Date post: | 29-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | all-hallows-catholic-college |
View: | 218 times |
Download: | 2 times |
An introduction from
Sister Susan I am utterly convinced that nothing
happens by chance. We don't meet certain
people by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a specific
reason...The day I visited All Hallows College in 2008 was to prove
the beginning of a relationship that was to have far reaching effects
for the school, the Presentation Sisters and the people of India,
particularly those in Tamil Nadu. I had just returned from a meeting
of Presentation Sisters from around the world being held in India.
Prior to the meeting, we had been invited to spend time visiting the
ministry of the Sisters in the various states in India. From seeing
what the Presentation Sisters were doing my over riding conviction
was they were certainly faithful to the spirit of ‘venerable’ Nano
Nagle, as the church now recognises her, the founder of the
Presentation Sisters. Nano was a woman of Faith, hope and heroic
virtue whose vision and work transformed, and continues to
transform, the lives of so many.
Inspired by Jesus and Nano Nagle
All Hallows has joined this mission to transform lives in a similar way
inspired by Jesus and His followers. In order to help you understand
our mission to transform lives, I need to tell you a little about Nano,
how she was inspired by Jesus and our community.
Nano Nagle was born Honora Nagle in Ballygriffin in Cork in 1718,
which was a turbulent time in Irish history due to the Penal Laws.
The Nagle family was a wealthy Catholic family and Nano had the
benefit of a European education and privileged lifestyle. She
devoted her life to Jesus and to working with people on the margins
of society. The Nagle motto is “Not words but deeds” and Nano
certainly lived this. Her mission of educating the poor began in a
‘little school’ in Cove Lane in Cork in 1754. In setting up schools in
defiance of the established colonial order she sided with those made poor and
challenged the institutional injustice that perpetuated marginalisation and
poverty.
Sr. Raphael Consedine PBVM (Fire on the Earth p 47) describes the range of
Nano’s concerns:
Nano’s passion was directed at changing the social structures that kept people
poor and oppressed.
Hers was a global vision as in 1769 she wrote to a friend: “For I can assure you
my schools are beginning to be of service to a great many parts of the world –
this is a place of such trade – they heard of, and my views are not for one object
alone. If I could be of service in saving souls in any part of the globe I would be
willing to do all in my power.”
The history of the Presentation Congregations as they spread around the world
has shown that the Spirit of Nano has continued to be transformational in the
lives of sisters, students, parishioners and many others over the past 240 years.
To this day Presentation Sisters and friends of Nano remain committed to
working with those most in need through a broad range of ministries. Faithful to
the philosophy of the Presentation Sisters today, we work in partnership with
others to change our world for the better.
How All Hallows got involved
If the ministry of the Sisters in this part of India was to continue to expand, we
needed partners. As I sat in All Hallows College listening to their aspirations to
reach into the hearts of their students by reading out to others, I took the
opportunity of presenting them with a desperate situation that I had
encountered.
“….the children of Cork’s poorest districts, but they were also the sick, lonely and aged whom
she visited and tended in the public infirmaries and in their garrets, the prostitutes whom she
was slandered for knowing and for whom she longed to build a refuge, the elderly women for
whom she did build a home, the Irish exiles in the West Indies for whom she trained
catechists, the adults to whom she gave religious instruction. They were those ‘disconsolate
widows…forlorn orphans…reduced housekeepers…superannuated tradesmen, whose various
afflictions she assuaged, whose tears she dried up, whose wants she so often satisfied’.
The Sisters had opened a mission in a remote hill region and set up
a community serving 200 other villages. Their resources were few
and what they had was in a poor state. They had begun
empowering the women, teaching them to read and write and
loaning them money to start a small industry based around milk.
Their clinic was little more than a shed and was totally inadequate.
I related my story and with God’s grace, it touched the hearts of All
Hallows students and staff and we started on an adventure to
make life better in this one place. It reminds me very much of the
story of the little boy on the beach throwing star fish back into the
sea. When he was challenged and told that there was no way he
could make a difference to them all; he picked one up, threw it
into the sea and said – I have made a difference to that one. The
College had agreed to make a difference to a village in the back of
beyond in India.
Living by deeds not words
I believe that Nano would be delighted that the Sisters are in
partnership with the young people of All Hallows Catholic College
and with those who have dedicated their lives to the education of
the young in this school. The Students and Staff have
demonstrated clearly that they too ‘live by deeds and not just by
words’. The following statement clearly describes the community
in All Hallows: “Standing with the poor, being present to the poor,
seeing the world from the perspective of the poor, working with
the poor, advocating for the poor, this is essential to being a
follower of Christ. Christians stand with the poor because God
stands with the poor.” (J Milburn Thompson, Justice and Peace: A
Christian Primer p 201) We, as Presentation Sisters are deeply
indebted to All Hallows for their example and commitment to the
poor, in India.
