This is an update of all the work done during the 2016 India trip between 16-29 March.
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| Students after the Holi holiday 'celebrations' |
Due to a reorganisation of our contacts we now coordinate with three bodies, the Betsy Elizabeth Trust NGO or BET, with whom we work with our three main crèche projects, Ann Peck with whom we worked on a house building project and installation of smokeless cook stoves and with HELPS NGO with whom we help at a Tribal village.
Betsy Elizabeth Trust crèche projects:
Peach Tree Crèche
We were pleased to see that OUR crèche was in a good state of repair and that the grass planted last year had thrived. On our arrival we found that the sky lights in the middle room had been newly panelled and the upper parts of the walls had been plastered this allowing the students to repaint and decorate the walls with educational themes.
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| English alphabet with a marine theme. |
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Students repainted the outside door and the front wall with a welcome message. |
In their spare time the students made teaching booklets and flash cards which they used to interact with the children. Students also read books, played, danced and did yoga with the children. they helped at meal times including teeth cleaning afterwards!
On the departure day students, children and staff had a picnic lunch a short bus ride away from the crèche.
Little Lilies Crèche
Again students found the crèche in a good state of repair. There was major work to be done to plaster the outside walls to protect them from the elements. Students helped by moving and sieving large amounts of river sand and cleaning moss from brickwork. A team of workmen worked all week to do the actual skilled application.
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| Students sieving sand. |
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| Children, staff and students at the picnic |
When we left at the end of the week again with a picnic lunch only one outside wall remained to be treated.
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| Plastering the back wall with the well covered up. |
As at Peach tree our students also read books, played, danced, did yoga and helped at lunchtimes. Some exterior painting was also done.
Grace Kids Crèche
As with Little Lilies there was some hard labour required to shore up the lower boundary of the crèche. A solid wall had to be constructed and there was no lack of enthusiasm for moving stones, sand and cement to the construction site.
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| Foundations of the new boundary wall. |
Student painted the front outside walls of the crèche with educational themes and added chalk blackboards.
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| Grace Kids staff with Hilda (BET) |
Our students also interacted with the children through painting, reading, dancing and help at meal times.
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| Students working with children. |
HELPS Project
Tamaraikulum Tribal Village
Twenty-seven students visited the remote village over three days. This is a tough expedition with a rough road and much warmer working conditions.
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| In the truck! |
On arrival we had two tasks. A ditch was dig along the back of the school house to aid drainage and in preparation for the installation of a concrete drain and reposition of the water tank.
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| Clearing and deepening the drainage ditch at the school house. |
On the second day we purchase and collected 50 tree seedlings (peach, lemon and Goa), ten of which were planted near the school.
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| Planting a tree seedling |
The third day was the gathering of some of the 41 families to receive a gift of 5kg of rice and a tree seedling.
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| The assembled villagers; most men and some women at work. |
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| Giving rice and a tree to a villager |
