Time flies and it’s already the last day in Bangalore. The past 2 weeks has been a rewarding and meaningful experience. Jacqueline and I could tell the changes in many of the members. During the final reflection session, we allowed each member to say one experience in Bangalore that left a deep impact in them. Many of the members cited the interaction with the children as well as the house visits as the highlight of the trip. It is true that even though the children do not possess valuable belongings or have great facilities, yet they are all very happy and contented with what they have. Because of their family background, the children feels really fortunate to be able to study and learn. This passion to excel and to achieve their dreams made all of us really ashamed of ourselves. Many times in school, we choose to skip lessons or to complain just because we have too much homework and assignment. When compared to the children, we are not cherishing what we have.
I felt that I have really learnt a lot from this trip as a leader as well as a person. Before the trip Terence, from Project Happy Feet, asked me why did I choose to lead this project when there were so many projects around. I was unable to answer him that time. However, after the trip I finally got an answer. During the interaction with Dhiraj, the local volunteers and the children, I understood that our role in LHCH is very important. Dhiraj once mentioned to me that the Inspiring India team was like this extra source of knowledge and also role models for the children. Apart from the knowledge, the interaction with the children already sparked a change in their lives. Another reason was that everyone could see the positive changes that LHCH are making in the children’s life. The very first batch of children since 2002 became the local volunteers during the project. The knowledge they gained from the home allowed them to be translators and also giving back to the home.
Apart from the local volunteers, the work of Pastor John, Dhiraj and the staffs of LHCH cannot be forgotten. As the sole programme coordinator from LHCH, Dhiraj really put in a lot of effort to ensure that the programs ran smoothly and our welfare were taken care of. Without the work of all these amazing people, I believe the trip would not be as fruitful. Thank you LHCH for the wonderful memories.