Students seeing with their own eyes
Eight students gave up their half-term to see with their own eyes
what they and their College had accomplished. They were open,
too, to experiencing life as it is for the poor. We lived with the
Sisters and had the privilege of experiencing life in India “on the ground”. There was
no tourist hotel. Our Sisters in India have also been touched deeply by them, their
willingness to enter into our way of life and share our daily life. No complaints ever
heard about the conditions and the deprivations that they experienced. They
entered into the experience fully and lived life to the full. They certainly shared their
gifts, gave themselves willingly and were sensitive to the people and children they
encountered. It is a great shame that so often we, as a society, do not see or
experience when young people give their best. Our world is safe in the hands of
these young people.
What next?
The students and staff have shown an amazing commitment and sense of
responsibility for Manalathu Kudisai, their village. I have been so impressed with
their creative fundraising and the amount that they have raised in such a short time.
Sitting with the young people at a meeting with the Sisters in the convent discussing
“what next” was enough to take my breath away and I felt very humbled. There was
no doubt, they feel that the villagers are indeed their brothers and sisters. They are
not going to leave them to fend for themselves. They have committed themselves to
raising £5,000 a year to ensure that the lives of those in the area are improved.
Sr. Susan Richert PBVM
All Hallows Social Enterprise Project in South India—The Project so far…. All Hallows has raised over £40,000 since 2008 and completed the building of All Saints Health and Community Centre in Manalathu Kudisai, a village near to Varasanadu, in the South Indian region of Tamil Nadu. The pictures below show the old Health Centre which was in a very bad condition and damp.
Phase One 2008 - 2011 Building of a single storey
clinic with a consultation room, male and female
wards, a laboratory and a labour room.
Money Raised £20,000
When our students visited the project in October 2011, they made key decisions about Phase Two of the clinic. The first students to visit were Matt Hulme, Yandi Chilufa, Beth Heaton and Samantha Clayton.
Phase Two
2011 - 2014
Building of a second storey
extension ensuring water,
power and community
meeting spaces are
provided.
Money Raised
£20,000
The work was completed in early 2014. All Saints Centre now has two Community Meeting rooms, and a third floor covered veranda which are used for Health Education, community empowerment groups, and supplementary evening education for the children of the village. The centre has provision for the safe disposal of human waste, toilets, a reliable source of clean cold and warm water, and electricity, due to a new bore-hole and solar power. Medicines are now kept at the right temperature and clean water is pro-vided for villagers when other local supplies are scarce. Our partners, the Presentation Sisters talk about how the village is being ‘brought up’ as a result of our support for the project.
Our challenge is to raise £5,000 per annum to continue to help the Presentation Sisters, help the village community help themselves!
Namaste,
Tried to wake up at 4:30 to get ready for what had been
dubbed as a ‘Trip of a lifetime’. Although I tried my best not to
be late after ten missed calls from Sam I realized I had not
succeeded. Everyone met at the airport with a resounding
feeling of anticipation .Airport security was mostly smooth
apart from Rebecca O’Gara who had to be searched twice for
reasons nobody knows.
Then it was time for the Duty Free and the part of the airport
experience in which I remember Mrs Garvey looking truly
happy as she bought her ‘medicine’. Mr. Billings was also
involved. Everyone else dispersed to different shops which lead
into the quote that heads the blog.
‘I don’t care as long as it’s bacon’ was Emma Kane’s mantra
that she shared with us as we went in search for something to
eat. We all had a nice breakfast and Emma got her Bacon.
Everyone was happy as we went through our last batch of
airport security and got onto the first flight.
The first flight lasted 7 and half hours but luckily was on an
Etihad flight so we spent most of it watching films on the
screens in the seats. The food was relatively tasty and once
again saw that true look of happiness on Mrs Garvey’s face as
she bought some more ‘medicine’. Then we landed, had a brief
run in with other English ambassadors on the bus to Abu
Dhabi airport.
Not a moment seemed to pass and we were on the
second flight. Emma Kane was terrible company as
India Fact Indian is one of the largest exporters of
software
India Fact
No other country
exports as many
bananas as India.
she burped twice and blamed both on me. Other than that it was fine as the teachers topped up on their ‘medication’ and everyone was happy as we rolled into the Chennai airport. We all had the first ‘toilet experience’ as Mrs. Garvey called it
judging by the traumatized looks on our faces as we left the Indian toilets. I knew I was somewhere very different when I exited passed a man who was carrying a gun. It is important to say he was working for the airport. It was after this we had our first taste of the severe poverty in India. We all got on the bus and headed to the convent seeing everything from an outsider’s perspective and for the first time felt like the minority. The smell and thickness of the air reflected the polluted and impoverished surroundings that we flew by, malnourished beggars, shanty towns and homemade fires dotted the route to our destination.
