First post

I am leaving for India tomorrow morning, and decided that writing a blog would be the easiest way to share my experience with friends and family.

As many of you know, this 9 day trip will be the culmination of much praying and dreaming. I have never been in India before and look forward to discovering a completely new country and culture. Chris, who has been in India several times, tells me I will either love it or hate it - we will see! However, it is not only the pursuit of adventure that brings me on this journey.

Over the past two years I have become aware of the situation of the dalits (the 'untouchables') in India. They make up almost 1/4 of India's population. A diverse group of people who have this in common: They have been oppressed for thousands of years (as long as the caste system has been in existence). Traditionally they are not allowed access to public buildings, schools, hospitals... they are the poorest of the poor, vulnerable and exploited.  There is some great work going on among these people which involves education, health care and women's programmes. Somehow this has caught my heart, and I look forward to this opportunity to spend time among dalit women and children, using my nursing skills in medical clinics, hearing their stories.

My expectation is that I will learn and receive much more on this journey than I will be able to teach or give.

All bags are packed for the 5:15am start tomorrow morning!

To find out more about the dalits, follow this link: http://www.dfn.org.uk/