Yearoutindia, Volunteer Travel & Discover - Linking Rural Schools in India

LINK SCHOOL PROJECT

Click here for project details and volunteer testimonials

This year we have been working in association with Abbey Grange Church of England High School, Humanities College, Leeds, England, UK on a specific school link project with the whole school fundraising to improve the sanitation facilities at Holy Family Higher Secondary School in Alleppey, Kerala, INDIA. This project culminates with four post 16 students traveling to India and work with Yearoutindia to building the new sanitation facilities for the link school. Students will have direct control of the funds raised by school and will implement the project from start to finish whilst also exploring the beautiful region of Kerala.

Link Coordinator: Ruth Gibson

This link was developed as part of my role as UK coordinator for Yearoutindia. I have taught in rural schools in India as part of Yearoutindia volunteer programs and I act as a UK Coordinator for Yearoutindia, traveling regularly to India to visit the current project sites and schools. I also help identify new school link projects suitable for Yearoutindia volunteer programs. In the UK I am a full time teacher at Abbey Grange in the Art Department.

Establishing the Link

During one of my visits to India, I visited the Holy Family Higher Secondary School and identified their need for improved sanitation facilities, in particular for the girls. The school currently has no purified water, children drink unpurified ground water and the 1500 girls at the school have access to only 10 toilets that are in very poor repair. Having seen the facilities at first hand and understood the plea from the nuns who manage Holy Family School, I felt that this school would benefit greatly from the help and support that Yearoutindia projects can provide. I decided to establish a link with my own school Abbey Grange to help establish a link and fundraise for the project.

Abbey Grange Global Justice Group Support the Projects

At Abbey Grange our pupils led Global Justice Group were keen to be involved and motivate the whole school to raise £1000 needed to build the new sanitation facilities. The students launched the 'Spend a Penny Campaign' by conducting talks and assemblies, putting up posters and leaving jars in all form rooms for pupils to collect their loose change. The head teacher also agreed to donate money from non-uniform days towards this project. The school as a whole is well on its way to raising the £1000 target. This campaign also supports the UN International Year of Sanitation helping to reach the Millennium development goals.


Poor sanitation is a major cause for lost work and school days because of illness. Girls in particular miss out on educational opportunities because of the lack of clean and safe latrines in schools. - UN Report Support the United Nations Year of Sanitation 2008 and make a real difference	There is a global crisis in sanitation and water. 2.6 billion people struggle without sanitation, 1.1 billion people live without access to safe water; 5000 children die every day due to preventable water related diseases and women waste hours each day in the search for water -The End Water Poverty campaign is demanding immediate action.

Miss Ruth Gibson - YOI Link
School Coordinator

Existing toilet facility available for more than 1000 girls

Unpurified drinking water taps used by school children

North South Linking

Besides an awareness raising program and the letter exchange with Y9 pupils, post 16 students will be traveling to Kerala this summer to take part in the renovation project. The pupilswill have direct control and responsibility for the funds raised by Abbey Grange to plan and build the much needed sanitation facility for the Holy Family School. During the volunteers visit to India they are looked after and supported by Yearoutindia who provide all the project related support, guidance, food, accommodation. Yearoutindia and also supports and encourages volunteers to spend their free time exploring the lush landscape of Kerala and India's rich culture and traditions. There are also opportunities for the volunteers to enrich the global dimension at Abbey Grange by developing curriculum links for departments such as Geography; visiting the vast tea plantations at Munnar set in the Western Ghat mountain range and looking at farming practices in Kerala studied as part of the GCSE curriculum. The volunteer students shared their experiences with the whole school on their return to Abbey Grange.

Both schools benefit by having a North-South school link, enabling possibilities to enrich the global dimension in education, build a learning exchange between the two schools, supporting International work and links. The post 16 students who are Yearoutindia volunteers have developed new found confidence through their fund raising efforts. Whilst in India the volunteers gained project management skills, experience of working in a different cultural setting, develop their interpersonal skills and had a fantastic experience exploring South India.

If you are interested in developing your own school link project in association with Yearoutindia with schools in South India, either in fundraising or culminating in a volunteer project please contact me at ruth@yearoutindia.com

Letter Exchange