We finally arrived at the Church Park convent excited for what the upcoming days had in store!
By Sean Maguinness
Day 1—Arriving Sean
India Fact Indian is one of the largest exporters of
software
India Fact
India now has the
largest population
of English speakers
in the world.
Namaste
Namaste is a customary South Indian
greeting when individuals meet and a
farewell when they depart
Namaste means ‘I bow to the divine in
you.’ in Hindi
Namaste is spoken with slight bow and
hands pressed together, palms touching
and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs
close to the chest
Namaste, 12:00 noon.
We were woken by Mrs.
Garvey’s ‘delicate’ knocking
just 6 hours after we were
supposed to go to sleep;
being girls we laughed for
a few hours at one
particular 16 year old who has
a blanket that she names ‘Nunu’. The
humidity hit us as soon as we opened our eyes with
recollection of last night’s thoughts: ‘what have we let
ourselves in for?!’ Due to this, we decided a shower would
be the best possible solution. However, Indian showers are
rather different from the first world power showers we
have back home. A quick wash down with a plastic jug
was about the best we were going to get.
12 being the usual time that we get up on the weekends, we
expected to be greeted with our breakfast as we entered the
dining room. Nope. Curry, curry and more curry. We were
relieved to discover, despite the fact they weren’t the usual
breakfast option that chicken and chips were also on the menu.
This wasn’t enough for the nuns! Some of the kindest and most
considerate women we have ever met. Worrying first that we
hadn’t had enough to eat before they themselves had even sat
down to eat what we had now realised was their lunch.
Lunch over with, feeling slightly more awake, we all piled into
the tin can of a van and set off for the day’s activities. Driving
in India is a very unnerving experience anyway, with the
India Fact There are 1,652
dialects and languages spoken
in India
drivers clearly having no spacial awareness and a slightly tedious habit of ‘honking’ their horns at every given opportunity, yet the fact the doors didn’t close and there wasn’t any seatbelts meant we were in for a bumpy ride.
We pulled up outside an Indian shop; inside Hannah and I spent a good few minutes being preached at about Hindu Gods – interesting. This was after I’d broken my sandal on the very first day. After this we went to a ‘shopping centre’, this being the operative phrase to describe a maze of shops filled with scarves, scarves and more scarves. We all then decided, like typical tourists, to buy ourselves an India top each; this was after
we’d spent 5 minutes trying to heckle the price down. Finally, we made our way to Chennai Marina, the spot in which the 2004 Tsunami hit. In all fairness, we did spend time reflecting on the state of the beach (never have we ever seen a beach with so much mess) and our thoughts were we to be on the beach that day. Yet for Hannah and I with Sean as the ring leader, the sea looked too inviting and a good paddle was in order. Soon after the others joined us and much to the teacher’s dismay we all emerged from the water drenched head to toe. This was after Sean had made friends with a young Indian child who had lots of fun splashing around in the waves. We were all grateful to return to our bucket and jug shower.
By Emma Kane
India Fact
The game of Snakes
and Ladders also
originated in India
India Fact
Population: 1.2
billion
Namaste,
We began the day with the Indian Rite Mass; a Catholic Mass mixed with the culture of India. It was a really warm welcome and it gave us an insight into Christianity in India. After many
songs and prayers, we went to have lunch, where Sean’s
excessive tea drinking continued – Sean even offered to
make all of the Sisters cups of tea, which makes him a
favourite, especially with older nuns. We then made our way up to St. Thomas’ Mount, where
we had a competition to see who could find the most
tasteless statue and Mr. Billings won. The ‘tin can of a
van’ then drove us up to a Prayer Garden where Sister
Cecilia (our favourite nun) powered up the hill with ease at
the age of 78, putting us all to shame. After the Prayer Garden, we went to visit a
Children’s orphanage; possibly the most emotional
part of the trip so far, leaving us all tearful. It was
a very touching experience, and we were sad to see
how some of the children had to be given up by their parents due to their poverty. Some are left until the age of 5, when their parents should return and take them home if they can. However, despite our emotions, we were greeted warmly with grins and
India Fact
cooking and eating
are a large part of
Indian culture
India Fact Indian gained
independence from the British in 1947
giggles from the 1-2 year olds. We then went
to the playground to meet the older children,
who found it highly amusing to pull your
hair and Hi-5 you; especially with Rebecca as
they had never seen a member of the ‘ginger
species’ before. They sang ‘The World Is
Wonderful’ to us and as we left, another group of younger
children appeared around the door and took an instant liking to
Fin. We went to the gift shop on the way out, and everyone was
very quiet, reflecting on the emotions of the visit, as we realised
that these are the lucky children who are cared for.
