We needed to get a visa, sort out insurance, fill in the World Vision forms to apply to visit Saloni and attend a Child Safeguarding meeting at Milton Keynes prior to the visit. Of course there were flights, transfers, hotels, inoculations and malaria tablets to organise - it was quite daunting.
Katie at World Vision was very helpful and guided us through the whole process and everyone was very friendly and accomodating.
We were so excited to be visiting Saloni. We had corresponded with her over the years and had received photos and reports about her and the community she lived in. We knew what our sponsorship contributions had been used for; not only for our child but for her community as well.
The difference our sponsorship had made was apparent but we really wanted and needed to meet her and her family. We felt that we knew her but only up to a point
Philip and I are not special; we both came from fairly ordinary backgrounds. My father was an agricultural worker, and my mum worked in a laundry and then in a department store. We grew up wearing ‘hand-me-downs’, so we both appreciate our standard of living now and that we are comfortable. For this reason we wanted to make sure that Saloni was healthy and that we were making a difference; we also wanted to put a voice to the face we were familiar with, even though we knew it would be through an interpreter.
When the date for departure came around we were in a state of excitement mixed with apprehension and a bit of fear. I’m not very comfortable with flying and even worse in a car so I was more nervous about that than actually meeting Saloni. My husband was more nervous about all the travel arrangements as our visit and holiday involved seven flights and two train journeys; he’s a stickler for being on time or early and I tend to be late for everything! However we needn’t have worried as our travel agents and the company they used for transfers and guides were fantastic.
On the day of our visit, we were picked up from out hotel by two of the World Vision drivers and staff and driven via the longest bridge in Asia to their offices. It was apparent that they were very proud of their offices and their work.
They were all splendid, friendly, dedicated staff and made us feel very special
The staff all spoke perfect English, which made us feel utterly useless. After a tour of their offices and the explanation of what they do, we asked how many sponsors had visited their children. Their answer was astonishing as they had only one visit last year and we were the first in 2015. I suppose, like us, it's difficult to commit to such a long journey and the expense when your own family comes first. We took lots of photos of the staff and the office and they also took many photos. It was obvious that this was a very special occasion for them and we felt truly humbled.
The time came for us to leave the offices and go to meet Saloni. It was then that the whole meaning of meeting her hit me. I knew that I would be emotional and there would be tears because that’s my nature.
I had thought about her for years and tried to imagine what her life was like and hoped she was happy
On the journey to her village we asked questions and the staff told us all about the area. As in most of India there seemed to be a mix of classes, the haves and the have-nots. There would be little huts mixed in with brick-built houses, tarmac roads which ran into dirt tracks, roadside markets and proper shops. As we got to Saloni’s village I found it quite overwhelming, not because of the poverty, as each and every child I saw was happy and smiling, but because I was getting more and more emotional about meeting her. I was swallowing hard to stop crying! It was with some relief when we were drawing to a halt near her house. We were taken up some steps of quite a large brick-built house and offered a seat on a raised seating area. There were a few people that had gathered around. Then Saloni and her mother ran out and bowed down to touch our feet. I think they were saying something at the same time but I’m afraid it was all a bit of a blur. I certainly wasn’t prepared for this and I know I sobbed a little bit but managed to get my act back together while Saloni presented us with bouquets of flowers she had picked from around her village. I think the village must have been stripped bare, judging by the amount of flowers she gave us!
We spoke using our interpreter; we asked if she was well, how she was doing at school and other general questions. It did feel a bit awkward, which I expected, doubly so because we were being treated like royalty and we are very ordinary people.
We had been prepared for anything and everything, including extreme poverty and a lack of home comforts so I didn’t think I would be shocked as long as Saloni was happy and reasonably healthy
Saloni then took my hand and we were led through to the back of the house, where there was a sunken courtyard and another raised seat in the shade, where we were invited to sit. We were introduced to her brother, a very handsome young man and her mother, who was very slight like Saloni and the same age as myself (I’m a Grandma to a 10 and 8 year old). We were introduced to Saloni's mentor, also, who told us that she was doing very well with her education, picking up information very quickly. We presented Saloni with some presents; a couple of footballs (suggested by World Vision as being suitable), we thought that her school could maybe have one, some felt-tips and other stationery items in a pencil case (her eyes lit up at this), a T-shirt I’d printed, a scrapbook, some glue and a couple of photos. She appeared to love the family photo we had brought showing our family in our Christmas jumpers.
