Our Down team has travelled back to Belfast full of all the memories of an incredible experience. I’d like to thank Joanne, Hilary, Ruth and Thomas who have worked so hard in looking after the young people and facilitating the great teaching at Kaplani and SNEHA.

Thanks to all who have prayed for our health and safety – it’s been the healthiest team so far with no antibiotics needed at all!

I think the impact of the trip can be best summed up by the young people’s final comments:

This trip has been an eye-opening experience and until you see first-hand the poverty, the work Saphara does and meet the children, you will never fully understand the effect the little we give has on these children compared to the great amount we receive. Eve

So thankful that I got the opportunity to go to India. I will take away many memories and friends from this amazing trip that will last a lifetime. Kerry

An amazing experience – thank you, Christine for the opportunity. Jamie

By far the most rewarding and inspiring opportunity I have ever had. I have met so many brilliant people and I have made so many friends for life. Anna

Awesome – can’t wait till the reunion.  Stephen

Saphara is difficult to sum up in a few sentences. It is an experience that I will treasure forever. I have made unforgettable memories and met several inspirational people who have changed my attitude to my future, with new lifelong friendships. Jenny

I’d like to thank all of my fellow Down team members for making this a fantastic trip, and also all those who helped me in my fundraising. I felt this was a life-changing experience and I would like to do it again, and again and again… Stuart

This trip has challenged me in every way but I have loved every minute of it. Chloё

This journey has been a truly amazing, inspiring, life-changing experience, which I will definitely remember for the rest of my life. Jonny

An experience that has bettered me in infinite ways – Incredible India.  Matthew

The journey of a life time – I’ve met some incredible people and made some amazing friends. I feel inspired to do great things! David

It’s been such a life-changing journey and a privilege to have been able to meet the children. It’s been a brilliant experience. Bronagh

I have learnt that the greatest challenges we face have the greatest rewards. Ciara

A completely life-changing trip – an amazing country with inspiring and incredible people I have had the privilege to build relationships with. Thank you very much for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Emer

To sum up the Saphara experience in words would never do it justice – amazing!  Jack

I’ve had the most amazing and life-changing experience meeting some amazing children. The memories that have been made over the past two weeks will never be forgotten. Thank you all. Amy

Absolutely amazing, thoroughly worthwhile. Ali

Saphara has given me the opportunity to learn so many new things and experience a culture a million miles away from our own. I have met truly inspiring people and made memories that will last a lifetime. Rachael

Sweat and sarees

After a long train journey yesterday we were all tired (apart that is from those who ordered room service in the middle of the night!) so we had a lie in this morning. It was blistering hot today – at least 35 degrees! We all sweated our way through our final day in India.

This morning we visited the spectacular Lotus Temple – a Baha’i house of worship where people of all religions and races are invited to take time to pray and reflect. It is surrounded by nine pools, which were very tempting in the mid morning heat. One of the guides was an Irish girl and it was good to hear a familiar brogue. Being at the Temple gave us a special time to pause and reflect on our last 15 days and to think of the significance of all we had seen and done.

Then it was off to a market where we witnessed a police raid and valuable purchases were made – sarees, ‘genuine’ Ray Ban sunglasses and ‘Abidas’ watches. Bronagh, Emer and Jo bought beautiful Indian sarees.It was time for lunch at McDonald’s and Cafe Coffee Day before visiting the Central Cottage Emporium for final present shopping – mostly elephants!

When we’d finished splashing our cash we headed to the Imperial Hotel – India’s grandest hotel. By this time we were hot and bothered and felt out of place as we were welcomed by impeccably dressed staff who ignored the damp patches and frizzy hair and even took photos of us beside the gorgeous display of orchids in the lobby. After a quick clean-up in the lavish bathroom, we purchased delicious gateaux in the patisserie and retired to the terrace where we had afternoon tea served in style. Some of us bought rose-flavoured strawberry milkshakes. It was a taste of British India – a little bit of luxury which rounded off our picture of the contrasts on this amazing continent.

When we got back to the Legend Inn, Bronagh tried on her saree with Chloe’s help, but this was a lot more tricky than it seems.

We are all feeling so sad that this is the end of a fabulous trip. Given the chance, we’d stay longer and many of us are determined to return but we know it’s time for home. Tonight we will have our final reflection before packing and bed. There will be tears!

India, farewell.

Chloe and Bronagh

As I write we are sitting on the train in Dehradun station waiting for our seven and a half hour journey back to New Delhi. It’s early afternoon and the sun is streaming in the window. We are all in high spirits after our final teaching day at SNEHA School. SNEHA stands for the Society for Nurture, Education and Health Advancement but it is also the Hindi word for love. We felt so much love today from the multiple handshakes in the crowded playground to the gifts of flowers from the children and the smiles of gratitude from the staff.