On a brighter note, when we returned to the convent, our Yoga
instructor greeted us – Sr Pria. We were given mats and told that
we were only doing the ‘simplest moves’. Sister said us to ‘Try
our best to blend with space and time” whilst being aware of the
present. Four of the group (obviously including Sean) definitely
achieved this as they didn’t move from the Lying Lotus position.
It took 5 minutes of shaking Sean’s foot to wake him up.
After dinner we put on a ‘talent’ show where Rebecca and Fin
even showcased their ‘professional’ Irish dancing skills. Both
Elysia and Hannah used their musical skills (not in inverted
commas) by playing the piano and flute. But the highlight of
the evening was definitely playing the cereal box game. To cut a
long story short, Fin and Rebecca proved to be the most flexible
and came first and second on the English team. Sean came in a
close third after ‘tearing a ligament’. As a result of this, Mr
Billings came to the conclusion that Sean is now “Only half the
man he used to be”
By Hannah Massey and Finola Billings
India Fact The Pentium chip and Hotmail were created by Indians
Namaste,
We all woke up quite early as we had a
busy day ahead of us. We visited three
different schools within the convent.
The first was St Ursula’s. On our
arrival we were greeted in the
traditional friendly Indian way; presented with
flowers and given the ‘wisdom eye’ (a red dot on the forehead).
The school very kindly greeted us with a presentation. The
presentation included singing and traditional Indian
dancing. After the children had showcased their incredible
talents we were invited to go up to the stage and tell the
children a little about ourselves. The reaction that we received
was remarkable, with the biggest applause being for Sam,
who the girls all took a shine to.
The eight of us were then put into small groups with the
students to speak to them about life in England and at All
Hallows. All the children were eager to learn about life in
England and were desperate to practice their English with us.
We also learned a lot about their culture and language. We
then played a game of wink murder
which at first proved unsuccessful due to
the fact that it was very challenging to
explain to the children the rules of the
game.
The next school we visited was called
Sacred Heart. Once again, we were
treated like celebrities. All of the
children sang the ‘Bare Necessities’
from the Jungle Book and ‘Obla Di
India Fact Vishnu temple is the
most visited pilgrimage
destination in the world
Obla Da’. This was very entertaining and it was surprising to see that the children knew these famous songs. In a similar way to what we did at St Ursula’s, we split up into small groups. Hannah and Sean, as they discussed their aspirations with the group. One of the girls said hers
was to ‘Eat , Sleep and Make Merry.’ They liked this so much that they got the translation in Tamil which was ‘Saapidu, Thooungu Valkai Kondadu.’ Finola and I joined our groups together where we were taught an
Indian dance, much to the delight of the girls. In return the girls wanted us to teach them a traditional English dance… The best we could come up with was the Macarena. Then all the groups made a massive circle where Sean and Sam showcased their worm move. Everyone cheered in admiration for Sean’s and Sam’s ‘athletic ability’. When we left the girls wanted us to sign their exercise books with our signatures which we all found very sweet.
The last school that we visited was the Tamil school that educates children from the Slums for very little money. Despite the hardship that they encounter every day, the children were the most enthusiastic that we met and each had beaming smiles. The children were very complimentary of our ‘beautiful’ looks and wanted to ask us many things about ourselves. They asked questions such as ‘what is your mother’s name?’ and ‘do you have siblings?’ Seeing all of us with cameras, the children were excited to be in the pictures and wanted to look at the photos we had taken. By Cara Feely
India Fact The lotus is the national flower of
India.
India Fact There are more than 500 wildlife sanctuaries and 13 reserves.
‘The train experience’
Mr Billings, Sam,
Sean and the two of us set off
for our carriage, splitting up
from the rest of the girls we
had spent so long with. As
we arrived in our carriage we were
annoyed to find an Indian man sat on our bed; this was
the only similarity between this train and ours back
home – the lack of organisation. We explained to the ticket
man the situation, and he promised upon moving carriages
we would all be together.
The four students were getting settled into our cabin, with Mr
Billings a safe distance opposite to keep an eye on us, as an
overweight Indian man with a severe lack of personal hygiene
walked into the cabin claiming that Sean
was lay on his bed. It appeared that the ticket
man had actually given the boys two beds
in the cabin next door, meaning the two of
us and Mr Billings were left to endure a
9 hour experience with a snoring, rude,
man in his string vest.
