"Why don't you ask?"

Yesterday I visited another women’s empowerment organisation, S, as part of my best practices research. The visit had been very informative and I came back with many ideas for MSS. The problem: which ones are the most urgent? Right now Vijay and I are the only full-time staff running the organisation. Vijay is a businessman; I am a student. We have some experience with NGOs but both of us definitely feel very lost at times.

I had a number of projects whirling in my head, with pros and cons all thought out. However, I couldn’t make a decision regarding which ones to pursue for the remainder of my internship. I talked it out with Smita and another intern. “Why don’t you ask Vijay?” both of they suggested.

Why? Because I was afraid he would give me an answer I wouldn’t agree with, despite the fact that I didn’t know which project would be the best to pursue. I think I’ve gotten so invested in this organisation, in my work, that I believe I know what’s best for it. I’ve worked for NGOs before; I know what the West wants. I know how to write grants, write content for a website, publicise the organisation, conduct best practices research. I can organise, schedule, administrate.

I’m forgetting, though, that Vijay has been living in Jodhpur for the past 30 years; that he knows how Indians think and how the Indian government works. He knows the education system and government schemes far better than I do. He also runs a successful business that he does barely any work for and still earns a steady income from it.

Vijay is my boss and after I leave, he will remain. I have to do work that he thinks will be useful for the organisation. I can advise him on what I think would be best, but ultimately he must make the decisions. Essentially, that’s what empowerment is.