For children growing up poor in the urban slums of Bangalore, the concept of a holiday in Goa, with its’ tropical terrain and beaches, is beyond comprehension. It is for exactly this reason that John Spence and the Karma Group, in addition to sponsoring nutrition; the library; and raising funds for college scholarships for Christel House Bangalore students, also put on an annual “Camp Royal”.
This wonderful initiative, takes a number of Christel House students from Bangalore each year, for an all-expenses paid holiday on one of the Karma resorts in Goa, with entertainment and adventure scheduled from morning till bedtime, great food and treats, and of course, beach time!
All supervised by a number of Christel House teachers, plus an army of Karma volunteers who absolutely adore being part of the frenetic activity, no one escapes without tears when the holiday comes to a close.
Esperanca Patricio, President & Managing Director, Karma Group, India & the Middle East is very proud to be a part of Camp Royal, saying “…the Children are always so amazing and so full of joy. It is wonderful to have them stay and I have no doubt that we are all much better people after they visit. Thank you Christel House for sending them to us!”
The students are equally grateful as beneficiaries of such a life changing and eye-opening trip. Chandan J, said “This was the best experience of my life, I enjoyed every bit of it,”; Deena said “It was a memorable trip. I am very lucky to have gone to Goa with my classmates from school. I loved the food we were served at Haathi Mahal.”; while for Babajah, he loved everything that involved water! “We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the swimming pool. My favourite part of the trip was going to Froggy land (a water theme park) and playing in the rain dance. I also liked playing in waves on the beach.”
Thank you so much Karma Group, for giving Christel House Bangalore students such a truly wonderful and memorable experience, one that would be amazing for a child of any background, let alone for those coming from slums!
To see the Karma, Camp Royal photo album, please click here.
And many thanks to George Lobo, Assistant General Manager, Haathi Mahal, for putting together the full four day itinerary of Camp Royal 2017, which can be found here: