‘AIESEC has let me down’

Kaya Eldridge has a word of advice for students willing to come to Ahmedabad under student exchange programme: Don't come through AIESEC, Ahmedabad.

Reason: If any of the students faces a serious problem, AIESEC's Ahmedabad wing will not come to their help.

Eldridge, who belongs to Dulwich in UK and is in Ahmedabad from August under the AIESEC's student exchange programme, was refused any help by the AIESEC's local unit here even though she was allegedly molested by a plumber hired by it and while staying in an apartment provided by it. The AIESEC refused help to the girl student when she is in a distant land without any support, saying it was her personal problem.

 "I am facing problems ever since I landed in Ahmedabad. Firstly, the apartment hired to accommodate foreign students under the exchange programme was overcrowded," said Eldridge.  As if this was not enough, to her horror they refused any help after she was molested.

"When I reported the incident to AIESEC, an office-bearer told me that they were aware of the plumber's bad record, as he was involved in such incidents in past too. Senior  officials of AIESEC, Ahmedabad even refused to speak to me. When I approached them, they bluntly told me that I would have to handle it myself as it was my 'personal problem'. I was also asked not to associate AIESEC's name with the episode," said Eldridge.

DNA's efforts to contact AIESEC officials did not succeed. Meanwhile, sources said that the house rented by AIESEC in Satellite area is not registered at Satellite police station, as is ideally required.