Henry Compton School students complete Raleigh expedition in India

Students and teachers of Henry Compton school in Fulham have recently completed a 10 day Raleigh expedition to India. The students were selected by their school to participate in a community project as reward for their outstanding achievements in last summers GSCE exams.

3 teachers, 2 Raleigh staff and 11 pupils worked alongside the villagers in the remote settlement of Telegu Massahilli, constructing 16 sanitation units. These units dramatically improve the quality of water that the local people rely on. Completing 16 units is a fantastic accomplishment which will really have a positive impact on the health and well -being  of the local people.

The participants were lucky enough to visit India during the Diwali festival, where their close contact with the local people gave them a unique experience of India's culture and traditions.

"The community project was great. It gave us a chance to establish and explore different people's culture and thoughts. We became very close to all of the community. We also could see that they appreciated our work and were proud of the outcome. It was a life changing experience" Ali Freek

Once all the hard work was done the students enjoyed a foot safari through Bandipur National Park where they were thrilled to see lots of wildlife in the natural habitat. It was then back home to continue their education  and to reflect their experiences of the past 10 days...

Eric Basra summed up his experience as the "the best part of my life so far"

Read their blog entry for more about what they got up to.