India Expedition: Day 7 — April 10th, 2018 — The Walking School Bus

Just 350 km away from Delhi, in a village that barely has 100 homes, a team of 20 volunteers partnered with the Himalayan Public School. What we have been able to achieve in a week’s time along with the local teachers is nothing short of spectacular.

At HPS Suyalgarh, the solar-powered classroom is all set up and the SiMBi reading program is up and running. The students and the teachers were very eager to begin using the program. It was wonderful to see and hear them reading along with the passages recorded by volunteers around the world.

A few members of the team embarked to HPS Chopra to set up the water catchment system, and to compile the information from the children’s questionnaires regarding their commute to the school (e.g., distance traveled, means of transport). These questionnaires have provided invaluable information and will help TWSB facilitate their transportation requirements.

The HPS Chopra students were proud to show off their academic skills while working on the Polaroid activity, and they were excited to have personal pictures taken of themselves. Students verbalized and wrote down their family members, what they want to be when they grow up, some of their favorite foods, and more. This activity provided our team an opportunity to further our meaningful connections with the children as we found we had many similarities. Following the activity, the worksheets with the students’ pictures were hung on the classroom walls for all to see.

After our visits to the schools, several members of our team went for a swim at the Dhokane Falls, while others chose to hike near our guest house.

Originally published at https://thewalkingschoolbus.com on April 21, 2018.