A Holiday Lesson

A private-public initiative involves foreign tourists to help change the lives of underprivileged children

PICTURE SPEAK

TEACHING AT THE BEACH: Volunteers with local children

“We want to disprove the notion that tourism is an elitist activity which does not benefit the local community. These are the only Anganwadis in the state equipped with computers and where all kids wear uniforms,” says K.C. Chandrahasan of Kerala Travels. Over Rs 70 lakh has been spent on the project so far. Every participating tourist spends $20 (Rs 800) a day. Small merchants have also benefited from the project. “We take the tourists to the small restaurants and shops, not to the five-star places,” says C.R. Soman, of HAP, which has compiled a database of Anganwadi children to monitor their health needs.

“Interacting with the local community has been a learning experience for us. The holiday has given us an opportunity to help the needy,” says Marylene Dutuis, a French language teacher at the Lincoln School of Science and Technology, based in Lincolnshire, UK, who comes here with batches of students. “We want to learn a Malayalam song from the children before we return to England,” says Emma, one of the 15 students who have arrived this year to participate in Lullaby@Varkala. Over 600 tourists have attended the programme so far. This year on, Harold Goodwin, director, International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Greenwich University, will send volunteers from his group, ‘People and Places’. So far, the underprivileged have been getting the short end of the tourism stick, but with the effort at responsible tourism finding new champions, this is all set to change, and for good.

Index