This proved a very testing experience
for the two of us, as we wouldn’t
thank you for putting us in a room
with Sean and Sam, so the idea of
sleeping above this impolite specimen was
not something that enticed either of us. We
doubt this was in the risk assessment therefore it
India Fact The majority of Indians are Hindus. Most of the religious festivals and holidays are Hindu.
India Fact Most Indian women prefer ethnic dress,
most commonly the sari or salwar kameez.
is realistic that Mr Billings didn’t enjoy the experience either. Finola even asked her dad ‘how is your blood pressure?’
After Mr Billings calmed us down with a classic game of scrabble, Mrs Garvey and Emma used this experience to take a ‘selfie’ with the snoring man who now lay asleep with his shirt off, string vest fully on show. Much to Emma’s dismay, as she posed in a kissing position next to the man (prior Mrs
Garvey’s instructions to do so) the sleeping beast awoke; this
proved rather humorous to both the girls and the ‘mature’ members of staff. After this we decided it was best to try to
settle down to sleep, after going to the toilet out of a hole onto
train track below. However for Mr. Billings on the bottom
bunk, sleeping next to someone who snores louder than he
does proved rather difficult.
By Finola Billings and Emma Kane
India Fact
Most Indian festi-
vals are religious in
origin
India Fact
The cow is considered
a sacred animal and is
allowed to roam free
in most cities
India Fact
More than 50% of India’s
population is younger than
25
India Fact
Current exports include
steel, agricultural goods,
and tech or medical
industries.
Namaste,
After being woken up by Mrs. Garvey and the ticket collector,
we got out of our triple shelf bunk beds. We got off the train to
Emma and Finola’s relief but then got into another ‘tin can of
van’ and set off on a 2 hour drive to the next convent.
When we arrived at the convent, we were allowed to freshen up
but we had to visit the local school before we could get any rest.
We were greeted with a varied programme, with children
dancing to Gangnam style and a group of children that were
singing western pop music. Unfortunately some of the lyrics
were lost in translation. However, we thought overall that they
grasped English very well apart from one group who thought
that ‘Glad You Came’ was one of Madonna’s greatest hits. A
group of five children made up a rhyme
which was about eating, cutting and
peeling different fruits, one of them
being a banana. Social constraints
went out of the window as a swarm of
young children surrounded us asking
for pictures and autographs.
We then returned to the convent and were
allowed a well deserved rest. Later we were treated to some
shopping where we bought material for our Saris and Sean and
Sam bought wedding outfits for Sam’s ‘many new
girlfriends’. Also we found a basement floor full of English
products where we stocked up on biscuits and fizzy drinks.
Then we went back for our evening meal which
was really tasty and spent the rest of the
evening packing pencil cases for the children
in Varasanadu. The girls were also fitted for
Saris by a professional tailor.
By Elysia Shaw
India Fact The national Emblem symbolizes courage, confidence, and strength.
Namaste,
After an early start at 7.30am, we set off on
our two hour trip to the clinic in
Varasanadu. A very scenic but long and
bumpy journey was endured by the group
and two sisters. Upon our arrival we were
greeted with a traditional Indian
welcoming like the ones we have now
become so accustomed to. After being
greeted with flowers and lemons, we
took our first look at the new second
floor of our Clinic which includes two
Community Rooms; the Sisters and
the villagers were so pleased to have the area. We
had a long and eye opening look around the Clinic which
all the money the College has raised has built. It was
incredible to see the difference which £40,000 could build in
India compared to back home in the UK. Through speaking
with the sisters who are constantly on hand at the clinic we
discovered how important the Clinic is to everyone in the
community but also to neighbouring villages over the hills.
A quick walk around the village showed us the drastic
differences between their way of life and ours at home. We
saw that although they had less they were a happier and
better connected community unlike ours back home. A trip
to the local school which is seconds away from the clinic put
into reality how basic their community is with no tables or
chairs and very basic learning equipment. The children
were the most enthusiastic and entertaining we had seen
singing and mimicking our actions, such as sticking
their tongues out which Emma is a fan of doing! Also
on our trip around the village we
visited a home which is
classed as top range their due
to a £100 (1 Lak) grant
from the
government. The
house had two
rooms, a living room
and bedroom where the
India Fact It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India
India Fact
India is about 1/3 the size
of the United States
bed was metal with no cushioning. We were informed that none of the houses within the area had toilets. Despite this the whole area was extremely clean and free of rubbish unlike the cities we have visited. After lunch we had several hours before the big Community Room would be filled with children and parents who go to the
local school and others from the community. We began with a
game of football between the 8 of us. Quickly the locals were very
keen to join in and showcase their talents of volleyball and cricket, and it is sad to say we were shown up by them all. Despite this we found that it was the best way to meet the children
in the community and their way of life. During this time Mr.
