By Guy Medd of The Altruistic foundation
Expose the underbelly of any perceived paradise and sometimes a very different story is revealed.
This is precisely what I learnt about the Indian state of Goa where amid the endless sunny beaches and swaying palms I had a chance meeting with Auda Viegas. Auda enlightened me on the issues facing many women and children who regularly suffer and endure abuse, cruelty and sexual exploitation, usually by family members and (as often the case) by those closest to them.
Margao, in the province of Salcete, is one of India’s fastest growing cities and it’s from here, with its collection of beautiful white stuccoed churches and elegant but crumbling old Goan Portuguese colonial houses and their covered wooden verandas, that Auda Viegas runs ‘Bailancho Ekvott’ (Women together) a refuge and sanctuary for women and children fleeing the consequences of a patriarchal society with an entrenched and almost medieval belief system.
Enlightenment
The elegant, self-effacing and highly academically qualified Auda Viegas lives simply and humbly and has earned her life’s purpose or place in the world. With her gentle demeanor belying her steely inner strength and resolve, Auda has had to draw on these crucial qualities constantly to face the trials she has endured in order to continue her noble cause.
In my opinion these traits are generally attained through no accident; usually the person has been on a journey and very often a painful one. This may have caused them to re-evaluate their lives and through this a higher level of enlightenment or consciousness has been reached, hence the phrase ‘Per ardua ad astra’ (through adversity the stars) and Auda Viegas is no exception.
She has never sought prominence or platform and has given her whole life to serving others. In her book Diary of a Servant she illustrates accounts of the some of the women and children who have passed through her care. She also writes about the stigmatisation, ostracism and insults she and her family have had to endure, along with hospitalisation, death threats and abuse from angry family members of the victims; the cover-ups, the corruption and the unwillingness to speak out by those in authority, supposedly respected members of the community.
To me, Auda is one of life’s heroes, refusing to accept the social norms and to seek truth wherever it leads. In so doing she has won many friends and enemies, yet her willingness to put her head above the parapet has undoubtedly saved and transformed many lives. May she and her courageous colleagues who run Bailancho Ekvott continue for many years to come.
If you would like further information or would care to support her cause in any way Auda can be contacted by email ekvott@yahoo.co.in
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