Empowerment Stories: Pauline in Delhi

What a full heart I have after receiving these photos today!

Pauline fell in love with the ethos of Hands On Journeys when on tour with us in India in January. She liked that that we asked our travellers before the trip whether there are things that they can do to elevate the locals, after explaining their story, so our travellers have a clear understanding of any particular skills they can apply.

So Pauline, being an assistant principal and a teacher, took some educational materials with her to India to assist the teachers and the children. She left India with a bigger vision and now, three months later, she’s spending her school holiday break back in India to teach these children. When you come on a tour with Hands on journeys, it’s fair to say the journey somehow activates your purpose.

Huge kudos to Pauline for taking her first solo trip overseas, let alone going to the slum of India to teach the children in the elementary school. These schools are created for street children to train them to a certain level so they can enrol in a government school. They are children of various ages who once never thought they would be given education and they are so grateful having access to it now.

Pauline was a traveller on our January India tour and she loved the dhal made by the women we work with in Jaipur – she proclaimed it the best ever! So since she is back in India spending her school holidays in the slums helping educate the kids, we thought it was a great chance to get the women of the community to put on a cooking class for Pauline so she can recreate this amazing food when she gets home.

I feel like this is such a win-win for everyone involved and I’m so glad that our trip together inspired Pauline to return to India, and I’m glad we could get all of the community involved again for a very special cooking class day.

Simla Sooboodoo