Reflections on HOW projects

Images and Impressions of India

"Audrey Beaumont and I were very fortunate this summer and were allowed to take three weeks out of our Education Deanery commitments and travel to Bhimtal, India, on behalf of Hope One World. Our task involved working in the SOS Children's Village Hermann Gmeiner School delivering mathematics training to the teachers, whilst our student companions worked with the children. However, learning is never a one-way process and we came away enriched by the whole experience. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my images and thoughts with you."

Morning Assembly
The infant children that you see were some of the most warm human beings that we have encountered. Their respect for each other came from an ethos of caring, sharing, and understanding. At times, they stood in the baking sun as they went through the ritual of morning assembly, joyously singing and praising God. It was also a time for sharing news, developing new talents such as reading poetry and for engaging as part of a community.

Happy Classroom
Although conditions were, at times, cramped...and resources were scarce...the children pictured here regarded their education as a privilege to be valued. What they lacked in consumables, such as colouring pencils and art media, they made up for with their enthusiasm for the subjects taught and their willingness to participate in lessons. Their thirst for knowledge and quest to better themselves was inspiring to all of us as visitors.

Mind, Body & Spirit
Each day, as dawn was breaking, the boys from the school would assemble in the courtyard for their lessons in yoga.
More than physical exercise, they were also enriching their mind and spirit. Under the expert instruction of their teacher and mentor, they illustrated their physical dexterity with apparent ease...yet the look on their faces highlighted the mental and spiritual development also occurring. This, I was told, took many years of training. Learning would never end.

Self Sufficient
Walking through Bhimtal village, we saw a farmer tending to his only financial asset. We supposed that the milk would go to his family or may, perhaps, be sold for other basic provisions. As we look at this image, we pick up on the clothes that he is wearing, the condition of his property and the scarcity of western comforts. However, who is to say that this man is not happy, spiritually fulfilled or wealthy in love - how would he judge us? As we in the West surround ourselves with even more un-necessary materialism...the question arises as to who is the richer...the farmer or ourselves.

Colin Wong


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