Something I will remember forever

By Claire Holgate, Specialist Dietitian

It is difficult to put into words my reflection on our trip to India, it is something I will remember forever;

We spent the first few days of our trip as tourists, getting to know India. We wanted to immerse ourselves in India’s rich culture, colour, food and most importantly acclimatise ourselves to the weather! I feel this was such an important part of our journey as it introduced us to the wonderful way of life, kindness and optimism of the Indian people.

Our journey then took us to Rishikesh, here we spent time Ganga Prem Hospice and Government School number 8. It was a wonderful experience to work alongside the staff at Ganga Prem Hospice – they are devoted to helping the lives of people affected by cancer and their families. This was a most humbling experience to see patients who have so little. Since returning home I have reflected mostly on how privileged we are to have the opportunities that we have and the kinds of things we often take for granted.

Volunteering in the school we spoke to the children about their diet (what they had each day) this was eye-opening when compared to Western diets, these children may have has sweets or treats only once a month and very little else to eat outside of school provisions, which are also minimal. Yet their smiling faces and happiness were there to meet us each day.

It was difficult to leave India knowing how much more we could do, but with the support of my colleagues and particularly the Datta family I was reminded that even if you are able to make a difference in one person’s life our time was well spent. We are now working towards making the project sustainable and continuing to support as we can.

Thank you to everyone who donated, supported and followed our India Journey.