Hearty Learning Experience from the South Asia Convening !

[Dheeraj Lepcha]

Hearty Learning Experience !

Hi everyone, I am Dheeraj from a Rural Aid organization sharing my hearty learning experience from the South Asia Convening, a join convening cohorts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh;  

After visiting S.A Convening i.e. from 17th to 21st April 2025, I literally learned from the Bangladesh cohort their strengths and working in the team spirit supporting each other in the form of expertise. However, a warm gesture from the Bangladesh team, where I never felt far from home (India) 

“No boundaries can separate us when we love and respect each others”-. Surely, I can say we have gained other family members across the border line somewhere, sisters, brothers, friends and colleagues. And I also have got an opportunity to exchange our personal life and organizational work with each other. 

In community - Bangladesh team has work hard which was reflected from the community Knowledge Fair; Reshaping Education though I couldn’t able to attend due to health issue but I heard and experienced the sharing from my colleague as well as from the AER (After Experience Reflection) session i.e. one of school teacher as stakeholder support the organizer Grow Your Reader Foundation - through providing the school premises and he himself facilitated the SALTs and the dream in the KF (Knowledge Fair) event - what I learned that “If we truly work hard, we can achieve and wins the many hearts”.   That's what the SALTs does.  

While every session facilitated in the South Asia Convening was valuable for me such as Healthy Masculinity, Fundraising, Energizer activities and Sharing the dream of each partner as well as cohorts of Bangladesh & India. From the cohort and individual organizational partners dream - I felt and experienced that “we are in the same ship (not a small boat cause it has now expanded  in large)  with many crew members” taking responsibility, supporting and empowering each other, exchange of expertise and knowledge, sharing experience and challenges, reflecting the success and achievement from the SALTs which indicate the we are sailing  towards the destination and goal of sustainability in the community and organizational level.

Moreover — at the end  we formed a group of each partner as Pyaroo Bandhan “ A Knot of Loving Bond” with each other as a South Asia Convening Cohort. Oh, let our dream be rooted stronger and bear the results of fruitfulness along with evergreen “ Like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither”. 

And also I would like to express gratitude towards the GFC team and Bangladesh Cohort partners - Grow Your Reader Foundation, ECDO, BRED, DHARA, Ashirbad, Alokito Kori, and every actor of change who impacts the life of communities.

Keep going and keep growing until we reach our destination!

[Santi rambari]

Thank you very much Dhiraj for your excellent reflection and reminding us once again that together we have made the Piyarobondhon team bigger through learning and sharing.

 

[Rituu B. Nanda]

The metaphor of ship to represent  ARC - loved it Dhiraj. Thanks for the blog.

[Sharmin Eva]

Thank you,Dheeraj,for sharing such a heartfelt reflection — your words beautifully captured the spirit of unity,love and shared dreams that made the South Asia Convening so special.Grateful to be sailing together on this journey of hope and transformation!