Wander Woman

There’s something incredibly powerful about women supporting women. Depending on where we are in the world, needs and issues vary according to the culture, economy and politics of the country in question. Last month, YouTube travel vlogger and Instagram sensation Nadine Sykora of Hey Nadine journeyed to India in partnership with Contiki to learn about the challenges facing women there. Find out more about her eye-opening trip below. —Rachel Johnston

Hey Nadine! How did you become involved with the India mission?

I’ve been working with Contiki on and off since 2012 on various campaigns and projects. So, when they approached me about going to India on a mission for their ‘The Travel Project’ to spotlight a group of women trying to change how women in India are treated and to see the struggles they currently face, it was a perfect fit. Plus, India has been on top of my bucket list of countries to visit for a very long time now, so I was pretty excited to go!

India is a such a culture-rich and beautiful country! What were some of your favourite aspects?

The food! Being a vegan, it was so refreshing to see how easy and accepted vegetarian food is. I didn’t have to explain to people why I don’t eat meat. It was also not as tricky to be vegan, or “strict vegetarian” as it’s called in India. I also loved how grand and colourful everything is. The women’s traditional dresses are made of so many stunning, colourful materials with gorgeous patterns and all their gold jewelry! As well as all the huge buildings like the Taj Mahal, Amer Fort, and the highrises of Mumbai—I got to see these and more on my Contiki adventure.

Certain areas of the country face intense poverty. How did you handle witnessing that?

It was tough. A lot tougher than I thought. I’ve travelled a lot and I am very aware of how privileged and lucky I am to be able to travel. But India was hard, seeing how little people survive on. I was at a village chatting with some of the ladies about their daily tasks of gathering water, baking chapati, mudding the houses, taking care of the kids, and mending the fields. That’s a day’s work for these women, and they do it every day. I am lucky enough to travel around the world multiple times a year, and they don’t even have enough money to visit the larger city two hours away. It’s heartbreaking to walk the streets and see the sick, injured and unfortunate. Child beggars are exploited to tug at the heartstrings of tourists and encourage them to donate money. Many people don’t realize that the child usually doesn’t get to keep that money. It’s much more beneficial to buy food for the child.

What are the major issues facing women and girls there?

To say women have issues in India is an understatement. Women in India are still struggling with arranged marriages. Even at 15 years old. In the larger there is progression where, at least, women can have a sit-down meeting with a potential future husband (with everyone’s family present). The idea of a woman having a job is still so bizarre in the more northern states and cities of India. All you see on the streets are men. If you are a working woman you are getting constant stares from everyone else. Segregation of men and women also happens. In the airport you have different security lines and there are different buses. Women sit in different cars on trains for the sole reason that it’s unsafe to ride in the male train cars. The opportunity to get an education is another thing that women don’t typically have access to. Although they are making progress in the larger cities, families in smaller villages still don’t see the value in putting a girl through school. Women are seen as “liabilities,” whereas boys are “assets".

Can you share some stories and more about the positive changes taking place?

The women I met are some of the most inspiring out there. Radhika Kumari of the Pink Rickshaw Company in Jaipur is the perfect example of women helping other women. She trains women from the slums to be rickshaw drivers, and they’re some of the only female rickshaw drivers in all of India. Not only is she giving other women jobs, but those women also become part owners in the company! These women end up providing for their entire families. And when they go back home to the slums, they are inspiring other women to follow in their footsteps. Eat My Cake, a French bakery in Pondicherry, is owned by a woman who only employs other women as the servers and bakers. At the cafe she teaches all of them how to bake, so now they are earning an income and working. Divya Khandal started the Dhonk Centre to re-train the wives of men that were in jail for tiger poaching, into handy crafts. She then started training the rest of the villagers to give them other skills so they could make a living. All they knew before was tiger poaching, and now they have other means of income. All of these women are helping their communities by showing their families, councilmen, and everyone, that women can be successful and provide for their families just like men. In doing so, they inch their way closer to equality. The biggest issue is that men in India just don’t believe that women can work and be successful at it. Proving to them that women are just as capable as men, is a very positive step forward.

What was the main takeaway from your trip and how did it change your worldview?

The largest takeaway from my trip was just how vast and complex the problem of equality is, and that true change comes from the inside. True change comes from the women and men working and living in India. It won’t come from outsiders trying to encourage our world views onto them, it’s from the local people changing and adapting their world to understand a new way of life. That’s not saying we can’t help them. In fact, the number one thing we can do to help is to promote and support these companies that are supporting positive change. Support and purchase goods from women-ran businesses and write articles about these inspiring companies. Their successes will show local doubters that they are wrong, and that women can make money and be successful. From this trip I’ve gained an understanding of how, as one person, I can make a difference in their lives, and in the lives of many future women looking to follow in their footsteps.