We did one less teaching session this morning so that we had time to visit the science lab and the new toilet blocks built with Saphara money. We also saw the two new classrooms which last year’s team raised money for – special message to Leah, Neil and Lindsey – they’re almost finished! Another group spent time with the kindergarten class where we heard the tiny children singing the songs we taught them on Tuesday. Today we sang ‘If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’. It was difficult to limit them to two claps, two stamps and two Amens, but a great time was had by all. The very enthusiastic teacher was on a roll encouraging the little ones to sing their entire repertoire, including a rendition of Jingle Bells with actions!

There are 1100 children enrolled in the school. We saw most of them lined up for their morning assembly which included a brief drill session, prayer and general knowledge questions about the botanical names of plants. They also sang ‘Jesus is da winner man’ with great gusto. At the end of the morning we gathered in the staff room where we listened to Dr Reeta telling us her inspirational story of how she felt God leading her to give up her career as a Medical Superintendent in a mission hospital in order to set up a school in the slums of Dehradun. The fruit of this sacrifice can be seen in the children whose hopes and dreams are now possible in a way that their parents’ weren’t.

Above the staff rooms there are two large rooms where the older girls learn practical skills, such as dress making. We assembled there for a formal send-off with some of the senior students. They performed a wonderful Indian dance and sang ‘Lord we lift your name on high.’ Gifts and thanks were exchanged before we boarded the Vikrams one last time to dodge the traffic back to the hotel to collect luggage and then off to the station.

So it’s back to New Delhi for a final day’s sightseeing and shopping tomorrow. We are tired but happy that we’ve had the privilege of spending time with the precious children of Dehradun’s maginalised communities. The train is about to leave. Till soon, Ruth

The thought of having to leave India plagued the minds of many of the group today, or the ‘Saphara Family’ as Jenny decided to call as – appropriate, albeit cheesy… Despite this, moods were high as we headed off to SNEHA for a day of teaching in our newly preferred mode of transport (The Vikram). It can be concluded that the best way of travelling through the metropolis of Dehradun is with a 50-year- old bearded, disgruntled driver controlling a lawnmower engine.

Our teaching at SNEHA was at its typical high standard. In late morning the second half of the group visited the marginalised community. The visit provoked a full spectrum of emotional response; however, keeping in mind the change that has occurred over the last fifteen years due to the SNEHA group, the impression made was extremely encouraging and undoubtedly positive. By no means is it to be considered ‘okay’ for the residents to be living in such abject poverty, there was however an indefinite sense of a progressive momentum in the air. The success of the community projects carried out by SNEHA was best reflected in the faces of many whom we passed, as we were greeted with a smile on the face of each resident. The sense of community in the face of hardship almost overshadowed what can only be described as squalor, as each individual was full of colourful character and life.

Leaving aside the life-changing sights that we all took time to process, we made our way to a local market. Vendors sold most items under the sun, assuring only ‘the finest of quality’. Sunshine as we left, monsoon as we returned, and to the pleasure of many who had seen enough of shops (cough Tom) the visit was short and sweet. Jack and Emer

Today started at a bleary-eyed quarter past seven after which Christine surprised us with a new form of transport, “The Vikram”, a big blue people carrying rickshaw (think dodgems, only bigger this time!).

After a while of travelling in style, we arrived once more at the oasis (as Jo described it) that is SNEHA School. When we drove through the gates we were greeted again by the magnificent building which is a beacon of great hope for the children, not to mention being greeted by over one thousand kids having their assembly in the courtyard!

Lessons started with a mix of familiar faces and new faces as we all encountered classes that we had and hadn’t taught on the previous day, although the huge class numbers remained the same! P.E. comes with its own unique challenges as well; it seems to be that we sweat more than the kids, despite the fact that they are the ones doing the running about!

A few of us had the privilege of teaching the kindergarten class – seventy children, plus us, plus the teacher, plus parents thronging the doorway in one room! Ruth, especially, jumped at the opportunity of displaying her unique set of skills (jumping up and down like a monkey and pretending to be an elephant! You gotta’ love Ruth!) It was a great lesson which everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed.

We all also greatly enjoy the conversation classes. It’s great to have the opportunity of exchanging cultural experiences with people our own age! It’s extremely beneficial for both us and the young people at SNEHA.

We never cease to be amazed at the talent that exists in SNEHA, from the multi-linguistic pupils speaking French, to the break dancing Class Eights! We all had a great day teaching and the whole ‘Saphara family’ left SNEHA in high spirits.

We were then ‘Vikram’ed’ to our usual gourmet restaurant that is McDonald’s, while the teachers snuck off to their local watering hole of Baristas coffee shop, before heading home for a quick nap and another rigorous planning sesh for tomorrow – fuelled later on by excellent pizzas at Pizza Hut.

By Jamie and Jonny