Day 4

 

We started the day with a well enjoyed lie-in and maybe a slightly rushed breakfast before the bus at 9:30. We began our journey by visiting the Hope Foundation crèche. We received a very warm welcome from the staff and children, who were aged up to 5 with diverse backgrounds. We participated in many fun activities that included block building and playing with toys.

Following this, we visited the Hope Foundation Hospital which caters for many people in need of medical care, particularly those who are below the poverty line. This was a very interesting experience as we got an insight into the wards themselves, along with the services they provide and their behind-the-scenes research labs. Dr Samiran Mallick, our guide, informed us of many facts and positive stories about the hospital - for example, it takes €700,000 to run the hospital per year which highlights their efficient and sustainable methods. We also learnt about the scarcity in the Indian health system, in which there is one bed for every approximately 1250 people in India, compared to one for every ten in Ireland.

We took the bus again to our next stop - the Hope Café. This is another Hope Foundation outlet where the café workers are being trained so they can have job opportunities. Joy is an understatement (See photo of Emma below) when we realised that brownies were an option for dessert. We placed our orders and while waiting for our food to come, we visited the training centre above. The training centre offers courses in computer skills and sewing classes for free, which helps the trainees get jobs. This initiative is just one way that the Hope Foundation helps the locals. We were beyond impressed by the delicate embroidery done by the sewing classes.

Lunch came and we were delighted with the food. We had a very enjoyable time eating and chatting before taking the short walk to the Hope Foundation Shop. The shop had many souvenirs, skirts, tops, notebooks, jewellery, bags and much more. Every one of us found something for ourselves or someone back at home. We were glad to put the money towards a great cause, as all profits went directly to the Hope Foundation.

With our bags heavy and our wallets empty, we hopped back on the bus to our last stop: the education centre. This centre provides a tutoring service to kids of all ages to bridge any gaps in their learning and stop them falling through the cracks in the education system. We got off the bus and walked to the centre.

On our walk we witnessed many sights as we passed through a local community. This was where financial hardship was most obvious and was far from anything we had ever experienced before. We discussed this in depth during our evening reflection. We exchanged many variations of hand claps and played many games with them before we headed home on the bus. The bus was quieter on the way home, but it was an opportunity for us all to absorb the surroundings.

Today was different to other days but extremely beneficial to the immersion program. We look forward to tomorrow where three of us will go to the Mary Rice Centre (Izzy O’R., Issy, Rachael) and the others will go to St George’s.