ICB member Vivien Kraft in conversation with Sylvie Claes, charity liaison, about volunteering with proVISION ASIA
As part of the ICB Charities initiatives, we are always on the look out for energetic and enthusiastic member-volunteers who are seeking new opportunities to give back in a meaningful way and learn more about India and Bengaluru.
Pro Vision Asia works with physically challenged, blind, and deaf people. They provide specialised equipment to increase mobility and employment prospects, vocational training, job placement services, physical therapy, corrective surgeries and more.
Q: Hi Vivien, thank you for accepting the challenge and telling all our ICB members about your volunteer experience with ICB supported Charity Provision Asia in Hebbal.
Can you start by telling us a bit more about yourself?
A: Hi, my name is Vivien Kraft, I moved to India with my 2 kids as my husband got an expat job offer in Bengaluru. We happily jumped at the opportunity! We are from Hamburg, Germany and have been here for more than 2 years, we’re planning to move back home next year in time for my daughter to join primary school. I studied Psychology, trained in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and worked in a psychiatric hospital for 10 years. I was on maternity leave when we moved, but when my son joined a playschool at 17 months, I was ready to go back to some professional work! Since work visas are a difficult topic, volunteering was the perfect option for both; giving back to this very welcoming and hospitable country and people and fulfilling my needs for pursuing my profession.
Q: Can you tell us about your volunteer work with Provision Asia? The overall experience and the interaction with staff there?
A: Liav (VP Charities), put me in touch with Krupa, the director of Provision Asia. We talked on the phone and then met in person to figure out how my expertise could be helpful for the organisation. Since counseling clients can be impeded by language, cultural and legal barriers, I suggested counselling supervision for the team. Counselling supervision is a process of professional learning and development that enables individuals to reflect on and develop their knowledge, skills, and competence, through agreed and regular support from another professional. It is considered good practice and mandatory in some western countries for mental health organisations; maintaining/improving the quality of work and job satisfaction.
I had never offered team supervision before but was just about to start a degree at TISS, Mumbai in supervision for mental health professionals. Krupa happily welcomed this idea and together we decided how to set it up. We agreed to meet with the whole team (management, teachers, physio and speech therapists, housekeeping, drivers etc.) every 6 weeks for 1.5 hours.
The diversity of the team's education/work and language turned out to be quite challenging but it didn't feel right to exclude anyone since many organisational topics were expected to be discussed. I realised we need to take it slow so everyone can follow - and everything needed to be translated into Tamil during the discussions. Plus we adjusted the setting to
incorporate splitting up into groups so everyone can stay focused and energetic (on a Friday afternoon) and less intimidated to share their thoughts. Each and every person seemed to be very caring, friendly and grateful! Krupa was always in touch so we could deal with any challenges that arose and decide together how to proceed.
Q: How did you benefit from this experience?
A: It is a very rewarding experience to give a little of your time and expertise and see how the NGO is eager to make the most of it. For me personally, I had both the opportunity to pursue/experiment with a different career path and to learn a lot about cultural aspects which I wouldn't have encountered otherwise. For example, the challenge of having multilingual staff members, resulting in the occasional obstacle that 3-4 members don't share a language! Also, although I was aware (through my studies as well) of power coming into play in communication (hierarchy, age, religion, caste, race..), it was astonishing to see first hand how difficult it can be to obtain feedback/participation in such a mixed group. I will definitely cherish the experience I was given at ProVision Asia! Plus, I can fill some gaps in my CV …
Q: What would be one piece of advice for others ICB members who would be interested in volunteering opportunities with ICB supported charities?
A: If you are thinking about it, just go and share your thoughts with the charity team. They will be able to guide you and match your interest and what you have to offer with the right charity (and one that is somewhat in the vicinity of where you live! Very important when commuting in Bengaluru) Everything else can be figured out. In my experience, the charity was very flexible and usually in India, there is always some way to make it work!
