17 members of London Wing Air Cadets led by Pilot Officer Chris Booty (OC 282 SQN) travelled to the far reaches of the Indian Thar desert to undertake a very special task; to change some very special lives forever.
The team embarked on the ‘Thar Horizon’ expedition with the sole aim to bring happiness to young Indian children’s lives. Born into poverty and disease, miles from civilisation and clean water along with extremely limited education, millions of children suffer needlessly in the remote Indian plains and the cadets of 282 (East Ham), 50F (Lambeth) and 1475 (Dulwich) wanted to make a positive difference to as many children as they could.
Arriving in Delhi, the team spent a day to acclimatise and embrace the colourful culture of India, along with its bustling way of life. A visit to the British military Attaché was on the agenda. Captain Ashcroft RN gave a very detailed talk about the history of India to the team and wished them luck on their journey.
After the introduction, it was a 14 hour west bound journey by train, bus and off-road vehicles for the cadets to reach the deepest parts of India where tourists are not seen and the local people have no knowledge of the outside world. Seeing a group of cadets evading the elephants, camels and cows walking the streets was certainly the talk of the village!
Stopping off at several towns, the expedition team visited temples, forts and palaces spanning centuries and past empires. The final stop before leaving the motorised transport for the Camel safari, was at the renowned ‘Rat Temple’. The mice and rats that cover the surfaces of the temple and run freely over the guests, are revered and fed with sweets and milk in the belief that they are reincarnated saints. The team were more than happy to enter.
Meeting their camel transport, the team embarked on a 4 day camping trek across the desert which was to end in a small village. There were many challenges the cadets faced along the safari. Travelling in extreme heat was the major challenge but also to maintain a regular water intake in an area where water is very sparse. The cadets most certainly leant how valuable water is. The team had only themselves for company and it was very tough for them to handle life with no luxuries and the things they take for granted back in the UK. What was seen at the destination came to a shock for the cadets. The way of life was completely different to what they expected and brought many tears to the surface. The village children were in desperate need of food and drink, luckily enough the team had a good supply and could give some food away.
The team wanted to make the biggest impact to the local villagers, so they decided to refurbish and paint an extremely run down school that had two classrooms, one hundred students and a single teacher. Decorating it with images of the outside world and placing new carpets and furniture, the cadets worked extremely hard in 40C heat over the next four days; really wanting to make that change for the children of the village. Once complete, the cadets organised an opening ceremony for the students of the school and the village. The children were given bags of treats by the cadets. The cadets felt proud and emotional to see the Indian children happy.
Departing the village with pride and the rewarding achievement, the team changed from the desert habitat to the jungle, a 7 hour train journey south. After 8 days of trekking, camping and the harsh desert environment, it was a relief to reach a hotel and the sight of a western toilet!
The final days of the expedition were spent sighting the endangered Bengal Tigers in the jungle, shopping in the bustling Indian bazaars, and fleeing from wild monkeys attempting to take the teams possessions. After 16 hardworking, emotional and life changing days, the team departed India knowing they changed some very special lives.
Most of the cadets that undertook the expedition come from very deprived backgrounds in the UK, and most have never travelled out of the UK. Cadet Rad Elwakhery , who is in foster care, learnt a great deal from the expedition which was a great ‘eye opener’ for him. Many others would not of have had the chance to travel to such a fantastic country and see a different culture.
Cadet Espin Salazar (16) said "This expedition not only changed lives of children in India, but also my own. We had plenty of open space, time to think, time to reflect on ourselves, family and friends. The world is a big place and I have made a small change. The Air Cadets and this expedition have influenced me to help others and better myself. I believe this is just the start." Cadet Espin Salazar lives with his mother and this trip has enabled him to travel for the first time to a developing country and undertake a community project. He had always wished to help children in developing countries.
We are very grateful to the Ulysses Trust and the RAF Charitable Trust for their generous grant which has helped us to change the lives of young people both in India and here in the UK.