Day Four in Kolkata: A Day of Hope

After a jam-packed few days, we were all grateful for a half an hour lie-in this morning. By 8:45am we were ready for the bus that would bring us to the Hope Foundation. Here, we visited a creche which is organised by the Hope Foundation and we were greeted by many young children. Each one of them was so bright-spirited, enthusiastic and full of energy. Unfortunately, we learned that some of these children had to leave early to return to prison which is where they live with their parents and many of these children don't have a place to call home so the creche is their safe place. In spite of this, the children were welcoming and never failed to make us smile. They amazed us with their English nursery rhymes and coordinated dance moves and they most definitely out did us! It was a beautiful morning but challenging to think of the circumstances from which they come. It made us appreciate everything we have and we were so in awe of the work of the Hope Foundation and the structure they give to the children.

We then followed on to the Hope Foundation Training Centre. There, we discovered a tailoring room where various 6 month courses took place. This course provided the students with essential skills that enabled them to secure a future job. This was the same for the beauty and computer courses that they provided in the centre. We were fortunate to speak to a man who was taking the computer course which aided him in securing a scholarship in a college in Florida, where he will embark on a year long immersion, obtaining invaluable skill sets to progress his future career. We believe this correlates with our ethos, 'Actions not Words', as although money is valuable, education is invaluable as it can provide hope and promise for the future. The Hope Foundation is a great example of this. 

After this visit, we ate lunch in the Hope Cafe. The food and service was top-class and it was extra-special knowing that the people working there were hospitality students, again, supported by the Hope Foundation. We ate delicious food and after a quick bathroom stop, we walked down to the Hope Shop. Our shopping addictions came to the fore, as demonstrated by the array of items we filled our bags with, with the proceeds going to the worthy Hope Foundation. We all bought at least one pair of new colourful pants and some surprises to bring home to those who are lucky enough!

Next, we hopped on the bus which brought us to the Hope Hospital. This hospital provides healthcare to the poorest of the poor and we were shocked but heartened to learn that 80% of funds are facilitated by Irish donors. Although we couldn't visit the wards due to COVID-19 restrictions, the situations of the many patients were explained to us by the very helpful and welcoming Dr. Chakaroborty. He taught us about the tireless efforts of the staff and volunteers at the Hope Hospital and explained that it is the only hospital in Kolkata that will admit people of the street-connected and slum-dwelling. Something that really struck us was how we got to see first hand where the money from donations from Ireland goes, such as to the new pathology laboratory. We also saw the ambulance that Ms. Mooney fundraised for back in the day. Overall, having the opportunity to witness what the Hope Hospital does was beyond anything we could have imagined before.

At the end of our visit, we got back on the bus and drove back to St Joseph's School. By now, it was nearly 6pm and we were all tired. We had the opportunity to meet some friends of HCK, such as Jim and Conor, who are volunteers out here in Kolkata, which again, was simply inspirational. After a few games of cards, we had dinner and started our reflection time. We value this time as it allows us to express our thoughts on what we have experienced during the day. We were all exhausted and went to bed early to be ready for another exciting day ahead.