Anne Fisher
My name is Anne Fisher and after 15 years teaching (mainly in secondary schools) I now work part time in ActionAid UK's Schools and Youth Team.
My role is to repond to schools' requests for talks on life in the countries where we work and on the issues that affect people's daily lives. We have about 25 teachers in the team and visit more than 250 different schools each year. We try to show positive images of developing countries and emphasise the role that communities take in improving their own lives.
I have been with ActionAid for 12 years now and have seen many changes in the way we work.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, walking and travelling.
Questions and Answers (July 17, 2006)
Q: [from E & E] Do they have horses and dogs in India?
A: Richer Indians love hose racing - we saw the race course at Mysore when we were there. Remember that polo originated in India and both jodhpurs and gymkhana are Indian words.
However I don't remember seeing many horses in the countryside - and none in Chembakolli. Most of the carts were pulled by bullocks. As for dogs that's a bit different. Many people in Chembakolli keep dogs - mainly to keep guard at night incase there are any wild animals around. Mari's family have two dogs - and while we were there they also had several puppies that we kept tripping over.
In the countryside they don't have lots of different breed - just a short coated domesticated version of the Indian Wild Hunting Dog.
Q: [from Matthew] What are their houses like on the inside?
A: Inside Chembakolli houses it is very plain and quite empty to our way of thinking. The walls are bare earth plaster as is the floor. The rooms are open to the thatch roof - and the rafters can be used for hanging things from.
Anupama's house where we stayed had three rooms but some only have one. There is no furniture: you sleep on the floor with the rest of your family and sit cross legged on the floor to eat. The kitchen has a raised earthen stove or open fire with the metal pots and plates stored to one side.
Some of families are better off now and own more 'things' so their houses have niches cut out of the earthen walls or more often they store things like clothes and books in old suitcases and keep them on wooden shelves high up out of the way.
The houses are very clean - no crumbs on the floor! This is because the village is in the forest and they don't want rats to come into the houses - mainly because they will then be followed by snakes like cobras that can kill.
Q: [from Aaron] Is it nice there?
A: It was wonderful there. We all wanted to stay in Chembakolli for longer - although probably not forever as there would be too many things that we would miss.
We felt that there was a lot we could learn from them - how we worry about things that don't matter and lose sight of what is really important like friends and helping each other.
Q: [from Katy] What has been the biggest change in AA?
A: The biggest change has been in makng ActionAid truly 'international' - not just by moving our headquarters to South Africa but by appointing people from developing countries to all the main posts.
It is important to let people speak for themselves and not to speak for them - and this is best way of putting this policy into action.
Q: [from Jake] What's your favourite country?
A: It has to be the UK because that is where I was born and where I know best. However I have always loved travelling although I did not manage to go outside Europe until I was fifty. Working for ActionAid does not mean that you get a chance to go all over the world - travel is expensive and the best way for people to improve their lives to be in charge of projects themselves.
It is difficult to have a favourite between India, Bangladesh and Kenya - the three countries I have visited with ActionAid - because they are all so different. Bangladesh though has a special place in my heart as it was the first of these countries that I visited and I went to so many places in both the cities and countryside meeting all kinds of incredible and inspiring people.
