The Team India teachers would like to extend their thanks to all the students, friends and family members who spent their time last year fundraising, particularly all those who did not come on the trip itself. Your efforts are hugely appreciated both here and in Tamil Nadu. We raised over £16,000 this year, which contributes to a cumulative total of over £75,000 raised since this partnership started a decade ago.
The lucky 18 students who did spend three weeks of their holiday wrestling mosquito nets, chugging rehydration salts, familiarising themselves with less than luxurious Indian conveniences and enduring temperatures almost as high as those in London, could not have been more brilliant.
There was rarely any true down-time on this trip. Amongst many other things the team found themselves teaching pupils in two schools, organising sports ‘lessons’ that soon devolved into joyful riots, singing, dancing, making friends in waterfalls, navigating local food (and its effects), surviving India’s windy roads and creative approach to driving, and perhaps most movingly, visiting the homes of some of the local pupils.
Despite all the challenges the team remained motivated, energetic and threw themselves into everything with compassion and enthusiasm. This is by no means an easy trip, but it is a truly inspiring experience and one that I doubt anyone involved will soon forget.
Miss Tendler
Sixth form students taking a break from teaching!