Farewell Foxtrots!

While comms officer Marie is away digging elephant trenches with the Echoes of Huskurhadi, it falls to me, field base medic Louise, to bring you the sad news that we have said farewell to 10H.

The foxtrots have brought us fun, laughter, enthusiasm and a sense of adventure in their short five weeks in India. They leave behind 16 new composting toilets in Gandathur, improved sanitation and cultural understanding in Morarji Desai Boarding School, Madapura, and 900m of solar powered elephant-proof fencing around the village of Thangamali, as well as countless friends and happy memories.

Foxtrot One demonstrate how to make a slops pit

Alissa modelling the latest fasion in safety goggles

Abul, David and Amy laying it on thick

Beth proves the benefits of a mud facemask

David, Alissa, Sophie and Samantha with their completed wall

A few of Foxtrot Two's little flowers

 Hard at work with the masons

Sats and Grace getting wired up

Brijith, Leanne and Karman doing some fencing

And let's not forget the thrills and excitement of the adventure phase. That all important title of "Adventure Challenge Foxtrot Winner" went to Foxtrot One. Their fantastic teamwork, stamina, persistence and all-round greatness won the day against stiff competition from the other two teams.

Adventure Challenge Foxtrot Winners!

So it is with heavy hearts that we bid our Foxtrots farewell. We trust they had a safe and pleasant journey home, and will look back on their time here with satisfaction for giving it their all.  Foxtrots, we miss you already, you will not be forgotten!

Farewell Foxtrots!

In their own words

Foxtrot One

"We finally settled into a classrooom in Gandathur village school with the aim of building 16 eco-sanitation units for the villagers in conjunction with the charity MYKAPS. (One toilet unit was made up of two chambers, each one be used for six months each. The compost gathers below the toilet and is then used for farming purposes therefore making the toilets more environmentally friendly.)  Work began almost immediately with the group being split into various sites around the village helping the masons to lay the foundations of the toilets whilst simultaneously absorbing Indian culture and customs from the villagers. As the days went by and the work progressed we were thrown into a completely new and exciting way of living from waking up to the sounds of children already playing in the playground, to wonderful curry cooked by our brilliant chef in the evening after a hard day's work. Progress was slow at first due to a lack of sand and other materials but as soon as they arrived the toilets went up incredibly quickly thanks to the incredibly hard work of the masons and an enormous team effort.

Foxtrot One and classmates

Every day we returned to the school with a growing sense of achievement, feeling that we were really helping to improve theis community's quality of life. As well as the construction work, we also built up an amazing friendship with the masons and were able to communicate with them incredibly efficiently irrespective of the language barrier. This made the time spent on the worksite fly by as did the copious amounts of chai  supplied by the villagers and the exctiement of the women as they dressed all the female venturers in saris (which look incredibly funny when teamed with walking boots!)

PMs Alissa and Annette pitched their tents close to the action

As the two weeks drew to a close and we prepared to bid farewell to Gandathur, a sense of great nostalgia swept over everyone. Massive highlights of the project included the overnight stay in an Indian house. This was an amazing experience for us all as it allowed us to experience rural Indian life fron a totally new and alarmingly different perspective. The project commenced in a ceremony put on by the locals as they welcomed us into their community with warmth and appreciation for the work we had done. This was ultimately demonstrated by the attendance of the local villagers and dignitaries. The locals dressed up in traditional Indian clothes - saris for the girls and lungis for the boys. We then proceeded to address the audience individually, thaking them for their kindness and telling them how much we've learnt from them and their community.

 Leaving Gandathur village was sad but we all agreed that we had learnt invaluable lessons from the community that we can't wait to share with our own communities back home. It's been a once in a lifetime experience and as a group we feel incredibly fortunate to have walked in Indian footsteps."

 

Amy explains her vision

Foxtrot Two

"Working at the Morarji Desai School, which is a boarding school for children in the surrounding area. We built a toilet, shower block and an adventure playground. We were able to teach the children in the evenings. Most nights we played volleyball - the children were better than us!! We were staying in a classrooom a previour Raleigh expedition built. It kept the rain our and that's all that mattered!"

Arnold collects water for the thirsty crew

 Kay and Isabel discuss education matters in the background

Sabrin and Raji cement their relationship
 

Foxtrot Three

"Our time on the environmental phase was a success in more ways than any of us could imagine. It was challenging arriving in the rain and having to set up camp, and tensions were high as to what lay ahead. As the next day came, and we had all survived the worst, spirits were high and we were all ready to give 100% to the project. Throughout the two weeks everyone worked fantasticly to get the solar fence complete, forming some of the best working chains ever seen. Whilst working hard we still managed to have a blast. There were jungle raves, amazing cooking, wake-up calls from noisy animals and constant singing. Fun was had from beginning to end and frienships were made that will last a lifetime. We completed the fence in great time, making the villagers happy they could live in peace, knowing that their crops were now safe from animals and they could now sleep without fear at night."

Day Leader Handover
Sophie Blunt

Now day two has been here and gone
We look around us and see how much we have done.
Tarp to keep us dry at night, plenty of food so that we do not fight.
A whiteboard of messages for the entire day that will hopefully schedule us enough time to play.
Even through the mud and grime we still dance and sing all the time.
But now I handover to the next day leader that we can get it done I will always be a believer.
And to every venturer from every nation, at the end of this there will be one hell of a celebration.
Friends for ever and ever, I can't think of anything better.

Poet Sophie in the swim

Jungle ravers...crazy days....