Building trust

When we go to the rural villages of Mysore, our first, and probably most important task, is building trust in the community. There is a long legacy of medical mistreatment, including sterilizations, and rumors of stolen kidneys. The villagers have several good reasons not to trust anyone. Therefore, our first stop in each village is at the preschool. We introduce ourselves to the teacher, and learn about the goings-on in town. In Chikkahalli this helper shows us the lunch she's making for the kids.


We also struggle with conflicting notions of privacy, trust and community when we interview the Traditional Birth Attendants. My research background, and four years of medical school tell me that if I'm going to be asking someone questions about illegal abortions, she better be in a confidential space. But, I'm learning that in these close-knit villages, asking someone to speak alone to outsiders, especially a foreigner, is an incredibly uncomfortable proposition.

In Chikkahali we do our best. And at the end of the day, when our van gets stuck in the mud, many of the village elders (and youngsters), come to help us get it out of the swamp.