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A letter to our Cambodia and Vietnam travellers

Heading out on the road can be a downright daunting experience, full of the unexpected and when you are surrounded with people who share the same vision as you, the journey is amazing. We each see & feel such spectacular things and we’re all in a constant state of learning.

The friends you have met on this trip and the boundless opportunities that you have given to the tour-leaders to showcase their countries, the ladies you supported in opening their cooking classes; the new games you taught the children that brought them so much joy, which was displayed through their clapping & their smiles; the love towards Yeay who appreciated being given the chance to share her story for the first time; the love you showered the home-host you stayed with and the appreciation you showed by enjoying the yummy dishes they made for you; the selfless funds you contributed to building the toilet and the fun you had painting it; the water filters you delivered to those who do not have access to clean water; the commencement of the crafting classes that was kick started for the women in order for them to be able to afford to bring food to the table; the pure joy shared with them; the smiles and laughter shared with the children; the kites you flew with them; the skipping of the ropes (even though most of us failed miserably) – these are the special memories you are taking with you and the footprint you are leaving behind.

Collectively we have contributed USD$2414 on the various projects we have had, and we have directly touched the lives of 144 people. I also believe that each one of us is going back home a different person, so let’s add another 14 people to this list, that makes it a total of 158 people.

I hope this journey has spoken to you & touched your heart like never before.

The bond of friendship you have made on this trip is truly special and one that will unite us always. We have burst into one another’s lives with spectacular ideas and all of the excitement in the world.

Thank you for joining me on this journey and for making this little baby of mine even more unforgettable. We are all individually talented and collectively powerful.

As you bid farewell to this trip and ride through the streets of lanterns this evening, think of the beautiful smiles you have encountered throughout the journey and know that you are leaving Cambodia and Vietnam better to when you first got here.

You did this!

Simla,

Founder, Hands on Journeys 

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How one women is empowering the slums of Delhi

“He gave me a space in his families home and then I could start my first school. I had two children at first.”

Sonu sits across from us on the floor, her petite frame set alive by the brightness of her eyes. She explains how she came to be sat here, on the floor of a small classroom in Delhi as a pose to her home country of Nepal.

“Now 500-600 students have completed their studies from our school. Many go on and get their certificates after they leave us and most go on and get better jobs than could have been imagined”.

What started as a small operation out of one front room has now grown into three schools right in the heart of the Slums of Delhi. Change can always start small, but the aim for Sonu is to grow and assist more and more people.

Delhi Slums

“It’s not always easy” she admits, although schools are free here, for many families food and survival rightly so become the priority. She structures the timetables around this so that more families are happier to allow their children the time to study.

It’s hard for us, as the western visitors for whom school was compulsory, to grasp the reality of how so many do not have access or opportunity to develop. By simply spending time here and seeing the teachers in action and the excellent Maths, English and Reading skills of the children you quickly realise why projects and people like Sonu’s are so important.

“I went to every door to collect the children. I told them why Education was so important. How Education will bring you the bright future.”

Sonu, on the left, delivers one of her regular women empowerment groups

There is no doubt that begging can become the main reason for children not to attend school. In a country with a highly evident caste system and karma believed in, donations to beggars can add up and seem a much better time investment than sending children to school.

The sad reality is the teary eyes and ripped clothes of a child can easily provide more of an income from an extended hand than some can earn from their main jobs.

Sonu stood by her aim though and the number of students who have gone on from her small schools to higher certificate education is evident.

Delhi

We walk down a dusty train track, an old and tired engine slowly makes its way along the line heading away from the smog of Delhi. We arrive at what appeared on first glance to be a pile of rubble. As a stained yet colourful cloth was lifted, a room of ladies knitting and smiling back appears.

It isn’t just Children who need opportunities here, everyone should have the chance to grow. The projects for empowering women work alongside the schools, giving these ladies the time to concentrate and learn whilst their children do the same a few doors down.

Work opportunities are slim here, many people working almost like a factory line and being paid a measly sum upon completing 1000+ items.

Through small projects and on the ground job opportunities from visitors have provided work at a good and fair price, slowly skills are being developed and opportunities presenting themselves.

“I hope slowly this community will grow and education will bring more opportunities to everyone.” she says as we depart. Although we all walk away in silence, there is no doubt we are all thinking the same thing.

This woman and her passion is undescribable.

To discover how you too can make a difference in India, join us on our ‘Golden Triangle with a Twist’ tour