Billings and Mrs. Garvey brought out their pack of balloons
which was a big mistake as they were mobbed by the children for
a bit of material with air inside. At 4.30pm the children from the School began to swarm through
the gates and continued with their excitement over the balloons.
We all proceeded upstairs into the Community Room where we watched a programme of dancing, singing and poetry from the children in the local community. We then were encouraged to join in and have a go at the dances which had just been performed. We handed out the pencil cases donated by our students – and the joy that the children expressed over such simple things was astounding. After dinner we had a meeting with the sisters to discuss the future of the project. We shared our ideas with them and they shared their ideas and opinions with us. We have decided that there is a need for a dispensary for medical supplies , funds for transport and for maintenance of the Clinic and Convent. and funds for health
education projects( including money for projector). This would
mean that we have to raise £4,000-5,000 per year.. By Sam Hallworth
India Fact Dancing is one of India’s most highly developed arts
Namaste,
On Thursday morning we woke up at the clinic
to a group of children at our door begging for more balloons
that we had made the day before. Everyone was tired from all
the dancing with the children in the village night before-
especially Sean. We then made our way back to Theni where
the usual suspects fell asleep on the bus.
After a lovely chicken meal we prepared to leave for The HIV
and AIDS Hospice. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed with
another ceremony and then proceeded to have some
snacks. Although everyone claimed to be full when
the ‘cheese’ sandwiches were put on the table,
everyone’s stomachs seemed to empty as the fruit
cake was taken out.
It was around this time that Sean noticed that
Emma’s ankles had doubled in size. It now
looked as though her feet were stuck to two over
sized stubs; Sean then made a humorous comment
about the thudding noise Emma supposedly made
when she walked.
The laughing stopped here however, as we made our
way into the hospice. Everyone remained respectful whilst
walking around the wards. It was relieving to hear that
despite some parents being HIV positive, their children are
often born without being infected with the virus. Yet, some
weren’t as lucky and as
we walked into
palliative care; a man
lay on his bed, too ill to
India Fact
India Is the birthplace of
chess
India Fact
Has the largest postal
network in the world
with 150,000 post
offices
turn around and greet us. This was the room in which patients were placed during their last stages of life. This particular man not only suffered from HIV but was also a victim of mouth cancer. At this stage, we were relieved to leave. Only one student got another ‘cry point’ as we now call them – she is now leading with four cry points.
Hannah then played her flute which was lovely as always. The same can’t be said for the attempted cover of John Lennon’s Imagine; or as Sam thought Elton John’s. When we got back to the convent, we played a variety of games. Humour was provided by Mr. Billings’ failed attempts at both ‘G’d day Bruce’ and Mrs. Garvey. The extra helpings of cookies helped with today’s ‘rule game’. Top banter was provided during the post it game as Mrs. Garvey attempted to subtly hint to Mr. Billings.
By Rebecca O’Gara and Sean Maguinness
India Fact The national fruit of India is the mango
Today we went to Brother James Illam’s
orphanage. However, this was a very different
orphanage to the small establishment we had
visited earlier on in the week. Here 2000 children
who had either been abandoned or were without their parents
were able to live and go to school. They lived on site with
‘mother’ figures; a widow who took on board 6 children,
sometimes in addition to her own. When the children get to
age 13 they move to a hostel for 25 children. We visited one of
the hostels; this one in particular was home to 25 HIV positive
girls. We saw this number of HIV positive orphan girls on a
board also, along with 71 marriages. The work of Brother
James meant that these orphans, even those with HIV, could
get married and have a better life. We were shocked to see how
out of proportion the ratio of girls and boys on site was, due to
parents abandoning their daughters as they can’t afford
their dowries.
On site, the kitchen cooks for the
2000 children that live in the
houses in the small villages. The
houses are made on site too, purely
from concrete. We got the
opportunity to see how the
workers, who were all placed outside in the
baking sun, made the concrete windows and doors.
After Hannah had played her flute to all the foster mothers,
who came after our interaction with the orphans who were
participating in their sports day, we got the honor of meeting
Brother James himself; an 88 year old English man who
cruised up to us on his motorbike. The trip was concluded by
the purchase of hand crafted gift cards – all proceeds go to the
work of Brother James.
