Tag Archives: Chennai Challenge

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Tales of the unexpected.

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One aspect of being involved in Chennai Challenge is the unexpected. Many times in India we have had an unexpected situation that we have had to deal with, some positive and some not, all of which have added to the experience. This weekend is a little unexpected. Well not the weekend itself, but the fact that I am NOT training a team to go to Chennai. As part of the training for Chennai Challenge we normally use the early May bank holiday to take the team to a camp site a practise the activities they will be leading in Chennai, to fill in visa forms, to make sure they know the kit list and look at what it is like in Chennai. However, this year we are not taking a team, but doing a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ work to make sure the Charity is running efficiently and continue to help both volunteers from the UK and people in Chennai.  If you had asked me 18 months ago, I would not have expected this to happen.

I would like to share with you a few ‘unexpected’ stories from my experiences and encourage you to embrace the chance to have some unexpected experiences of your own.

My first trip to Chennai was rather unexpected. All the way back in 2000 I was still studying Chemistry at university. Without really expecting it, I had the chance to get involved with a project run by Guildford YMCA, to go and help in Chennai. A slightly random connection as I was studying in York, but my then girlfriend (now wife) was in Guildford. I didn’t really expect that I would go to India to try and help, but some how I did.

When I arrived in Chennai, it was not what I had expected. Even with people who had been before telling me what to expect, my mental picture was different to the reality. The thing that I found to most unexpected however was the way in which we were welcomed. On the same evening as we had arrived we were taken out to dinner by Madras YMCA. At this point in time I was tired after spending so long travelling and still trying to adjust to being in India. I, and others on the team, bumbled out to dinner wearing what we had travelled in. We arrived at a very nice restaurant. Far nicer than the sort of place I would normally go to in the UK. I felt completely under dressed and quite bemused at why our host were taking us to somewhere so nice, when we had done nothing for them and they didn’t even know most of us. It was totally unexpected by me and a very generous offer of hospitality.  Later I could see the benefits it had, we had no local currency, so would not have been able to buy a meal ourselves on the first night, also the Madras YMCA were thankful for the fact that we had gone there, even before we had started to do work.

I hadn’t expected it, but by the end of the trip I did not have to decide if I wanted  to go to Chennai again, I knew that I had to. So I did, twice more under Guildford YMCA. During those projects so many unexpected things happened, quite often to do with where we we gong and at what time, that just gave a great character to the experience I had.

There is one conversation that I can remember, and I certainly was not expecting at the time. On my last trip with the YMCA I was talking to the head of Madras YMCA (the Late Dr. G. Ebinesan), who told me that I should bring a team of people out. This was a bolt from the blue for me as I expected to keep being a team member more than a leader. Initially this didn’t really change much, however within a few years I would be leading teams out to Chennai with Chennai Challenge.

I didn’t expect that Guildford YMCA would have to stop taking a project to India. This, and the words from Dr G. Ebinesan, were a huge motivation for me in being part of setting up Chennai Challenge with Cathy and Isaac. We didn’t expect to set up a charity, but it has been a hugely rewarding thing to do. Through it we have been able to help people in ways we had not imagined, both people in India and the UK in visible tangible ways and in unseen and personal ways. Our expectations of what a particular team would be like have often been wrong and we have seen people surprise us and themselves with the things they are capable of.

Through these unexpected things I have seen in myself and others things that have developed character, strength and many other qualities. Have you got space for the unexpected in your life? Can you risk it, not knowing what will happen? It might not end badly, it could be rather good. Why not get involved in our 2014 project and see where that will take you. Or you could just comment below on an unexpected event of your own

News

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OK, so it’s my turn to write an entry for the blog. Over the last few months we have been talking a lot about the future of the charity and how we want to approach the next 5 years. But we haven’t talked much about these ideas and this vision on the blog. As many of you who read this are supporters of Chennai Challenge in one way or another we know how important it is to keep you updated. So please consider this an overdue update.

In February one of my entries talked about Future Forecasting. I mentioned the First50 and that we had been thinking about what direction we want to take the charity. Let me begin by answering some questions. The First50 is a celebration of the last 6 years – we have now taken 50 people to Chennai on one of our annual projects. When we realised this we got quite excited and decided to hold an event. Invitations have now gone out to the 50 alumni of Chennai Challenging to THE event of the summer. We will be holding a celebration dinner with the super mega-team that is the First50 and we can’t wait! f50Be assured that during June loads of photos will go up to celebrate this date. Owen (my brother and the designer of our logo and flyers etc…) has also designed a logo for the campaign. Have a look around his website at his work for us and many others. As a part of this campaign we will also have a fundraising challenge, which we will release details of later on – so keep your eyes peeled. However if you fancy helping us to get trending on Twitter ask us about #first50!

So, that is this year. What about next year? And the year after that? Well, it is our hope to continue to expand what we do as a charity, and as discussed in the Future Forecasting blog, to begin to look at how we can more effectively support people here in the UK – the people who join our team. We challenge all our team members to raise a minimum of £1500 in order to come to India with us. It’s not cheap to get there, and we want to be able to financially support projects like the Fort rebuild or the provision of a new toilet at the community centres. However we recognise that sometimes the people who would most benefit from the project simply do not have the resources or the support to raise that sort of cash. We have been discussing how to tackle this as it is so important for us that noone is excluded from being able to attend due to money. Our two pronged approach to this is to investigate running a project with year 11s or 6th Formers in schools where they might be able to afford a little bit more. The project will have a profound impact on the young people we take from these schools, and if we are able to ask them to raise closer to £2000 each we could use the excess funds to subsidise places for those less able to raise the funds. Of course this is early days, and we don’t have solid plans yet, but we are in the process of thinking further into this idea.

I have also recently met with London based charity Only Connect. Only Connect are a charity that work with offenders and ex-offenders to try to build their confidence and rehabilitate them through social interaction and development projects. Again nothing is confirmed, but we are really excited about the prospect of building a relationship with them and maybe taking some of their members to India. This is another way that we hope to develop the services we offer to people in the UK.

Obviously we are still passionate about the YMCA and Oasis and the incredible poverty relief and community development projects they run. We are still passionate about Chennai and its people. And we’re still excited about visiting our friends in South India. But to begin to see a bigger, more strategic future for our little charity is thrilling, and I pray that we will continue to be led by compassion and love as we take these first steps towards growth.

In order to assist with this growth we will obviously need more people to help us along the way. Are you interested in being a trustee? Do you think you have the skills to help deliver one of our projects as a Project Leader? In 2014 we will be taking a team of people who are interested in joining us as Project Leaders on future projects. If you’re interested just drop us a line. I fact if you want to get more involved or find out more about anything else we’re doing get in touch. You can go via the Contact Us page, or just send us an email direct to projectleaders@chennaichallenge.com.

Hot Cross Buns, Chocolate Eggs and Dr Who!

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YES, after weeks of no chocolate, cakes or anything sweet the day has finally arrived when I can fill my boots with it all! Lent530146_10151493446282978_2003355974_n is over and the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend brings tasty treats (including my first attempt at Hot Cross Buns: recipe below), a long weekend and the return of the popular tv series Dr Who.

So what does Easter mean for you?

Unlike Christmas, Easter, I find is not as commercially hyped. However the reason for it all still seems to be drowned out by the eggs and the long weekend which brings relaxation and new tv programmes.

As a Christian the important bit for me is remembering a sacrifice of the highest order. A sacrifice 7345_7351_5which tells me I am loved. It is a message I have been fed every year through Sunday School and Youth groups. This sacrifice and great gift of Love inspires me to try to live my day-to-day life in a way that reflects that Love.

None of us are perfect but in our imperfect world we can make a difference. This was my encouragement for travelling 6,000 miles to Chennai. To show that love to others through a smile, a helping hand, an engilsh lesson, a gift.

This year I and many before and after me have the anticipation at looking back at the past amazing 7 years of Chennai Challenge celebrating the experiences we had, the friendships we made and the change it made in our lives.

So this Easter lets indulge in a bit of Love as well as the usual Hot Cross Buns, Eggs and T.V.

As promised here is the recipe I used for my Hot Cross Buns, perfect for any time of year. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

For The Buns

  • 300ml full-fat milk, plus 2 tbsp more
  • 50g butter
  • 500g strong bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 75g sultanas
  • 50g mixed peel
  • zest 1 orange
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For The Cross

  • 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

For The Glaze

  • 3 tbsp apricot jam

Method

  • Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.
  • Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heel of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.
  • With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hr more, or until doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough getting a crust.
  • Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g per piece). Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.
  • Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.
  • Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

Lent, generosity and choice

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It’s lent and so a time where many people decide to give something up. Favourites seem to be chocolate, biscuits, cake or coffee. Some people do all of them! There are also those who will give up a particular activity, such as Facebook or watching TV. However my favourite lent activity is not giving up, but trying to be more generous. The 40 acts campaign has been run for a few years and has excellent ideas and things to do in order to be generous. A couple of years ago I blogged about their hospitality idea. Today though, I was thinking about generosity in general.

