A group of sixth formers from Alton Convent School recently returned from their expedition to India which had been funded by months of fundraising and was made in celebration of Alton Convent’s 70th Jubilee. Their first destination was Varanasi, and Alton Convent’s sister school, St Joseph’s which had also been founded by the order of Our Lady of Providence.

The girls were the first students to visit from Alton Convent and were welcomed into the community like old friends. There they met a group of disadvantaged young girls known as the ‘Rainbow Children’ who now live with the Sisters at the Convent. During their stay in Varanasi they were given an insight into the ‘real’ India, away from the tourist trail where they were able to learn about the Indian way of life. The Sisters do incredible social work in the poorer villages surrounding Varanasi. An afternoon spent in one of these villages proved almost to be too much for the girls who found it to be one of the most humbling experiences; it certainly gave a new meaning to fundraising. A spontaneous collection back at the Convent was immediately instigated knowing that the villagers needed vital supplies.

After leaving Varanasi the party continued on to five more destinations including Bikaner and a camel ride in the desert, Agra and the beauty of the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, the hustle and bustle of the Indian capital Delhi and finally white water rafting on the Ganges in Rhishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Expedition leader, Graham Maher, Head of the Sixth Form, commented on their return “We all learnt an endless amount about the beauty of the Indian culture, the kindness of the people and the strength of the Sisters. What matters, though, is not just what we did there, but the difference we make here, now we’re back home.”