India Fact
has the world’s third
largest road network at
1.9 million miles
Upon return, the girls planned to go home to sleep, however upon delivery of their tailored blouses the girls called upon the sisters to come and help them dress in their saris. This resulted in full head to toe traditional Indian dress with flowers in our hair. Mrs. Garvey, Mr. Billings and the boys even put on their new outfits and we then went to the hospital in
what the sisters described as ‘a wedding procession’. Sr. Dr. Pushpam took us to the maternity hospital where she works. Here we saw the new born babies; one of them had just been born that day. It was heartbreaking to hear about the mother of this child, who was disappointed to discover that the sex of her baby was female, after already having a 3 year old girl. We made an extra special effort to compliment the family on the birth of their beautiful girl. Still in our saris, and very hot, we attended the Children’s Parliament meeting. It was refreshing to
see the young children getting involved in the government’s issues and taking on an active role in trying to resolve them. Despite the language barrier, Sister Sevena did her best to translate. We didn’t need to translation as it was clear to see from the enthusiasm getting the children involved in politics. Sean and Sam impressed for the 48456734564275647th time with the worm and ‘the baby freeze’
By Emma Kane and Finola Billings
India Fact India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon
India Fact All of India is under a single time zone.
Namaste,
We began our day early and crammed into the bus with our
suitcases in tow which were crushed into Sean’s shoulder as
Sam wanted the window seat. We set of for Madurai to start
our Indian shopping experience in the markets. First we
dropped our bags off at a small building home to several
priests. There was then a short drive to the markets where we
were surprised to see so many European people. The markets
were busier and they were a drastically different from the
shopping back home due to the need to haggle for the price
that you want to pay. However prices were so cheap for
many products that there was no need to haggle. The
currency is 1p = 1 rupee and for example with a
bottle of coke which was 750ml it cost 34 rupees
= 34p.
After this we went to an Indian restaurant to get
something to eat. Mr. Billings suggested we all share
meals and reluctantly we agreed; a decision we would regret
later on as after four bowls of chicken fried rice and noodles,
curry, four portions of chips and a side order of four nan
breads we were still hungry. We once again found out how
lucky we were to be following the sterling currency when the
meal came out at 3100 rupees for 14 people, it worked out to be
just £31 in English money!
After the meal we set off to
visit the Temple, but
however ran into some
trouble when we realized no
shorts were allowed. A man
India Fact India is the largest
democracy in the world
offered us two used, dirty dhotis but thankfully one of the sisters refused the man’s offer and in return he called her repeatedly a ‘crazy girl.’ Luckily Mrs Garvey intervened and bought us some dhotis (basically a men’s skirt) and
after being searched by a security guard that clearly enjoyed his job far too much we were ready to enter. Upon our entrance we were then greeted by a surreal experience that took shape in an Elephant that took 10 rupees from you using its trunk and in return blessed the people by rubbing their heads with it and would then proceed to subtly pass it’s owner who sat beneath the money it had earned.
The temple is a very sacred place for Hindu’s and many areas within the temple were restricted for Hindu practice only. Despite this, the parts of the temple we did see were so intricate it was hard to believe they were built by people long ago. After the visit to the Temple was over we had another stay on the overnight train to look forward to as we returned to Chennai. This time the seating arrangements ran a lot more smoothly however whilst Mr. Billings was helping us identify which beds were ours his bag was stolen. Fortunately there was nothing of any true value inside (Like his passport, for example.), however it just goes to show how organized crime exists in every country. The only thing we did lose was some snacks and a lot of money but after the game of scrabble started these painful thoughts were forgotten.
By Sam Hallworth and Sean Maguinness
India Fact
India is more obsessed
with breaking records
than any other country
India Fact
There is only 1,411 Indian
tigers left in the wild
Namaste,
Toady was our last day in India and for
all of us it was a sad day because we had to say
goodbye to all the wonderful people we have met here.
Although it was a sad day we had a lot planned which we had
been looking forward to the whole trip which where the tuck-
tuck ride and our hennas. Before all this though we had a
mass at 9am due to it being a Sunday. Although this was a
similar experience to a mass at home
there were a few distinct differences.
One main difference was that they did
not just worship God but they also
talked about the practises and
experiences of their founder Nano
Nagle.
Almost immediately after the mass
we stepped out into the India heat and had a short walk
in the Church park compound to a small building to get our
hennas done. All 8 of us and Mrs Garvey decided to get a
henna but unfortunately Mr Billings could not join us due
to him having to take a trip with two sisters to the local
police station due to the unfortunate incident on the train.
Just outside of the building in the shade there were 3 sisters
from the convent who were going to do our Hennas. We had
all opted to have them on the inside of our hands and have a
traditional pattern except one person, Sean. He decided to go
for something more ‘manly’ as he said which was a
snake on his arm. In his head he
believed this was a brilliant idea,
however as you can see in the picture we
India Fact The national symbol of
India is the endangered Bengal Tiger.
