We Care & Give Back - It Begins

 

Over the past couple of weeks, I along side a dozen other Intuit employees, had the incredible experience of partnering with Team 4 Tech and Connecting Dreams Foundation to deliver a entrepreneurial workshop to women living in rural India (just north of Delhi). I've been home for a couple days now and have had a chance to process a bit of what we experienced--the places we visited, the people we met, and the friendships we made.

The process to create and deliver the content for the course was not too dissimilar to how we create products and services at Intuit ... it started with people; talking with them and seeing them in their environment. We only finalized the curriculum after we met these women in their villages--after saw their shops, met their families--and even sung and danced in their homes.. In just a few hours, our team started to feel more connected and felt a love for the people and their rich culture--it was both inspiring and humbling. 

 

 

In anticipation of our visit, the village covered their main road with messages in English. The village had just under two-thousand people and presented one of the warmest welcomes I've ever experienced.

 

 

After our welcome, we were set up to have three interviews with different owners of micro businesses/shops in the village. Our first women entrepreneur ran a tailoring business equipped with a catalog of clothing choices customers could choose from. 

 

The men of the village were not allowed to join the interviews.

The men of the village were not allowed to join the interviews.

 
A surreal moment talking with these women. 

A surreal moment talking with these women. 

When interviewing, our team discovered some key insights that helped us shape our lesson plan. 

1. They all LOVE their job. When asked about "they're favorite part of the day" they all referred to their time working in the tailor shop, making clothes for the their local customers. 

2. Goals. Efficiency when scaling their business was not as meaningful as the opportunity to employ more women. 

3. Support systems are needed in order to thrive. In order to thrive as a micro business, these women needed the support of their husbands--and family. As shown in the picture, the business represents a community of women working together. 

 

 

As our team finished up the interviews, I spent some time hanging out with the men and boys of the village.  We didn't get to communicate much, but they seemed to be glad we were there.

 

 

Our first day in the village was an incredible experience. As I shared on Twitter, it was a customer interview and "follow me home" I'll never forget. We finished the day inspired and excited to teach these women of rural India. Their passion for developing their business was only matched by their resourcefulness and determination to be successful and help their families. 

 

Summer Vacation '13

View of Heber Valley from Midway--atop Memorial Hill. A beautiful spot that gave us a 360 degree of this incredible valley. The girls had been talking about horses all week. They were beyond thrilled to watch a real rodeo. They were instantly enamored with the idea of being cowgirls. We might be taking a few lessons when we get back to Texas--or maybe we'll just get them a stuffed animal and put on Spirit. In between the Crofts family reunion and our trip to the Idaho Cabin/Yellowstone, we had a fantantasic Counsin's Camp and Jewkes Family Renuion. Unfortuntately, I didn't take too many pictures with my bigger camera, but I did Instagram quite a bit #jewkesfamily2013. Yellowstone/Idaho: One of only three bison we saw while in Yellowstone and he wouldn't smile. BUST. Back to the cabin. Tessa dominated the tire swing--fighting everyone for it to be her turn again. We had a quiet, relaxing time at the old A-frame cabin Rachel's grandfather built. It was fun for all of us to experience many of her old memories and experiences she had while visiting this place many times over many childhood summers. Rachel explaining to Tessa that she has to take turns. Our last stop before making the 23+ hour drive back to Texas was Teton Lake Lodge. I could not get over the beauty of this place. Here was the view from the lobby:

My India Experience

Not knowing if I’d ever make it back to India, I was committed to working hard and playing hard–making sure I explored and experienced the people and the culture. Because I was scheduled to work almost every day I was there, I had to make sure my driver stopped at interesting places at night, en-route to the hotel after a day of work. Once I was dropped off back at the hotel, my driver was gone and it was nighttime … not a good combo.

Pictured above is a scene of a typical morning from the street surrounding my hotel…literally just outside of Leela Palace–where I stayed for the 10+ days. While walking the streets, I was frequently asked if I was lost and if I needed directions back to my hotel :)

Land of Dubai

After a 15-hour flight from Dallas, I had an 8-hour layover in Dubai–which included a hotel room that I used only for a quick shower and change of clothes. To make the most of my time in Dubai, I asked a cab to to be my driver for the day. I hadn’t studied much beforehand, so I let him decide what to show me. My driver was Pakistani and lucky for me, spoke enough English to understand me.

After the first couple of stops, I realized he was only taking me to the typical touristy places…we stopped at the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world), and the Dubai Mall (a place I came to appreciate later on the trip), and the self-proclaimed “7-star” hotel, Burj Al Arab. Although impressive, I wasn’t too inspired to take out my camera.

After snapping a few pics, I asked my driver to take me somewhere I could find more of the locals working, shopping, and hanging out. He knew the perfect place, although by then, I had only a couple of hours left before my continuing flight to India. We went to an old spice market, Dubai Gold Souk, off the Dubai Creek. It was exactly what I wanted to see. After walking through the market, I spent some time talking with a few locals working on their ships–old, wooden ships equipped with electronics like refrigerators & TV’s. I found most people to be very friendly–some even asking me to take their picture. The man pictured above insisted I take several shots of him puffing on his cigarette.

Old school selfie ... not sure what I'm doing with my hand here. At this point I was alone without the driver. I planned to walk around on my own before grabbing a cab back to the airport. About a half mile out, I was confronted by a man from I…

Old school selfie ... not sure what I'm doing with my hand here. 

At this point I was alone without the driver. I planned to walk around on my own before grabbing a cab back to the airport. About a half mile out, I was confronted by a man from Iraq. His confrontation was startling and confusing. Should I be upset he's from Iraq--is he upset that I'm American? I honestly had no reaction other than feeling far from home and completely ignorant about current events. Someone once said that Americans knowledge of geography is limited to the wars we've been involved with. 

It's Burj Al Arab, my only shot of the 7-star hotel: