India outreach project

By Chu Kok Loong

Year 3, Sociology Major


The foundation of the sewing house


The amount of construction left before we left

When I first decided to take on the role of a leader to guide an Overseas Community Involvement Project (OCIP), I knew it was not going to be easy. A huge responsibility was bestowed upon me. Together with three other leaders Darren Ng Zi How, Tan Jing Jiat and Sabrina Amir Soh, we led 22 fellow Kent Ridgeans to India for our OCIP. That was an unforgettable trip hosted by the Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission.

Our mission in "Project Love" was to reach out to the women of Banbasa Village in the state of Uttakarkhand, India. For a living, the women sell logs that they cut down at nearby forests. We decided to build a sewing house for them so that with proper sewing lessons, they might be able to earn some income through tailoring.

I learned a lot about Indian culture and the way things work in India. It definitely added depth to my knowledge of the world.

On a personal level, I have grown a lot from being the leader of a group of students with diverse backgrounds and ages in this mission. I gained the most satisfaction from seeing the whole project take off and everyone edified by his or her own experiences and takeaways. I learned how to manage the group's feelings and views through finding out how the participants individually feel about certain decisions and actions.

One of the most memorable moments would definitely be the day when I gave the team a pleasant surprise. One of the afternoons, I told the team: "Grab a few shovels and let's load up onto the trailer. We'll be going to the other side to get sand!" As soon as everyone was on the trailer, I told them about the surprise trip to the "plot" (an empty piece of land in the jungle where the locals go to relax) to celebrate one of our members' birthday! Everyone was delighted and all of them brightened up.

If there was one thing I regretted, it was not extending the trip. I strongly encourage previous Youth Expedition Project participants to take up this role and experience the process of planning a project.

Overall, it was an enriching and meaningful experience like no other. And given a chance, I would do it again.