Nov
13
2024
A group of Teachers and students from Presentation College recently discovered the reality of life in India through the eyes, hands and hearts of the Hope Foundation.
Report:
In 2023, Sheila from the Hope Foundation came to our school Presentation College, asking if we would like to take part in their immersion programme to Kolkata. She told us we would have to raise €2,500 each for the Hope projects. Us seven girls all heard what the cause was for, and immediately knew we were willing to put in the hard work for such a good cause. We gave up weekends and holidays to fundraise whilst still prioritising school and exams, and while it was hard to come up with ideas for fundraising, and to stay motivated, we never gave up no matter what. We spent a year fundraising and we finally reached our target.
On October 23rd 2024 we set off on our travels to the slums of Kolkata. We had an 11 hour flight ahead of us but we were all so eager to get to India. We spent the first day relaxing and sleeping after our tiring journey travelling so we’d be refreshed and ready for the day. We woke up in the afternoon and headed out for the day. We went to the Nobasha education centre and met all the children who attended school there. It really showed us what we were in for throughout our trip.
On the third day we woke up to torrential rain as Cyclone Dana had arrived to Kolkata and the streets were flooding, but that didn't stop us from continuing our journey. Even though the floods were up to our knees we still pushed through (literally pushed through the water). We got off our bus and had to walk through the street to get to the boys residential home but the smiles on their faces when we greeted them made it all worth it. We played games with the boys and the older boys were so interested in us teaching them some Irish words. After that we went to the Hope hospital and we saw how important the hospital is to the city. We ended the day by choosing our Saris for Sari night.
On day 4 we went on a walking tour along the River Hooghly and saw the Eden Gardens. We saw how beautiful the city is. We got to visit a Hindu temple and witness the local people praying and we were really immersed in the experience. It was so interesting how different but similar religions are. We returned to the hotel and we all got henna tattoos on our hands. The whole day really taught us a lot about the culture in India. On day 5, we woke up at 5 am so we could have the privilege to attend mass at Mother Teresas house and we returned after to visit her tomb. Later on we visited the Kasab Girls Home and met the lovely girls that live there. When we returned to the hotel, we learned an Indian dance to practice for our dancing the next night.
On Day 6, we visited the slums at the dump and I think that whole day was really an eye opener because of the conditions they lived in but regardless the kids were still so happy. We visited two creches and met some of the cutest, sweetest toddlers ever. They were all so tiny and full of energy, all they wanted to do was share with us. After lunch we headed to a special needs school and we learned about their daily life and met the children who were all genuinely so happy.
The next day we went to another slum and saw the Education on Wheels school, a school that is built inside a school bus. That really showed us how even when they have very little they can still make the most of what they do have. Overall, all the kids we met were so grateful for everything they had and they all were so kind and they just wanted to share everything with us. They were so fascinated by us. It really made us think about how grateful we should be and how much we really have in life and they taught us a very valuable lesson about how even when you don't have much all you need is the people around you to be happy. It was truly such a heartwarming experience even though some things we saw were hard, it would he impossible to ever forget the children of India and going through life we will always remember them.
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