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Sheffield Girls’ in Delhi, India

On Wednesday 15 February, 42 students in Years 10-13, together with four members of staff set off for Delhi, India.  The purpose of the 10 day excursion was to support and maintain Sheffield High School for Girls’ links with our partner school in India, St Thomas' School for Girls, and carry out voluntary work at the Riverside Free School and with the ISPCK (Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) DISHA young women’s empowerment project in Delhi. The trip is part of a whole programme of international residential visits organised by Sheffield Girls’ each year.

This was a unique opportunity for Sheffield Girls’ students to see what life is like for young people, and particularly young women in India.  The girls planned activities and games to play with the children; lots of fundraising was done during the autumn term and arrangements made to take children’s books, educational resources and items of stationery to give to the children in India. Girls in the Junior School also made a selection of toys and activities to be donated to the Riverside Free School.

Jemima Mawson in Year 12 described the experience: ‘Visiting the Riverside Free School was such an amazing and humbling experience, the children were filled with happiness and laughter and although there was a small language barrier we soon learnt the way to communicate easily and in a fun manner. To see the children understanding what we were teaching them and seeing that they were enjoying it and that us being there was making even a small impact upon them was one of the best feelings and by far my favourite part of the trip’

The girls also took part in question and answer sessions with doctors from local clinics and hospitals, where they heard about the differences between healthcare in the UK and India, and visited Father Ravi’s shelter for homeless children; a visit to the business district of Delhi gave the girls lots of useful advice about the need to be flexible and open minded in their career choices and stressed the importance of soft skills such as teamwork, relationships and integrity in the business world.

Year 12 student Megan Jones summed up the experience: ‘Learning about the different cultures and history of India was awe inspiring, and having the opportunity to see into different people's lives and supporting their community is what made the trip so special’. Megan's video is below for your enjoyment!

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