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.

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