A group of young Welsh volunteers is about to embark on a 5,000-mile journey to work with children, young people and at-risk women in India.
Following an open application process, 10 young women selected from 140 applicants will be travelling to India at the end of February to engage in humanitarian work as part of a brand-new partnership between Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Wales’ largest youth organisation, and Her Future Coalition (HFC) in Kolkata. The partnership has been made possible thanks to Welsh Government funding which seeks to boost business, cultural and social ties between Wales and India.
During the expedition, the Urdd’s volunteers will participate in HFC’s workshops and sessions with vulnerable children and young women, including those who have survived trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence.
The group will also share Welsh culture and language whilst running fun activities for youngsters in schools, such as Ek Tara Middle School, which educates hundreds of girls from Kolkata’s largest slum community. Girls in this community wouldn’t be educated without the school and would be at high risk for child marriage, child labour, trafficking and extreme domestic violence.
The partnership between the Urdd and Her Future Coalition was launched during the year of Wales in India 2024, to promote activities that strengthen the relationship between India and Wales.
In preparation for their trip, the Welsh volunteers have been actively fundraising and aim to donate over £5,000 to further support HFC’s vital work in preventing violence against girls through education.
“I feel very honoured to have been selected as one of ten young women from Wales to go to India with the Urdd,” says Martha Thomas from Lampeter, a first-year student at Cardiff Metropolitan University. “I know it’ll be an unforgettable experience and can’t wait to meet some of Kolkata’s young women and children and contribute towards Her Future Coalition’s inspirational work. It’ll also be a chance for us to learn from each community about their culture and become ambassadors for HFC when we return home.”
Over 20 years ago, the Urdd and Christian Aid launched a campaign called ‘Croeso Calcutta’ (‘Welcome Calcutta’) to raise awareness and educate the youth of Wales about the lives of young people in India, which led to an exchange programme between Urdd members and young women growing up in one of Kolkata’s major red-light districts. This month the Urdd’s members will be re-visiting Kidderpore, a Resource Centre in Kolkata’s red-light district, after the first expedition in 2003.
Siân Lewis, Chief Executive of Urdd Gobaith Cymru said: “The Urdd has a proud history of humanitarian work, and we strongly believe in creating international links and broadening the horizons of young Welsh people.
“Twenty years ago, the Urdd established a partnership with the city and charities of Kolkata. Thanks to support from the Welsh Government, we look forward to resuming our international volunteering programs by taking a group of ten young women to India to support Her Future Coalition’s extraordinary humanitarian work. Our #FelMerch project was launched to empower the young women of Wales, and we fully support the work of Her Future Coalition to ensure lasting change in India, one girl at a time.”
Visit India on behalf of the Urdd is Jaya Dodiya, Elinor Roderick, Mabli John and Seren Morris from Cardiff; Enlli Davies from Y Bala; Ffion Roberts from Caerphilly; Keira Bailey-Hughes from Bethesda, Laurie Thomas from Carmarthen; Martha Owen from Felinheli; Martha Thomas from Lampeter.