Day 2 - Tuesday 19th January

Day 2 started early, with 6:30am Mass at the convent down the road. It was held in a small chapel not really designed for 27 odd people and so the majority of us took our seats on the floor. Hearing a lot of noise on our way out, we sneaked a peek through an open doorway to find 18 kids waiting for breakfast. Talking to the nuns we found it was an orphanage for mentally handicapped children, most of whom had either been left at their door or found and brought in by the police. They were so excited to see us, holding out their hands to grasp ours and telling us their names in Hindi. We spent quite a while with them, and walking back to the house afterwards we couldn't help but feel uplifted by their cheerfulness.


Following a breakfast of cornflakes in warm milk and lumps of sugar, the group split up to visit the various places that we would be working in. Some went to the Cheshire Home for the disabled, others went shopping for craft activities, and the rest of us went to see one of the Deepalaya schools where we'd be teaching. This particular school had 500 kids from the surrounding slum area, ranging in age from 4 to 16 years. As we walked into each classroom we were greeted with an enthusiastic "Good morning ma'am!" from kids in their clean maroon jumpers. And we ended the visit with a cup of steaming chai tea.



We headed to Deepalaya Headquarters after this - for a video and short talk about the history and purpose of the organisation - before hitting the road again to teach at Kamalini Vocational School at Sharpur Jat, a different branch to the one we had visited the previous day. Some of us taught a computer class that we had prepared earlier, focusing on revision of basic applications and advanced Microsoft Excel. We started with 3 young women but had 6 students by the end, who gained a lot from the lesson despite their lack of English.

Four of us went to visit homes of former Kamalini students in the local area to carry out surveys on their experience at the school. All homes were one-roomed "apartments" with minimal comforts - a bed and TV. Compared to what we saw around Deepalaya however it was fairly well-off. Everyone we spoke to (through translators) was very complimentary about the centre and seemed to have gained a lot by going there.

Back at Kamalini the kitchen had been sanded down in preparation for painting, and Leata, Veronica, Georgia, Marian, Angie and Marie-Claire were covered in white sawdust after a hard day's work. Then it was curry for supper, lukewarm showers, and a round of charades before we collapsed into bed.