Village School Visits

April 18, 2009 | Category: India, Southern India, Volunteering | by: Spencer

Kids having class on the rooftop of a teacher's home, in a fishing village south of Chennai, India

During our time in Hyderabad, we were befriended by Sesi, an amazingly generous lady, who invited us to tag along with her for 2 days while she checked up on some of the rural NGO’s, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, that her organization sponsors and fundraises for.  The first projects we visited were an overnight train trip from Hyderabad, on the coast.  The group is working to improve education opportunities in small fishing villages that were affected by the 2004 tsunami.  They train teachers and provide teaching materials to help the kids learn.  The kids were so excited to have visitors, and to show off all the things they’d been learning.  At one school they surrounded Heather on the floor to sing very loudly, the little English songs they’d been learning.  We visited about 8 schools and after-school centers.
The second day, we went 5 hours by train and an hour by bus further south, to visit an NGO that provides training for women, teaching them marketable skills like sewing and computers, and then teaching them how to train each other and form community support groups.  They also provide preschools and teacher training, to give the kids of the villages a headstart on the normal government education.  The 6 villages we visited with this project were much more rural, and most of the kids were much more nervous about the “whiteys,” but quickly warmed up, and loved it when we taught them all how to high-five.  We received incredibly warm, elaborate, ceremonious welcomes at all the villages, by the entire village.  And were kept very well-hydrated on plenty of fresh coconut juice in every one.  It was an amazing experience.

One Comments

  1. RJ Christensen
    on May 21st, 2009
    1

    I would LOVE to do that.

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