Grace Milner, Past President of Interact Club of Sandbach, attended a recent meeting of Rotary Club of Sandbach, to talk about her experiences whilst spending 14 weeks in India on a Rotary New Generation Service Exchange scheme.

She said that the first seven weeks were spent in Tamil Nadu staying on a farm with the Florence House Foundation. The Foundation helps children and women from poor rural areas. They have a hostel for boys, organise embroidery classes for women, run a micro-credit scheme and manage an organic farm.

Grace said she had visited lots of villages and saw how the micro-credit scheme supported small businesses like a pottery or gave a loan to build a cow shed.

She also went to lots of schools and showed photos of a classroom in where there was only one desk: this was for the teacher – the children sat on the floor. But she said that all the children were happy and enthusiastic.

A visit was made to the Rotary Club of Pondicherry – a small club, said Grace, but with many projects. She also visited an Interact Club held at a school in Pondicherry.

Grace said her programme was very busy – she celebrated Diwali with her host family; visited lots of temples and palaces; planted rice and drove a tractor. A memorable moment was in meeting an elephant at the Pondicherry temple.

From Tamil Nadu she travelled by train to Cochin in Kerala.

Most of her time in Cochin was spent volunteering at the Adarsh School for special needs children. It currently has 263 students as well as organising an outreach programme to remote villages. Grace was attached to the vocational department where students are taught how to make candles; jewelry; chapattis; etc.

Whilst visiting the school of architecture and design, set up by her host, she met an international group of Rotary Exchange students and joined them for some of their social activities.

Grace said that perhaps the highlight of the whole trip was to spend two nights at the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, home to many endangered animals including elephants and tigers

Grace ended by thanking members of the club for their support and said that the trip to India had been an incredible experience and she couldn’t wait to go back.