When I look back at the last few months of my Swar Fellowship, I realise that the most powerful part of this journey hasn’t been the activities or the reports, it has been the quiet, slow, human process of building trust. As fellows, we enter communities with a project plan, a purpose, and a list of deliverables. But soon we learn that communities don’t open their doors just because we arrive with a title. They open when we show up consistently, listen deeply, and begin to understand the rhythm of their lives.
My time in the field has been exactly that of an unfolding of relationships, stories, challenges, and tiny victories that often go unseen but leave a lifelong impact.
Listening Before Leading
One of the biggest lessons I learned early on was that development work cannot be rushed. Many women in the VOs and SHGs had faced years of social conditioning, restrictions, or financial dependence. Expecting them to immediately speak up, participate, or take leadership was unrealistic. So I learned to sit with them, ask simple questions, and more importantly wait, listen, and observe.
Slowly, they started sharing things that didn’t always come up in formal meetings their worries about their daughters’ safety, their struggles with household responsibilities, their desire to earn but fear of not being able to balance it all. These conversations became the foundation of my work. They guided me on what kind of sessions to plan, what examples to use, and how to make each interaction feel relevant rather than instructive.
Gender Training
Conducting gender training sessions was another turning point for me. Initially, I wondered if the women would find the topics relatable rights, roles, equality, violence, decisionmaking. But what surprised me was how deeply they connected with these discussions. Many quiet faces suddenly spoke, sharing incidents they had never discussed openly.
For some, it was the first space where they felt heard.
For others, it was the first space where they questioned things they had always accepted.
These sessions didn’t transform everything overnight, but they planted questions, and questions are the beginning of awareness. A few women later approached me privately to talk about issues they were facing something that showed me trust had quietly formed.
VO Meetings: Watching Confidence Grow
VO meetings were moments where I saw confidence bloom in ways that felt small but were huge for those women. I remember one meeting where a woman who never spoke even during roll call suddenly volunteered to summarise the discussion. Her voice trembled, but she completed it. The smile she gave afterward was priceless because it wasn’t for me, it was for herself.
Moments like these made me appreciate the slow nature of community transformation. It isn’t loud; it isn’t dramatic. It is the soft courage of someone deciding to try something new.
The Challenge of Showing Up
There were days when meetings got cancelled, attendance was low, or household responsibilities pulled women away. At times, it felt like two steps forward, three steps back. But I reminded myself that this is the reality of grassroots work. People have entire worlds they manage, and the fellowship is only one part of their life not the centre of it.
This understanding helped me approach each step with more empathy. Instead of pushing, I learned to collaborate. Instead of expecting quick results, I learned to appreciate consistent efforts.
Moments That Stay With Me
One memory that stays close to my heart is when a woman told me after a session, “Aap humari baat sunte ho, isliye hum aapke sessions ka wait karte hain.”
It wasn’t the content of the training she valued it was the space, the respect, the feeling of being acknowledged. That one sentence reminded me why being present matters more than being perfect.
Moving Forward With Purpose
As the fellowship progresses, my focus is becoming clearer. I want to continue strengthening the GRC model, support women in accessing services, and help them build awareness, independence, and confidence. I want to identify women with leadership potential and walk with them as they step into larger roles. And I want to continue creating spaces where women feel safe, informed, and empowered to speak.
The journey so far hasn’t been about major transformations it has been about small shifts, gentle awakenings, and building a circle of women who slowly begin to trust their own voice. That, to me, is the real beauty of this fellowship.
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