Last saturday we (Paul and I) left Holland and went to Hyderabad in India. We had a bad start since the airplanefrom Amsterdam to London had a two hours delay, but we where just in time at London Heathrow to catch the adjecting flight to India. After 9 and a half hours we arrived at Hyderabad International Airport and arrived at the hotel by 6 AM on Sunday morning. Our colleague from Bangalore office (Ashok Aritakula) arrived just a few hours earlier by train.


We took de rest of the morning off to get some rest after the long flight and after that we went for sight seeingthe city of Hyderabad by auto rickshaw [ really just a upgraded scooter in which three people can sit].

On Monday we went to see two bridge camps [ one boy and one girl ]. In a bridge camp children stay which have (just) been taken out of child labour. The first fifteen days the child is placed in a special counseling group in which it is promoted to stop there 'bad habits' like smoking and lime sniffing. After that period they will learn primary skills in maths, english, social, science and telegu [the local language]. And during breaks the children can play off course, which these children should suppose to do but where not always able to. To promote the children to play we visited the local mall to buy some toys like badminton rackets, some footballs, a 'scottland yard' game and some frisbees. This since we were told the children did not have access to these toys yet. Average time for the children to stay in a camp is 6 months and their age varies from 6 to 15 years old. These camps we visited had a maximum capacity of 120 (boys) and 150 (girls) and were both opened recently [within one and a half year].


Although this all seems very nice, we where touched by one boy who came to us and asked for help. Since his father had died, his uncles where after the land the boy inherited. The uncles threatened even to kill the boy to get the land. Ashok very nobly offered to contact local media and authorities. Who knows how this will end.


On tuesday the first training session started in which the volunteers are trained in the use of the Child Monitoring System [CMS]. These volunteers regularly perform door-to-door survey in which they try to find children who do child labour, and after that they monitor the children. For that purpose they can use the CMS system in the (near) future. We hope just to solve the latest errors in the software and make the final adjustments based on the feedback of the volunteers. All this to be done this week...

Phir Milenge,

Geert Jan de Boer.

Takeoff to MV Foundation, Hyderabad.

The preparations for the training of MV Foundation in Hyderabad are almost finished. The building team is working very hard to get the Child Monitoring System ready. During the video conference last week the application has been demonstrated to MVF. New wishes came up. Also here applies: seeing the application does discussions rise high. But everybody is enthousiast. Making the manual took me more time than expected. I got to know the system by trying myself and asking the building team. I had to amend it after every release. One advantage: as in India facilities are usually basic, the system has been kept simple. Also the training plan is ‘ready’ and aligned with Ashok Aritakula in Bangalore, who will assist with giving the training together with Geert Jan de Boer.

What more can one do to prepare oneself for a new project, a new culture? Going out with the whole Dutch team to an Indian restaurant (always recommendable); following a cultural training given by het Tropen Instituut in Amsterdam (helpful); viewing ‘Slum dog millionaire’: that was the most impressive; a colorful, good told story with suspense and emotions; the overwhelming Indian mass. And where the work of MV Foundation is focused on: for children, against child labor and Dickens-like slavery (in the square). So I know again where all this is for. Saterday we are leaving.

Blooming Logica

It is 29th April, 2009. I first spoke to Veronica , Malti and Jeroen. I was filled with motivation when they shared their views on the ‘Bloom’ project , an initiative of Logica. I always wanted to contribute to something which is noble , but didn’t know what. Thanks !! to Veronica, Malti and Jeroen for giving me that opportunity.

I started off working for the project, along with my Dutch colleagues Gerrit ,Vincent , Ruud, Mark , Geert. And from India, it was Animesh. Mary, Shivakumar and Baskaran joined the team bit later.

Mostly , we consult with each other through Outlook and Microsoft Communicator . And it is really surprising to see how these two tools can be used to share information effectively. My Dutch colleagues are really co-operative and respond to all our queries. Its great working with them.

Gerrit and Vincent arrived in Bangalore on 14th June, 2009 (Sunday). The purpose of the visit was to meet Indian colleagues and also go to MV Foundation in Hydrabad and understand the requirements from the user perspective.

For me, it was the first time I would meet the Dutch team face to face . And it was a great experience. Did I mention, that Lieke Rozendal, a student doing research on corporate collaboration from HIVOS also arrived along with Gerrit and Vincent?

Veronica, arranged a small tour of Bangalore for us (Gerrit , Lieke , Vincent , Shivakumar , Animesh and me) on Sunday afternoon. The Idea was to show our guests a bit of Bangalore . We all had a good time, getting to know each other and visiting places. We really had fun. Shivakumar invited us to his house and served us “Upma” and “Chai” (Tea). Gerrit, Vincent and Lieke liked the Indian dish (hopefully) and also got to see a South Indian family . It was a new experience for them.

The next day (Monday), the trio visited Bangalore Logica office. While Gerrit, Vincent, Mary, Animesh and me were busy discussing the technical aspects of the application we are developing, Lieke was taking notes of the corporate environment inside Logica, taking views of the employees for her research.

We all went for lunch around 1:30 PM to cafeteria. The cafeteria was surprisingly crowded, as our Logica Cultural department organised a musical event at the very place. My Dutch colleagues were thrilled to see so many people having lunch at one place. After great difficulty, we got a place to sit and have lunch.

In the evening that day , my Dutch colleagues had to leave for Hyderabad. They left around 4:00 PM. And a big thanks to Lieke for giving us the Dutch Cookies, they were so tasty and I really liked them. Unfortunately I had to share them with Animesh ,Mary and Shivakumar (frankly I didn’t wanted to share).

This whole experience meant a lot to me. Thanks to Veronica , Malti and Jeroen for taking such an initiative. It can be clearly seen, how boundaries and distance can disappear, for one noble cause. I wish and I know such initiatives will be taken more often in Logica. I am sure , Logica will soon become an example to other IT Players to take such initiatives .

Happy working!

Thansk & Regards,
Ashok K Aritakula