If you’re a regular DGH supporter, you may have come across Ian and Anji Russell. They became our Joint Sponsorship Secretaries in May 2020.

This past autumn – after a two-year delay caused by the pandemic – they were finally able to travel out to India to visit the Homes for the first time. We asked Anji to tell us what they got up to. This is Part 1 of her Kalimpong Diary…

Wednesday

We arrive in Kolkata (very early!). Having previously lived in China and South Korea, we aren’t too shocked by the number of people thronging the streets: that feels quite familiar. What we do find more of a struggle is the city pollution. But the blue skies and the 30-degree heat partly make up for that!

Friday

We head to Kolkata Airport for a flight to Siliguri in the foothills of the Himalayas. From there, it’s a three-hour journey to the Homes, though not as gruelling as we’d been led to believe (just much dustier!). En route, delighted to see baby monkeys clinging to their mothers; orange-sellers by the roadsides; the distant mountains beckoning us on; and, to our surprise, the many lorries, vans and old 4x4s with Bible verses and “Praise the Lord” emblazoned on windscreens. The Christian presence is clearly very strong in the area – testimony to faithful missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries, Dr John Graham being but one. Arriving in Kalimpong, we learn that the owner of our small guesthouse is an ex-Dr Graham’s Homes (DGH) pupil. Links with DGH, we are discovering, seem to pop up everywhere!

Saturday

Wake this morning to a perfect view of Kanchenjunga (the world’s third highest mountain), its snowy peak shining blissfully in the morning sun; a pure delight! But the best thing is arriving at the school. We are thrilled to finally be here! Two and a half years has been a long time to wait to see DGH in person; COVID certainly has much to answer for! After a tour of the vast campus, we spend time with some of the 160 children whom DGHUK supports at the Homes. It’s wonderful to finally meet them and put faces to the names we have known so well.

Sunday

Off to the chapel service, led by the Homes’ chaplain, where we hear all about the need to “build our lives on the rock, NOT on the sand,” and also witness some joyful singing. We then meet the sponsored children again, this time in class groups. Some of the children are preparing for both their final exams and, subsequently, their journey next year into the wider world of college. Delighted to hear how much the children appreciate the Homes and school.

Monday

Today we take a tour of the Cottages, where the children live in mixed age groups. Ian is fortunate enough to get a lift on the back of a motorbike, while I, sadly, have to walk the distances between girls’ cottages! For the last two years, we have known that infrastructure improvements are needed, so we are pleased to see that many upgrades are now happening, or are in the planning. As with everything in life, it’s one step at a time. Encouraged to see the children’s wonderful new lockers being installed in the Cottages – these were secured by funding from our charity (DGHUK), the refurbished classrooms care of GO (the alumni association) and the new lighting on the paths to all the Cottages by a private donor. Change is happening!

Tuesday

Our last full day at the Homes! This morning we meet with the safeguarding team, a member of the Board of Management and the matron at the medical centre. It’s so good to be able to talk face-to-face with them – particularly with the Principal, who has been on our regular phone call list for many months. Afterwards, we spend a special time outside with the sponsored children. A good many photos are taken, both formal and informal, which we will treasure. We then meet with two students who have graduated from the Homes and now live and study just nearby, at a college in Kalimpong. Tomorrow, all too soon, we’ll be leaving Kalimpong on the next leg of our journey – to meet some of our sponsored students in Kolkata…

You can read the second part of Anji’s journal on the blog very soon. (A longer version of this article will also appear in the next DGH Newsletter, due out in May.)