Life-changing Volunteeer Experience

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Life-changing Volunteeer Experience

CLAIR HEWITT reflects upon her time in Northern India living and working with a community formed to support Tibetan children with special needs

I HAVE been back here in the Heartland for 3 months now, and am only just beginning to surface from the culture shock.

Before you read on, I would like to send many, many Tashi Deleks from all the children and staff at Ngoenga School for your financial generosity. It paid for a communal washing/sluice area which was much needed, and got built whilst I was over there. And, of course, a personal thank you from me for supporting a journey and experience that has changed my life forever.

I arrived in India in late January at Ngoenga School for Tibetan Children with Special Needsto work as a volunteer for 4 months and share my skills as a Music and Art Therapist. With the support of the local Highland Perthshire community, my ’Ngoenga Angels’, who had with much generosity, dug deep into their pockets at various fundraising events, I settled into my new home with - naturally - some anxieties, but also with the excitement and willingness to serve to the best of my abilities.

Ngoenga School was seed funded by the Tibetan Government in Exile after H.H Dalai Lama expressed his desire to provide a school where some of the 1006 disabled children in the Tibetan refugee community could be offered educational and palliative care that could not be offered in mainstream school owing to their special needs. So, land was found just north of Dehradun in a tranquil spot, with the Himalayan waters flowing not so far away at Sahastradara Falls, and buzzards freewinging down from lofty heights of the Mussoorie Hill Station.

In March 2000 Ngoenga School was opened with 26 children and a small team of staff. Ngoenga is now a thriving community, school and home for 10 months of the year to 50 Tibetan children with Special needs between the ages of 6 and 22 years, and the 30+ staff. They come from Tibetan settlements far and near. Their disabilities vary from hearing impairment, autism, cerebral palsy, muscular distrophy to some children with Multiple special needs.

At first I spent time in each classroom observing the children, finding out their abilities speech wise, their motor skills, concentration and generally what made them tick! It was also important for me and the teachers to build a good working relationship and, given the language differences, this took time and patience but a combination of English, signing and a good sense of humour helped. Music, Dance and Art are a language in themselves, so once I began to work creatively in the classes we found we were using a multi dimensional spectrum of communication.

I hope to return next year to Dehradun and share more of what I do here as a Music and Art Therapist. Maybe the garden we created will be full of vegetables, the school walls adorned with butterflies and paper flowers. One thing is for sure, that the children will still greet the day with a spontaneous song and smile on their lips,and their giggling and laughter will rise and fall throughout the day as naturally as the birdsong all about.

I am available to give talks and a slideshow to any local organisations that are interested. I just ask for donations which will go directly to Ngoenga School. I am planning to show my slides at The Locus Centre in Aberfeldy on Thursday 26 October during One World Week at 7.30pm. Look out for posters!