Life lessons await - Colaiste Choilm students set for transformative trip to Mumbai

15 students from Colaiste Choilm in Tullamore will embark on the trip of a lifetime on January 31 next year, when they and their teachers and two past-pupils will fly out to Mumbai as part of the 'Indian Immersion Project.'

While there, the students will get to experience first hand what life is like for those of similar age living in Mumbai and the disparity between their lives and the Indian students who have literally been taken off the streets and provided with shelter, food and and education.

Teacher Ray O'Donovan is the coordinator of the project in Colaiste Choilm which began in 2000. ''Nothing can really prepare you for India, it kind of hits the senses and it's a shock to the system. I remember when I went first, I was wondering, what was I doing here on that first night. No matter what we do, the lads won't be fully prepared and it will be a shock, but if we didn't have that sort of preparation done, many of them wouldn't cope with it.'' Mr O'Donovan says that to date there haven't been any problems with the Tullamore students being unable to handle the situation and he doesn't expect this time to be any different.

The Indian Immersion Project was started by religious teacher Dolores Foley back in 2000. The school was then under the auspices of the Christian Brothers and the project was introduced as the Edmund Rice Network Project. 10 schools from around Ireland were chosen and twinned with schools in either Zambia or India. Colaiste Choilm was twinned with Our Lady of Salvation High School in a suburb of Mumbai called Dadar.

Student Ronan Cleary is one of those travelling in January and he is looking forward to the challenge. Describing the Don Bosco Shelter where they will visit. Ronan says ''obviously it's no five star hotel, but it's keeping them [Mumbai students] away from homelessness and the bad areas. Mumbai has a population of around 22 million in a city around the same size as Dublin. It's a stark contrast to what we have here. We are going over to where they sleep which is also their school. We hope to help out as much as we can. The language may be a barrier, but we will try to help them out with what they are doing. We are not going to change Mumbai in 15 days but we can put a smile on somebody's face for an hour or have fun with them. They have had tough lives and they don't experience what we take for granted over here,'' says Ronan.

Fellow student Owen Og Scully says he is ''definitely looking forward to it. It will be life changing'' he believes. Owen explains how he and the other 14 students were chosen to go. ''We were told at the start of the year that there was an interview process. We had to write a four page essay on the reasons we would like to go and what benefits we would bring to it. When the essays went in we were all brought in for interviews. Mr O'Donovan, who is running the trip, interviewed us because anyone can write an essay on the internet, but in an interview you have to talk off the top of your head. Nearly 40 applied and we were brought into a room and 15 of us chosen. It was disappointing for a lot of people,'' explains Owen.

The lads are currently undertaking a programme of vaccines prior to their departure in January. These are for Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid along with a course of Malaria tablets.

''It's costly to do it,'' says Ray O'Donovan. ''Between flights, vaccinations, visas, and accommodation you are talking about maybe around €1,500 per person. We are fundraising. Our big fundraiser is on Sunday December, 15 which is 'Match for Mumbai' in O'Connor Park. This is between the students of Colaiste Choilm and a Faithful Selection team.This game will be the centrepiece of the fundraising effort in support of this extraordinary Project. People can donate online at https://matchformumbai.fundmajor.com/match-for-mumbai-info

Other fundraisers include the sale of calendars and organising markets. The participating students also return to their primary schools to give presentations and set up more fundraisers.

The school can show videos from previous trips indicating where exactly the money will go for those interested in contributing.

Throughout their stay in Mumbai, both students and teachers will actively participate in a diverse range of activities, including volunteering opportunities with local non-governmental organisations.These organisations are fully committed to tackling social, environmental and developmental challenges within the community. Any extra funds goes to these NGOs.

A description from a previous trip outlines what the students can expect when they arrive in Mumbai.''Traffic, people, noise, buses, taxis, overcrowded trains with no doors. Horns blowing, cows wandering around. Smells, slums, skyscrapers. People everywhere. Happy smiling people who have less than nothing.This is Mumbai a city of 20 million, they think, that has the worst slums in Asia and where real estate downtown is more expensive than Manhattan.This is crazy, say the wide eyed disbelieving Tullamore boys. How is this allowed to happen? Bollywood stars head towards the 7 star Taj Hotel while a baby lies abandoned on the footpath around the corner. This was to be our home for a while. Would we be immersed? Would we make a difference?''