Seeing Hope

Although it seems impossible, we have now embarked on the final stage of our month long journey. Our group is now in our capstone course: learning about the gas disaster that took place at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. On December 2-3, 1984, a gas leak occurred at the Union Carbide Factory, sending a cloud of poisonous gas over the city of Bhopal. This initial gas leak claimed the lives of thousands; however, it was soon discovered that there were more long term ramifications connected to this tragedy. It became apparent that in addition to leaking toxic chemicals, the factory had also been incorrectly disposing toxic waste by burying it in the ground. The chemicals were then able to contaminate the water supply and infect even more individuals with toxins.

Upon our arrival in Bhopal, we visited the Chingari Trust. The Chingari Trust is an organization that helps children of victims of the initial Bhopal incident and the resulting water contamination. Many of the individuals who either breathed toxic chemicals at the time of the gas leak, or who ingested toxic chemicals through drinking contaminated ground water, gave birth to children with a great deal of birth defects. Many of these children are severely mentally and physically disabled.

The children require extensive physical and speech therapy, as well as special education services. The staff at Chingari provide care free of charge to any child who is suffering from disabilities. Along with administering services to the children, professions will also educate family members on how to administer therapies at home. This combination of these services has caused children to improve drastically. It is clear that this organization is doing everything they can to improve the lives of the children and families affected by this tragedy.

Throughout my time at the school, I felt very inspired by the women who started this organization. Hearing their story was exactly what I needed. Throughout our time in India, our group has been exposed to topics that are very complicated and overwhelming. Many of the problems that we observe are byproducts of large and complex system. It is easy to give up and think that there is nothing I, a single ordinary person, could ever do to fix these injustices. However, hearing the story of these women reminded me of the power one person can have. We must not lose sight of the power each of us has to make a change.

During my time at Chingari, I was reminded that I do not need to have an extensive list of credentials or massive amounts of support to make a difference. Being filled with passion and a willingness to donate your time is much more important. As I prepare to return home and start thinking about what I am going to do with all the important information learned throughout my time in India, I will keep the story of Chingari close to my heart. I hope all of us will remember that if we follow our passions and put all of our energies behind those issues that really fire us up, we can make a difference.