She asked if next time we visit all of our family could come!
I was feeling the heat and was touched when Saloni got a small fan and proceeded to keep me cool. We took numerous photos and one of the staff helped. We asked lots of questions and wanted to know who the other people were in the courtyard; they were volunteers who all work with the staff to help people in their community. Such lovely generous people. I applauded them and everyone joined in.
We were given soap and water to wash our hands and then invited to share some food with the family. We moved into a room at the side of the house which turned out to be Saloni's bedroom. It was quite basic, with a TV which apparently didn’t work and hardly any clothes or other items which we would normally expect to find in a 12 year old’s bedroom. We were given a stainless steel plate with piping hot food to eat. We had curry, rice, naan bread, some sort of curd dish made from milk from the family cow and another sweet dish. This was a very personal experience for myself, my husband and Saloni.
She had a beautiful smile and although her circumstances and home were not the best you could tell that she was happy
Not long after this we bid farewell and gave and received hugs from Saloni and her mum who smiled and reciprocated. I was so grateful that she had allowed us to meet her daughter, as presumably she could have refused.
Saloni's school was in the next village; we had to go the long way round as part of the route was flooded or blocked. When we arrived there was a group of men waiting for us who did look a bit bemused, but I think this was probably due to us arriving on their day off. We talked via an interpreter again to the head and other teachers. The school has several hundred pupils in a fairly substantial building on the edge of the village with a large playing field in front of it.
The most shocking thing about the buildings was there was no electricity at all and when the torrential downpour happened, during our visit, you could barely see inside the classroom. Unlike some of the schools that do come under World Vision’s area this school had no reliable source of water, and the water that was available naturally, contained high levels of arsenic and other contaminants.
Saloni’s teacher said that she was a good student, that her attendance was fantastic. He also said that he felt a little restricted by the lack of electricity and sometimes took his laptop into school so the students could at least see a computer.
Next stop was a school on the road back to Saloni’s village to see their water purifying equipment that World Vision had installed. Two women were washing stainless steel dishes under a tap and it was explained to us that some of the water was fit to do the washing up and that after another filter it was fit to drink.
World Vision have installed water purifying equipment into several schools in the area they cover which must have made it considerably safer for the children
It seemed to be a very successful piece of equipment. We were shown a classroom at this school where World Vision had also supplied very sturdy looking desks and bench ensembles. We could see wires but the classroom was very basic compared to our standards in the UK. We appreciate that for the children in this area it is probably wonderful for them to have decent furniture but for us it was quite a culture shock.
We said a very sad ‘Goodbye’ to Saloni at this point and to one or maybe two of the staff and continued on to have lunch at a reliable hotel. By reliable I mean that the staff said all the meat, (chicken in this case) was properly roasted/grilled so would be safe to eat. The hotel had set up a table in a separate room for our group and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal; we had a fantastic sweet which was like a very sticky sweet doughnut. We talked a bit more about their work and thanked them for the day, which we felt was brilliant from start to finish. Saloni was just how I had imagined her, it’s hard to be specific, but from the photos we’d received I could kind of tell what her character would be like. She was both quiet and outgoing, very polite and studious. She loved colouring, which is why we got her the felt-tips.
We were taken back to our hotel over that very long bridge with traffic that has to be seen to be believed. The end of a very memorable day, one we will never forget and one we will treasure until we return. After seeing Saloni we really want to return and will not be so concerned about the paperwork and travel arrangements next time. Huge thanks to all the World Vision staff in the UK and in India for making our visit possible.
If you are already sponsoring a child and undecided about committing to a visit then just do it; it is a life changing opportunity. If you are thinking about sponsoring a child, then again, just do it. World Vision are doing such great work and by sponsoring a child you are not just helping and supporting that child but you are providing for the whole community.