India Fact
India hosted the 2010
Commonwealth Games in
Delhi, but has never hosted
the Olympic Games
do not think it went to plan. Our hennas were drawn quite quickly but for a good hour we had to allow our hand to dry which was a big task as we had to eat lunch while they were still drying. Due to us going to be having a lack of sleep as we were heading to the airport at 12am we all went back to our rooms to get some sleep. However no one did except for Sam. Who stayed asleep while all of us went to do our blog from the previous day. As this was our last day we did not do much except relax but we were all excited for our tuc tuc ride. After dinner which again could not be faulted on taste and as always we were completely full. We were ready for our tuc tuc ride which we took in 3s. It was probably the most unsafe but fun vehicle you could go in. It only had 3 wheel’s, no back window, no doors and as most cars in India no seatbelts. The driver took us
round the convent and we can all say we had not experienced a drive like that before.
By Hannah Massey
India Fact India is officially known as the Republic of India.
Namaste,
The airport was a pain. Everyone was extremely
tired and just wanted to get home but we
couldn't before going through the toils of airport security.
We were also all very hungry, me especially. Even after
getting through airport security we had to wait for the plane.
It was at the airport that I experienced one of my lowest
moments during my time in India: Walking through an
Indian toilet in which the floor was covered in urine whilst
wearing only flip-flops made it definitely a one of a kind
“Indian toilet experience.’
After sleeping through two plane journeys it was amazing to
see our families at the Manchester terminal. Driving back
home down a silent road seemed unusual as we had grown so
accustomed to India but gave us time to reflect on the
experience. The trip had certainly put things into perspective.
It showed us that the day to day ‘troubles’ we feel we suffer
with everyday (work, revision, Emma Kane’s laugh etc.).
Were nothing compared to those that the Indian people suffer.
One thing I will take from my experience of the India trip was
just how widespread the poverty was, I expected to only see it
in the more rural parts of Varasanadu. Instead I saw it from
the second we left the airport. It also showed us what our
society was missing that India hasn't lost—their high regard
and respect to everybody; the fact that they treated us like
heroes just for being ‘white’ whereas people of different racial
heritage in the UK can sometimes be treated in the
opposite way. Seeing these things in India
definitely changed me as a person, everything I
take for granted on a daily basis such as
India Fact
The head of state is
President A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam
India Fact
The capital of India is New Delhi.
education, money, food—were what the children of India strived for. With their overall ambition in life to reach the point that me and the majority of people in the UK are born into. The trip to India was an eye opener, one I am sure none of us will ever forget..
By Sean Maguinness
India Fact
India lies in south Asia,
between Pakistan, China
and Nepal.
Carrying Water
Children working in school
Drying Chickory
Doctor Pushpamin Clinic
Village
Life Animals Roaming in the Village
House view from the clinic
Village elders
Typical houses
Outdoor Cooking
Water pump
Village water tower
Village people
Village drains
What next for the Clinic?
Students Finola, Sean, Matt, Cara, Hannah, Emma, Rebecca and Elysia met with community leaders and the Presentation Sisters to consider issues of development and sustainability, focusing on community health education, provision of medicines, and maintenance and transport, to enable outreach to two other local villages. The provision of a resident Doctor is also being considered.
The meeting went on late into the night with all interested parties outlining their priorities. As a result of which students have confirmed All Hallows’ commitment to continued awareness raising and Fundraising to support Phase 3.
This will include £1,000 to provide Free medication, prescriptions and dressings for the Villagers accessing the Medical Centre; £2000 to provide Community Education Outreach and the technology to facilitate Health Education projects within the Community rooms plus £1,000 per year for Maintenance costs.
Prayer Father,
you have made all people
in your own likeness,
and you love all that you have made,
Your Son was born
As a member of a Jewish family,
and was recognised
by wise men from the east,
He rejoiced in the faith
of a Roman soldier
and a Syrian woman,
and he praised Samaritans
for their attitude and good works.
He welcomed the Greeks
who searched for him,
and he was helped to carry his cross
by an African
Father, may our human family
not become separated from you
by building barriers
of race and colour,
of class and belief,
Inspire us to recognise
that we are all made
in your image and likeness,
so that we may grow
in appreciation of all people,
and encourage each other
to grow in pride
in who we are
and who we are called to be
May we recognise your Son in our minds,
and live truly as brothers and sisters
Amen
Special thanks to Kate McGuigan in Year 13 for her assistance in the production of this edition with Mr Gostelow.
All Hallows Catholic College
Brooklands Avenue
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK11 8LB
www.allhallows.org.uk
All are welcome at
All Hallows Catholic College
Come in and visit our
wonderful Church College