I would like to provide my guests the opportunity to interact and give back to the local communities in India they visit during their Himalayan Boot Camp journeys. I truly believe that it can be a rewarding experience if one has brightened the life of someone less fortunate in the community one left behind after the vacation is over.

I am thinking of providing this interaction at a couple of the local schools that cater to the more impoverished children. Here are just a couple of my ideas for my guests:

1. Take 3-4 books and have a storybook session with the children. The local children will love this!
2. An afternoon of crafts with the children using supplies we take from here that those children have never seen and can take home with them (paper dolls, painting etc – the possibilities are endless)
3. Distribute some clothes (T-Shirts?) and have some afternoon refreshments and snacks.

These are just small things but they are a start. I grew up in this area of Meghalaya, India and know exactly how much brightness this will bring to the children. I am not sure where this idea will take me but I just have this gut feeling that both the givers and receivers of this kindness will be so blessed and the memories will be amazing.

Please provide feedback – tell me what you think. I also welcome any additional ideas you may have.

Here’s to a brighter world for children!

Connie

I have another story about two little village boys I met while traveling through one of the beautiful remote areas of Meghalaya,India after my Oct 08 Himalayan Boot Camp. My husband and I, with my sister and some friends were driving back one late afternoon after spending the day doing some fabulous sightseeing when we came across this little village. The setting sun on this village was so beautiful that we stopped the car for a moment to take some pictures.

While we were taking pictures, I noticed two little boys standing near the side of the road, by a stone quarry, looking at us. They just looked so cute I asked them if I could take a picture. The older brother (who was about four years old), as soon as he realized we were going to take their picture, shouted to us to wait and ran to his little hut nearby and brought out this little pair of shoes that he put on his younger two year old brother so his little brother can have his picture taken with his shoes on. It was just done with so much dignity for such a small child. This just really tugged at my heart as I took some pictures of them.

This experience has really been on my mind since then, and I have been thinking that I have been so blessed and take so much for granted, I really would like to do more; and perhaps there is a way for me to help some of the children in the region on my boot camps.  I am still investigating one of my ideas and will post more on this next week. I think it may be of interest for many of you. Please stay tuned!