Three boys from our Lower 6th recently won a travel scholarship to go and assist with an Indian Charity during their summer holidays. James Baker, David Kayes and Tom Wand outline their trip:

"India’s rapidly growing population has led to an extensive proportion of the nation being forced into shocking living conditions. In Delhi alone, the population has grown six-fold in the last sixty years, generating the growth of many slum colonies. People suffer greatly from terrible sanitation and as a result, diseases such as cholera kill people in their thousands. One in every five citizens of Delhi lives in a slum.

In 1988, Dr Kiran Martin heard about an outbreak of cholera in Delhi and set up a table where she could use her Medical expertise to treat the poor that were so badly affected. From there, she worked out some ways in which she could help those in the slums. Now, her foundation, Asha-India, helps over 400,000 people in around 50 slum colonies in Delhi. Asha’s work seems to make a huge difference. For example, the average death rate per thousand of infants under five in the whole of Delhi is 46.2. In Asha’s slums, it is just 28.2.

Asha works on three main principles: Healthcare, Environment & Infrastructure, and Empowerment. It allows for many volunteers, who are able to help Asha’s work in a variety of ways. It also educates to the children to the point that some have even attended university – incredible considering that their parents didn’t even go to school.

During our stay, we will be doing the following:

In the mornings, we would shadow a health worker who travels around the slums in a mobile clinic. We would also help out with a doctor in a permanent health practice. In the afternoons, we would be working in one of the children’s activity groups, teaching English, computer skills, and sports such as cricket.

As all three of us are planning on an application for Medicine, this trip would prove great work experience. Universities are looking for prospective Medical students who really stand out, and we believe that this trip will portray our enthusiasm for helping others. We would love to be able to set up a link between the College and Asha-India, whether this is through fairly regular fundraisers or simply sending more students like us to Delhi in years to come.

More information is at http://www.asha-india.org"

We wish them well with their endeavours, and if you would like to contribute to the charity, then please do use the above website, or contact one of the boys.