The last day, these are the teams final reflections;

“Saphara to an Indian means journey (literal Hindi translation).To me it also means love, self-discovery, friendships and most of all the way the faces of the children light up when you touch their lives.” -: Alastair

“You don’t discover the true meaning of charity until you experience it first hand!” :- Ryan D

“A completely life changing experience. A discovery of friends, love and how one small sacrifice can make such a difference to so many people. Best two weeks of my life.” :- Claire

“The past two weeks have been some of the best of my life. The experiences I have had have made me reconsider what I believe to be important in my life. Seeing how the children in these schools live and then going to school with them, you realize how well off you are. They are always so happy and friendly and never complain. It has been a life changing experience.” Orla

“An amazing experience, a country that seems to be constantly buzzing and somewhere where anyone will say hello.” Steven

“This journey was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I shared it with a fantastic group who I believe really made a difference to the lives of the children and to myself.” Olivia

“This trip was one of the best experiences of my life, especially experiencing it with this group of people. Everyone bonded so well and it left me with a real sense of friendship. I have left India feeling inspired and most of all fulfilled.” Caroline

“Saphara has widened my horizons further than I ever imagined. My experiences during the trip made me realize a potential I have to make a lasting difference to the people I have met every day and those I have yet to meet. I would like to thank all those who helped with organizing and fundraising- this has been the experience of a life time.” Kerrie Stevenson

“By far the most fantastic experience of my life. I have met some of the best people ever! Everyone bonded so well and I am leaving India with a new group of friends. Thanks to everyone who made this trip so fantastic.” Ryan I

“Absolutely life changing. I will never forget the experiences or the people I have encountered. Truly eye-opening, thank you so much everyone.”  Alexi

“Loved the teaching, loved the children and loved the team. I had the time of my life and thank you to everyone.” Kathryn

“Every moment I spent on the trip has been the best in my life. I’ve learnt that you can take yourself seriously and still have fun.” Neil

“India has been the most rewarding and fulfilling educational experience I have ever had. I’ve loved the group and everyone has been so kind, friendly and has been amazing. I have learnt a lot about myself and the world. It was an inspirational and life-changing experience. Thanks to all involved.” Vikki

Our last day of teaching in SNEHA, was emotional but worth it, especially since our entire group had now experienced visiting the community. We taught our two final lessons and the pupils clearly enjoyed our teaching. Some pupils put on an amazing performance for us consisting of dancing, singing and fire eating for a grand finale!

Our group responded with three beautiful performances from the girls of our group. Dr. Reeta and Harry Rao, spoke appreciatively of SNEHA’s parternership with Saphara and Christine and Dominic responded by saying that Saphara’s partnership with SNEHA was equally beneficial to us. Dominic, on behalf of the student groups and the board, presented Dr. Reeta with a cheque to support new projects at the school. Our time at SNEHA has all been about love- sharing love to the wonderful children and enjoying their enthusiasm in return, knowing that together we can make a difference.

After a final meal at McDonalds, we boarded the express train to Delhi, from where we are writing.  We will arrive in Delhi towards midnight.

Neil and Kathryn x

21st July 2010

Another great day! Today’s lessons were based largely around craft which allowed us to engage more with the children. A second group visited the marginalized community which was once again a challenging but memorable experience- one which we are all extremely grateful for. It was very difficult to see the conditions in which these children live yet they come to school in school uniform and smiling faces each day. It has made us all reconsider our priorities in life.

Shopping at Fabindia and a coffee at Baristas was a great way to unwind and dinner at Dominos proved how much we have emerged ourselves in Indian culture! We spent the evening preparing our final lessons for Sneha and are all looking forward to our last day of teaching.

Talk soon – lots of love

Orla and Kerry McKane

Today was our second day teaching at Sneha and we were lucky to join the kids for their assembly. They completely surprised us by singing the songs/hymns ‘Father Abraham’ and ‘Jesus loves me’ in English. We had quite a hectic morning with 3 lessons after each other with classes that had more than 40 children in them! It was crazy but enjoyable at the same time.

In the afternoon Group 1 visited the slum community around the corner from the school. It gave us a huge insight onto how the kids live and made us realize how important our teaching was to these children. It also made us more appreciative of what we have at home and taught us to be grateful for everything we receive – it was a real eye opening experience.

Today was our first day at SNEHA school – our first impressions were of a large and clean building with so many children – some of our classes had more than 50 children – as many as the whole of Kaplani school. The children were well spoken and well mannered – they even referred to us as ‘sir’ and ‘mam’! Teaching them was a great experience – we quickly got into our stride and found it just as rewarding at the previous week. The highlight of the day was the grand opening of the brand new Science lab with the red ribbon being cut by our very own Christine Burnett! Thanks to everyone at home – your generous support will allow children to study practical Science for the first time.

Lunch in McDonalds and a great evening meal at a nearby Chinese restaurant ended a great day.

Neil and Ryan I