05 Fund-raising initiative by India Trips Leader

During the summer vacation Sarah Shippey cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End, about 1000km in three weeks, to raise funds for our creche projects in India.

Sarah leaving Edinburgh on day 5 after overnight stay with Kate and Dave Harrison.

If you would like to view Sarah's progress and make a donation go to her website at:

Downhillalmostalltheway.wordpress.com

India Creche Projects 2015 Update

The purpose of the student trip is to work with our four crèche projects. The students choose to work for a week with a particular crèche. The trip also provides an opportunity to interact with Indian people and experience life in this fascinating developing country.This year's student visit to our creche projects in Kodaikanal was again a great success and experience for all concerned. This is a pictorial record of work done and other activities our students were involved in.

Little Lilies 2015

We were delighted to see the creche and its staff. Considerable work had been completed in the twelve months since our last visit. The right hand red brick section painted purple in the image below has replaced the corrugated iron shed (see images in 2014 update). This has almost doubled the space for the children, not forgetting that the crèche role is capped at fifty 'students'. The building materials have been reduced to just a small pile of sand which was being used up to construct a brick shed to store materials behind the creche.

New classroom at Little Lilies at right (purple section)

Corrugated iron shed at Little Lilies back in 2003

Creche students (doing a yoga-inspired dance) inside the new classroom.

Painting under way inside new classroom.

Completed paintwork

Little Lilies staff with Ecolint team in front of the creche on our departure day.

Our students spent their time interacting with the children and working on the building. Work done included painting the new extension, helping the builder construct a store-room at the rear of the crèche and participating in the cook-stove project.

All students had the opportunity to install cook stoves in a local home.

Peach Tree Crèche 2015

In the year since 2014 some internal work to lighten the rooms had been done. Students worked on redecorating the interior, interacting with the children, laying a new grass lawn and also participating in the cook-stove project.

Our students arriving at Peach Tree Crèche on our arrival

Interior work in progress!

Leaving Peach Tree with its new lawn

Tribal Village 2015

During the year a 3m extension was added to the existing school room. The new building consists of a kitchen area to the rear and a toilet to the front. 

New extension as we found it on our arrival (rear kitchen view).

An important part of our arrival is for the whole village to come together and we distribute some gifts. This year as last we gave each family 5kg of rice, a tree seedling (orange this year) and clothes for mothers with babies or very young children.

The village assembles; 42 families represented. 

Our students take it in turns to give out the rice and tree seedlings

Baby clothes brought by our students were distributed to families with young children.

Work under way on the new extension.

Decoration complete as we waved goodbye on our departure.

Flashback: the school room under construction in 2002.

Grace Kids Creche

A group of students worked at our third creche which is in the town of Kodaikanal. /activities included interacting with the children and when they were taking their afternoon nap, working on the site. Tasks again included construction, painting etc.

Children sleeping (!) on our afternoon visit.

A related project was SEW, which helps unemployed women.

Our departure day, Grace Kids staff and our students say goodbye and gifts distributed.