I find that I quite enjoy being generous. Those times when you feel that you can freely give to others, maybe beyond their expectations, do make you feel good. These generous acts don’t all need to be about money, time, skills and effort can make a huge impact as well. I will again recommend 40 acts  to get you thinking about this. Small acts, giving someone a lift, spending time to have a chat, buying someone a drink or having people over for dinner can have a positive effect on us, as well as others. At Chennai Challenge we have been blessed with generosity from many places. Many people have been generous with their money in donating to us, others have used their time and skills to raise money for us, others, the generosity of venues being given for free. That is not even everywhere we have been fortunate, every team member has been generous with their time and skills in coming on the project and in India we have had huge generosity shown to us in terms hospitality. So a big thank you to everyone who has been generous towards us, it is greatly appreciated.

Back to 40 acts. Today’s challenge is all about choice, and letting someone else make a choice about what to do in your leisure time. The idea of choice is really central to what we do at Chennai Challenge. One of the hallmarks of poverty is a lack of choice. We are trying to increase the choice that people have. One big way we try to do this is by supporting education. Both Oasis and the YMCA run education programs, the YMCA with 2 schools and Oasis working in communities. Giving people an education starts to give people choices. The choice or career rather than being forced into one. The choice of how they live their life. I think that that is important.

So once again thank you for your generosity, please continue to be so, and lets help increase the choice that people have.

 

It’s my birthday

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Today, ladies and gentleman, is my birthday. I suppose I could therefore write a blog entry about myself, my birthday and all the things that I want. If I’m honest I don’t think that would be very difficult.  But let’s face it a list of the things I want would be boring for you and frankly disappointing for me when it turned out I’m not getting all those very expensive things.  So, rather more in keeping with the ethos of this blog I shall instead write about birthdays in general.

Firstly, please enjoy the following list of my favourite birthday facts (which I have just researched on the internet – source of all accurate knowledge):

  1. The tradition of candles on the birthday cake apparently stretches back to the ancient Greeks (what doesn’t?).  They would make round cakes and put candles on the top to represent the moon in an act of offering to Artemis – Goddess of the Moon, Hunting, Animals, the Forest and many more things (greedy).  Although what this has to do with birthdays I am not entirely sure…
  2. The Romans would celebrate birthdays with hedonistic parties, which led to the Christians rather frowning on the practise of celebrating the anniversary of one’s birth.  In fact the ancient theologian Origen declared that “Christians should not only refrain from celebrating their birthdays, but should look on them with disgust.” I shan’t be following his advice.
  3. In some countries with an Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic heritage, people celebrate a name day or Saints Day rather than the anniversary of their birth.  It seems likely that they did this because of the dirty pagan celebrations I mentioned above.
  4. In North Korea nobody is allowed to celebrate a birthday on July 8th or December 17th as these are the days that Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il died.  If you are lucky enough to born on one of these days you have to push your birthday 1 day later to July 9th or December 18th.
  5. I have just done a bit of research into who I share a birthday with…turns out that not very many famous people were born on 9th March – these were the best I could find: first man into Space – Yuri Gagarin and all round impossibly proportioned doll Barbie.  What a hall of fame!
  6. Check out this website for some FASCINATING facts about your birthday. http://www.dayofbirth.co.uk/
  7. International Children’s Day is on 20th November, but in India they celebrate 14th November as Children’s Day in honour of the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru – first president of the Indian state.

So, there you go. 7 moderately interesting facts about birthdays.  My favourite is that I share a birthday with Barbie.  On a more serious note I would like to talk a bit about how birthdays are important when we visit India.  Every year when we visit the Boys Town the team are inundated with requests for their names, their families names and their birthdays.  They make a list of these birthdays and ask the team to sign their note pads.  The next time we visit they will greet team members by reciting their family members and their birthdays back to them.  I think there are two reasons for this.  First of all there is great value in them being able to practise their spoken English with native speakers.  By having the chance to speak English like this they increase their confidence using the language, which is so important in modern India.

Secondly it demonstrates the value they find in our visit.  It is quite touching to arrive at the Boys Town for only the second time and have a young boy recite personal information about you.  That they have spent time memorising something about you is quite humbling.

This was only emphasised for me last year when we received an email into the Chennai Challenge account addressed to one of our team members on her birthday.  It was from a boy named Vignesh, who had made the effort to remember her birthday (over 10 months since her visit) and request the use of his carer’s email account as he didn’t have access to one himself in order to let her know that he had remembered her:

Hope and wish you remember me. I am so glad to wish you a very happy BirthDay Maria. May our Lord Bless you Abundantly

I find this quite amazing, and it reminds me again of the great worth in our visits to Chennai.

So there we go – here is a picture of a birthday cake for your enjoyment.  If you fancy buying me a present how about going here and making a donation towards our work and our future. Many happy returns to you all – even though it’s not your birthday!

A Birthday Cake...because it is my birthday.

A Birthday Cake…because it is my birthday.