Cranford Review 2016

From
Friday 1st July for 10 days,
Cranford Community College
High Achiever sixth form students travelled to
the Panjab in North India visiting charitable
organisations supporting
education, health, social and
wellbeing of the most vulnerable
in society regardless.
The trip was set up by the school
to provide work experience
for Cranford students and
opportunities for cultural exchange
between them and the organisations
visited. This visit provided a unique
experience of and insights into the
humanitarian work being carried out.
The students were placed for work
experience at the Guru Nanak
Mission Hospital Jalandhar in
Panjab and were involved in
the day-to-day running of the
hospital and clinics, shadowing
or directly assisting doctors and
nurses. They observed operations in the theatre and accompanied doctors on their ward
rounds and in their clinics. This work experience has provided Cranford Community
College students with experience, knowledge and understanding of the medical practices
which will give them a lead in securing places at the most prestigious universities.
In addition to the work experience the students visited the Pingalwara (a charity which
provides shelter, care, education and medical services for the poor and destitute of
society) and the Unique Home for Girls (a home for unwanted, unclaimed and orphaned female
children). Cranford students spent time with the children in both organisations particularly focusing
on caring and helping with literacy skills.
At a school run for the child labourers in the slums of Jalandhar and during their
visit the students were able to facilitate some English teaching.
The students worked in
a number of charitable
organisations and were able
to see how such groups were
serving their fellow humans, supporting the most
vulnerable in society and then reconnecting
many within the communities.
Also on the agenda were visits to the Golden
Temple and the Fouress School
in Amritsar. At the school they
participated in discussions
on talent, creativity, values
on education and exchanged
experiences of their own
schools.
Sabhi Hothi (Consultant and Trip organiser)
“Amidst all the exam and course work chaos I don’t think
I really had the opportunity to sit and deeply think of the
trip I was set to go on. My initial thoughts were; “I don’t
want to be a doctor so will this trip be useful for me?”.
However having work experience abroad, regardless of what
field would prove useful. Yet the trip proved to be so much
more than work experience, more like a life experience.
Visiting the Pingalwara was truly eye-opening. There is so
much negative stigma attached to the idea of disabled and
diseased people to the point where it is heart-breaking to see
the consequences. Seeing how quickly attached the children
there became to anyone they see and the happiness they
received from the smallest of things. This was also the case
at the unique girls’ home where the girls had been protected
from the harsh realities of poverty because of the goodness
of one woman who decided that girl’s lives were equal to that
of boys. It made me realise that it takes initive to help and it
just goes to show that if we truly do want to help we can”.
Sahithiya Natarajan (year 12)
30