Mountain Schools and Slum Communities

Final Project Trip 2025: Mountain Schools and Slum Communities – Northern India

Shortly after completing a mission with a team in the refugee camps in Jordan, Alexandra set off together with Frank on the final project trip of 2025 to India.

Before the cold months reached northern India, the team visited several impoverished settlements as well as remote mountain schools in the foothills of the Himalayas. At the outset, warm blankets were purchased locally and distributed to families in the poorest neighborhoods using two truckloads. In addition, the children received fresh fruit—a luxury that is hardly attainable for many families.

People there live under the most basic conditions in self-built huts and secure their survival through day labor, collecting waste, and occasional jobs. Particularly moving was the distribution of hand-knitted hats and scarves, lovingly made by friends.

In the second part of the journey, the team visited mountain schools below the poverty line. Each child received a school backpack containing notebooks, pens, a pencil case, as well as a drinking bottle. The encounters were marked by quiet joy and gratitude. With admirable discipline, the children accepted the gifts and whispered a reverent “thank you.”

One teacher took Alexandra aside and said emotionally that no one had ever been there before to give these children anything.

After ten intense and deeply moving days, the team returned to Germany. The images, encounters, and the quiet warmth of the people accompanied Alexandra and Frank all the way home. The transition from India’s dusty, dry climate to the clear air and light rain at Frankfurt Airport felt almost unreal.

One suitcase was missing upon arrival—a minor detail in light of what many families in the slum communities have to endure day after day, especially with the approaching cold months.