100% of all donations made to Yatra Foundation are used to fund Yatra projects. No proceeds are used for any administrative costs, which are paid for by the founders or by the organisations and businesses that support Yatra's work.

Yatra Foundation Australia has the authority to fundraise under permit no. CFN/21179 in New South Wales and 10272 in Victoria.

A message from a supporter

by Alice Saies

I have just been at both the Faria school and the slum school in Kota and just wanted to send you all a brief update of how it all went.

Both schools offered different but equally wonderful experiences and I was highly impressed with the standard of English of the teachers and children in both the Kota and Faria Schools.

The teachers at both schools are incredible and work very hard and take immense pride in their jobs as teachers. They manage the children very well and are dedicated to trying to improve their teaching methods and English and they should all be extremely proud of the work that they do. All of the teachers looked after me so well, they welcomed me to their school and were warm, friendly, very inclusive and made me feel very comfortable and involved.

The teachers at the Kota slum school looked after me very well. They took me out one day after school to show me around, it was a great afternoon, and we all had a lot of fun. It was a good chance for them to speak to me in English. Being on my own and new in India, I really appreciated the time that they spent getting to know me, and the effort that they made to improve their English.

I also went out to the computer school which was really good, despite the problem of the power going on and off all the time and the children losing their work. I tried to get the computers to automatically save so they would not lose their work when the power randomly shuts down, I managed to get one working but I think that they may need a newer version of Microsoft in order for it to work properly. Despite this there skills are coming along well.

My time at Faria was extremely special, as I stayed with Radhayshyam and his beautiful family for the week. I could not have been made to feel more at home from the moment I arrived. Anything and everything I needed they got for me, and they made me feel very safe all the time. They allowed me to be a part of their family, they taught me how to cook things, and let me eat downstairs with them. Despite the language barrier we managed to communicate with my limited Hindi and my Hindi phrasebook, which proved helpful and created a lot of fun and laughter. Towards the end of the week they even started taking it in turns to sleep outside my room, telling me they were my "bodyguards" it was quite funny as Radhayshyam's 3 year old granddaughter even slept outside my room.

In fact every person at the Faria school, made me feel like I was part of their family. The teachers are incredible and the most genuine and kind group of people. We spent every afternoon, chatting and laughing and their English was very good. We also created a short skit that we performed to Maneesh and the children on my last day. It was very funny, and helped the teachers improve their English.

I bought the children at Faria a CD player and we spent most days learning new English songs. They seemed to really enjoy this and hopefully will continue to learn new songs and smile even after I have gone.

I also bought them the game "Twister" which they loved and is a really good way for them to learn both colours, left and right and also body parts.

Although the Faria school is still quiet new and has limited resources there is a very real sense of community out there, and the teachers and families that support it are endeavouring to do whatever it takes to make it a good school. They also have a good awareness of the problems in each of the villages and they seek to find solutions and to make the children aware of these problems as well.

You should all be extremely proud of what you have created, it is wonderful to watch the children be so engaged in the programs and activities offered. The variety of sport, pottery, carpentry, singing, dance, Hindi and English keep the children stimulated, happy and excited about school.

I can't thank you enough for allowing me to be a part of the Yatra Foundation. It was a challenging but extremely rewarding experience and I hope that I was able to be of some help to all of those that I spent time with.

I would like to visit the schools again next year, but in the mean time would love to be able to discuss with you all the things that I think will help improve Yatra and also what I may be able to offer Yatra in terms of helping in fundraising.

Thank you again for this wonderful opportunity. What people don't realise is that although there is a lot we can do for these children and families, they have so much that they can offer us about how to live. They are brave, positive, and kind, and they have the courage to get up each day and deal with their respective situations in a positive way. They embrace life despite their horrendous situation, and although they know that their situation could be better, they work together and remain hopeful.

Congratulations on what you have done, it has been an honour to be a part of Yatra. I look forward to seeing you all and showing you the photographs when I return to Australia.

Alice