Tullamore students return from a ‘life changing’ volunteer trip to Mumbai
By Rebekah O'Reilly
A group of Tullamore students from Coláiste Choilm secondary school recently returned from a life-changing trip to Mumbai in India.
The group of 22 TY and 5th year students, two past students, and five teachers, spent two and a half weeks in the South Asian city as part of the school's India Immersion Project.
Coordinated by teacher Ray O'Donovan, the project has been running since the year 2000, with the school carrying out more than 10 trips over the past 25 years.
Coláiste Choilm prepared the students for the trip with weekly meetings to inform them of the NGOs and charities that they would be visiting, and the intensity of the conditions in Mumbai.
When asked by the Offaly Independent about their first impression of Mumbai, the boys all shared the same sentiment; “pure shock”.
“Nothing can prepare you for what you see out there,” student Cillian Gaffey said. “We did have meetings in preparation for the trip, but to see it with your own eyes is another thing altogether.”
The boys spent time volunteering with a number of different groups and organisations throughout their stay in India, and they noted three in particular that had a huge impact on them. These were: the Shelter Don Bosco, the Good Shepherd Foundation, and Prem Sedan Girls Orphanage.
Student Dáire Boland said: “We visited some homes with the Good Shepherd Foundation. We went to a house where a family of five were living. The main room was just a tiny 2m by 2m box room, and they had a tiny kitchen with no stove. They just had a gas cylinder with an open flame to cook. The floors were tiled, and they slept in the main room on sheets.
“It was just life-changing to see people living in such harsh conditions. That family used to be farmers, and they moved to Mumbai for a better life. It was just extraordinary to think that these conditions were a better life for them.”
Shayne Tobin added: “They had this sense of contentment, even through, in our view, they had nothing.”
The students also spent time working with The Grace Foundation, an NGO in Chembur which provides free shelter, food, medical, and psychiatric treatment to those in need. Some students went out on ambulance patrols with the organisation to get a hands-on look at their work.
“The police report the people in need to the foundation,” Shayne said. “They would take people off the streets who are seriously wounded, people struggling mentally, or those who are at risk of dying. It's a really bleak existence inside the Grace Foundation. It's basically one long thin corridor, and the people just sit there staring at the wall all day.”
Dáire added: “It was really eye-opening to go out with the ambulance, and we picked up these people that were maybe two or three days from dying. They had maggots all around them. Two weeks later, they saw us again, and they remembered we were the ones who helped them.”
Mr O'Donovan said: “It is grim, and the facilities are narrow, but if these men weren't in the Grace Foundation, they wouldn't survive for much longer. That's the reality.”
Prem Sedan Girls Orphanage in Madh Island was another stop on the boys' journey. They were welcomed with music and dance, as the girls dressed in their best dresses and headbands for the occasion.
The students also spent their evenings visiting the Shelter Don Bosco in Matunga, a shelter for older boys who were closer in age to the TY and 5th year students from Coláiste Choilm.
“A lot of those boys would've come up through the shelters network, and now they're preparing to go to college or university,” Mr O'Donovan explained. “We would go there every evening, and the lads would play football with them and cricket and various games like that.”
Daire added: “There were two younger boys there, Dheep and Asis, and the day we were leaving was so sad. We were there every evening for over two weeks to play with them, but they didn't understand that we wouldn't be back. I'll probably never see them again, but I don't think I'll ever forget the evenings we spent with them.”
Whilst the students spent a lot of time immersed in the hardships of life in Mumbai, they all agreed that the experience left them with an overarching feeling of positivity.
“I brought the guitar everywhere with me,” said Eoin Óg Scully. “From the men and women in the Grace Foundation to the Shelter Don Bosco to the girls orphanage. The main thing was that we brought a smile to their faces. We'd play the same three songs over and over, and although they didn't understand the words, music does have this uniting quality.”
At the end of each day, the students and teachers would debrief, with each of the boys sharing their thoughts, concerns and experiences. These meetings were an integral part of the trip, allowing students to process what they had seen.
Student Evan Murphy said the India immersion trip made them all appreciate what they have at home that little bit more.
“I could just appreciate how we are loved and cared for at home, and there are people in India who are not as fortunate. It was a really enriching experience, and being able to give back to those who are in need is something I'll never forget.”
Cillian Gaffey added: “I definitely came home feeling very grateful. These people had so little possessions and they were so content.
“You really see the importance of the relationships you have with other people, and that being with your friends and family is really your most prized possession.”
Coláiste Choilm is now working on creating a video to share the experiences of the 22 boys on their trip to Mumbai, and the school intends to launch the video in the coming weeks.