forward. We can turn the TV off or close the news - or even close this message before the end. We can move forward with our lives individually. But we shall never say that we didn’t know. We shall never say that we weren’t fully aware of what we were capable to cause. The invisible hand has left billions of lives behind. The welfare institutions have just confirmed it. We have failed.

For some perspectives, what I’ve chosen to my life is about drying the ice. For others, it is about to bring a little comfort and betterment to this inherent chaos. Whatever perspective is more appropriate - if there is any one - the only sense so far in all of this is that we must persevere. #BtheChange #BInclusive