Jeffery Sexton, minister-counselor for US Embassy public affairs welcomed our CLA cohort to his home Tuesday evening where he spoke to us briefly about his role in India and US diplomacy. We then were treated to a reception and dinner in his garden where we met a number of people who work at the embassy and at nonprofit organizations throughout India.
Fascinating conversations and insights flowed faster than the cocktails as we chatted around the dinner table, taking a short breather from the Delhi crowds.
I continue to be impressed by the astounding amount good work being done here that we’re learning about and how enormous issues are being tackled so thoughtfully.
Geo and I spent a great deal of time talking with Tanya Alag, for example, who works for an NGO that shelters street children who have run away. People from her organization, Salaam Baalak Trust, comb the railway stations in Delhi sharing information about their centers with children who pour in daily from all over the country. Once children decide to come to a center, workers will then advocate for them based on the child’s needs and wants — either helping them return to their families or fostering them until they can live on their own — sometimes for years. They offer a wide variety of support and education programs.
And that was just one of the extraordinary people milling about the garden.