A world apart . . .

David shows a picture of his own family to Santoshkumar, the child he has sponsored with ActionAid for the past five years

THE two Indian villages were just a few miles apart, but they could have been in separate countries.

In one, the children dream of becoming teachers, in the other they dream of going to school. In one they access free medical treatment, in the other they get in debt to a loan shark if their children need medication.

Experiencing extremes is an integral part of any round-the-world trip and few know this better than former Crompton House pupil David Jagger, who visited India in a final stop on a two -year journey which took him across the Americas, over to Australia and then on to a clutch of South Asian countries.

And while the 27-year-old has hundreds of memories to sift through while he recuperates at his mum’s home in Manor Road, Shaw, his travels through India have a special resonance because that’s where he visited Santoshkumar Ramkrishan, a child he sponsors through the charity ActionAid.

The Government statistician, who took extended leave from his London-based job to fulfil his travelling dream, said: “I’d always planned to spend a year living in Australia, because my sister had lived there and I loved it when I visited. My flatmate and I had also talked about doing the Inca trail, so I made the decision to use my savings and take the plunge.

“I’d not planned on visiting my sponsored child, but when I decided to round off my trip in India, I thought it would be a great opportunity.

“He lives in a village called Dargawa in the state of Madhya Pradesh and when we went to his school, all the children were staring at us. Everyone in the village gathered round and it was quite surreal and intense.

“Santoshkumar was very shy and didn’t want to look at me. I think he was overwhelmed by all the attention.

“He did tell me that he wanted to be a teacher when he grew up and his father said that he had taken advantage of a Government scheme, which allowed him to work as a labourer on the roads for the minimum wage for 100 days a year to supplement his earnings as a farmer.”

Toiling away on the minimum wage in the searing heat of the subcontinent to bulk up meagre earnings would not appeal to many, but it is actually a giant leap forward for the tribal community which David supports through his contributions to ActionAid.

“Because they are a tribal people, who lived in forests which were later decimated, they were not treated very well by the Government. Until recently they would not have equal access to work and healthcare.

“Now the Government has introduced reforms, increasing access to healthcare and food subsidies, and the charity’s main role is making the villagers aware of these rights and teaching them how to lobby their local representatives to make the most of them.”

But when David visited another village which has not benefited from the work of ActionAid, he was shocked to discover children with the distended bellies that accompany severe malnutrition, poorly built homes and a population dispossessed and totally unaware of their rights.

He said: “In the village where Santoshkumar lives, there’s a spirit of optimism, but in this other village there was no hope.

“One man’s son had malaria and he had a medical card entitling him to free treatment, but the doctor took advantage of the fact that he was illiterate and couldn’t understand what his card was for by charging him 500 rupees. He’s now in debt to a loan shark.”

“I’ve learned a lot during my travels. I remember swanning into a mosque in Calcutta and having 100 angry men suddenly descend on me, asking me what I was doing.

“In retrospect, I was treating it as just another interesting experience, but for them it was much more than that. I’m more aware of the impact my behaviour might have on others now.

“I’m also going to make much more of my free time in future. I’ve wasted a lot of weekends in London nursing hangovers, even though I’m surrounded by interesting places.”




For more information on ActionAid contact www.actionaid.org telephone: 01460 238 080