India Project
The India trip has been running since 2005 and has been a popular choice for students ever since. The primary purpose of the trip is to work with children sponsored by the charity we support, Prem Dan, meaning ‘gift of love’. This is a charity which provides education for poor children, many who live in the large slums in Mumbai. Aquinas College has supported this charity since 2003, when our Aquinas India Project was first established with the aim of raising funds to sponsor children to go to school.
The itinerary for the trip includes approximately 6 days in Mumbai, our students plan and deliver art and craft workshops to pre-school children and sports and games workshops with the older children sponsored by Prem Dan. Aquinas students are encouraged to get involved in fundraising for the educational materials we take for the workshops and that are left with the school. Students are also required to attend 6 planning sessions prior to the trip in order to prepare for these workshops. During their time in Mumbai, students get to explore Colaba, the area we stay in, located in south Mumbai, home to the famous Taj Mahal hotel and the Gateway of India and to see highlights of the city on a tour of Mumbai and a boat trip to Elephanta Island.
The second part of the trip allows students to see another part of India, either by internal flight or overnight train. We have visited many places on previous trips including the Taj Mahal in Agra, tiger safaris in Ranthambore and Tadoba, Goa, tea plantations in Kerala, and the Pink City and Amber Fort in Jaipur. The trip usually takes place the week before February half term for 10 days and is open to both Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth students. The cost of the trip is approximately £2,400, but this depends on the cost of international flights and the itinerary. This trip is organised in a bespoke way each year rather than through an educational tour company.
Students who come on the India trip benefit in many ways, developing leadership, teamwork and teaching skills, greater cultural awareness, confidence, and gaining a different perspective. If you have any questions about the India trip or the Aquinas India project, please send an email to priya.bradshaw@aquinas.ac.uk.
