Interning with ECF and what it means to be a harbinger of change

I am a film student studying in the Srishti school of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. I just completed my foundation year and had a two month long summer break and was looking around for internships where I could apply my skills for a cause that I felt quite strongly about. That is when a family friend recommended ECF to me.

Once I read the mission of the organization, I immediately sent in an application for volunteering because the cause really appealed to me. I am fervently of the belief that equality is a two way street; when we empower our women and encourage them to exercise their rights and individuality, we end up not critically analyzing the boys’ attitudes and behaviours in this process. Thus, when I found out that this organization had such a unique approach, I wanted to support it with my skill set.

Being a film student, my skills were applicable in the communications department. During my first few weeks at ECF, I was quite overwhelmed with the work they did. The solution to each problem was not straightforward, it had various layers and one needed to understand each layer with sensitivity.

I also had the chance to go on field visits to interview participants and their families. These field visits helped me gain a more holistic understanding of the situation. I remember at the end of one such field visit, a participant’s mother said a very poignant thing to me, “Our houses maybe be small, but our hearts are quite large”

From the time I spent at ECF, I have learned so many things. Some of these things I have learned to apply in my personal life too.

We tend to normalize a lot of evils in our society and up until now I did not understand the implications of normalizing such things.

The most exceptional aspect of ECF was the rapport shared between the colleagues. At the organization, they did not follow a system of hierarchy and treated each other as equals, as one big family. For me, it was an honor to unlearn and then learn what it really means to be a harbinger of equality.