Today we explored Kolkata as a group. We first walked to the Eden Gardens stadium; one of the largest cricket stadiums in the world. We then walked to the Ganges River where we watched people gather to wash, talk and be blessed. We then took taxis to McDonald’s where we had very authentic Indian chicken […]
Today we visited Paras Padma – a home for physically and mentally disadvantaged children. rnrnWe were greeted with garlands and warm hugs from the children before Ebadat and Mina – the couple who founded Paras Padma. Ebedat spoke to us about their work over chai before giving us a tour of the amazing place they have built up since 2000. We were then shown around the dispensary and the rooms where they carry out physiotherapy and make prosthetic limbs. We had lunch prepared by Mina which was delicious – one of the best Indian banquets any of us had ever experienced.
Today was our last day of our first of two trips to Udayan. rnrnWe taught the children their morning lessons in both English and Bengali. Isabella and Holly taught the children human body parts, Tasha and Sian taught geography, Ethan and James played bingo with the children and Fran and Kate taught animals. This was an extremely rewarding experience for both us and the children.
Today was our first full day at Udayan. We awoke to the local Mosque’s call to prayer at 5am to and went to join the children for their morning prayer. We then discovered that we were an hour too early!rnrn rnrnAfter finally beginning the day with the children and eating breakfast, followed by their private […]
Posting our website blog has been difficult this evening at Udayan.rnrnToday was our first day at Udayan.rnrnAs soon as we arrived we were made to feel at home – flowers were placed around our necks and we were fed some delicious local treats. As we were shown to our rooms we took in the beautiful […]
After an easy journey – besides a two-hour delay (which resulted in a free McDonald’s) – we arrived in Kolkata safely this morning. After much deliberation, the number one recommended in flight movie is Trolls staring Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. We were surprised to see such a divide between the wealth in Britain and […]
With 2 days to go until we depart for Kolkata to visit Udayan, Vicky McMillan who visited Udayan back in 2015 shares her experiences of her time in Kolkata and Udayan.rnrn
A selection of the photos from the 2017 Mission to India including Udayan
Taking a look back to our 2015 visit to Udayan, the group created a 12 minute video during their stay of a day in the life of a student at Udayan and is well worth a watch.rnrn
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the St Joan of Arc Udayan Mission 2017 website, in anticipation of our visit to India in February. rnToday is one month before departure and our preparations for the trip are being finalised. I think I speak for everyone when I say we are excited beyond words to be visiting Udayan – a place we have all heard so much about and now we are finally off to visit the children.