Seeing Beyond the Label: A Lesson from the Field during SALT

[Prakriti]

It has been about two months since my team started working with the community through the SALT approach. During this period, I have encountered many different kinds of people each with their own stories, struggles, and unique ways of seeing their community. Every visit teaches something new. In the same process, our team went to a squatter settlement community where ARC had been implemented, to conduct SALT . From the very beginning, many community members shared one common concern: they blamed a particular woman from their own community for the deterioration of the community environment. They said she consumed alcohol, created noise day and night, and negatively affected everyone around her. One day, while our team was engaged in SALT conversation within the community, I met this woman. At that time, my teammates were busy facilitating SALT, and I arrived at the place where she was with her neighbor. I did not recognize her initially, but because I had heard so much about her from the community, I thought it would be good to talk to her directly. As soon as I approached her, she became extremely aggressive. In a loud voice, she shouted, “Did the people here send you to talk to me? Are you here to take me to the police station? Take me then!” I tried my best to calm the situation. I explained that I was not there to take her to the police station and that I was also part of the same community. However, she was not in a state to listen. Hearing her loud voice, other community members gathered around. Right in front of her, they began pointing out her bad habits and saying things like, “See, madam, this is how she behaves. How can we live in a community like this? Now you understand, right?” I felt the situation escalating rapidly. To prevent it from getting worse, I requested the community members to return to their homes and took my team back to the office that day.

The next day, I called the community president and requested him to inform us when the woman was sober and in a fresh state of mind. Two days later, he called back and told me that she was at home. I went there again with my team. As soon as she saw us, she said,
“Madam, I spoke too much that day. I don’t even realize what I say when I’m drunk. Please forgive me.” She went on to explain that the people in the community often humiliate her. When she is sober, she tolerates everything silently and cannot speak up. But when she drinks alcohol, she gains the courage to speak and ends up abusing everyone. While saying this, she broke down in tears. She also shared how she used to scold others for drinking in the past, and how her own life had changed so drastically. Seeing her like that gave me mixed feelings. It made me question whether the community had truly tried to understand her. Everyone seemed to focus only on her negative side and judge her based on that. I couldn’t help but wonder what if, instead of labeling and isolating her, the community had tried to see her positive side? What if they had supported her and helped her recognize her own strengths? Maybe she would have had a chance to change, and the community itself could have healed along with her. This experience reminded me that behind every problematic person, there is often an unheard story and sometimes, all they need is understanding, not judgment.