News from Charlie Two In The Hills of Tamil Nadu

Anna, Ruth and I recently enjoyed a brief visit to Charlie Two at their bijou ‘home from home’ in Chapanthodu, a small tribal village nestling among the hilly tea plantations of Tamil Nadu.

The hospitality of the team and the local people was superb, including an Agatha Christie style murder mystery the team had conjured up for us! Did we guess the guilty party? We’re still waiting to find out!

Here are a few photos I took, and a short ‘hello’ video of the team. But first, a guest blog kindly written by Carline to give you a feel for how well they’ve settled in.

Hello, home! This is the first message from the fantastic Charlie Two group.

 At this moment it’s 10 pm, and we’re all in our tents chatting with our roomies and laying on our beloved muddy ground. It’s only been five days since we left Fieldbase, but we already have loads of new experiences!

After we left at 7 o’clock on Wednesday morning we started the phase with a lovely Indian breakfast on our way. We drove five hours until we arrived in the village, called Chapanthodu. We received an incredibly warm welcome from the villagers, who handed us beautiful flower bouquets and necklaces. They led us to our new ‘home sweet home’ for the next three weeks, and we were given our first cup of chai.

Our home means a little actual house where we can store our bags and tools, and where we enjoy delicious meals made by the villagers together, in front of which is a muddy space of ground where we have pitched our tents.

The first few days were full of … RAIN. From the moment we arrived until 48 hours later, it rained non-stop. But that didn’t stop us from working! As everyone got completely soaked, and the wet muddy ground almost washed us away, we started digging the toilets in the village. The first stage included digging the foundation and the cesspits for the toilets.

Luckily the villagers were all extremely friendly and helpful, so most of us stayed dry for at least the nights. Being here has made us reinvent the idea of eating by candlelight and waterproof jackets!

After three days we finally saw the sun, and we could have a good look at the beautiful environment we’re living in. The place is surrounded by tea plantations, palm trees, rainforests and hills.

The next stage in the project is cementing the foundations, as we spent the last two days on making the cement slabs. We’re now happily enjoying the sun, and the peaceful living up here. Can’t wait to update you guys again, and let’s hope the sun will keep shining for us!

Love, Charlie Two.

A compact living environment

'These boots are made for working'

Before work - an energizer ...

... and a curious onlooker

Working now - transporting bricks by human chain

250 bricks later

Another beneficiary house, ...

Another toilet, ...

And another breakfast! Carline sitting on the right. Anna asking for more?

Charming and hospitable beneficiaries

Lastly, here's a quick hello from the team ...

News from the other three projects will follow very soon.