Hwa Chong in Nepal

Hwa Chong Institute Service Learning in Nepal (Dhruba in front row,2nd from left)

A group of 20 students and 3 teachers from Hwa Chong were in Nepal for their service learning trip in June this year. We have enjoyed putting together the trip for them as much as they have enjoyed and learnt much from this trip. Dhruba, our manager was in charge of the 'group's welfare' when they were 'up in the mountains' serving the community. All the students said they learnt a lot from Dhruba and Dhruba said he was touched by their action and commitment in fulfilling their role. When we were back in our Nepal office, he handed me 3 sheets of hand-written notes given to him by all of them,I sat down immediately to read them. What lovely words from a great team!

Some excerpts from them:

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Hello Mr Dhruba! You have a really great guide/translator/teacher for the past few days. Your guidance has been the most priceless and I can't simply imagine how our work would be like without your concerted efforts! Thank you very much for your patience in guiding us for the past few days and also for tolerating whatever mistakes we have made. Thank You! - Jensen

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Hey Mr Dhruba, thank you for your utmost dedication and care for us, even when we can be more trouble than help at times. Thank you for inspiring us in the area of service to the world with your own life stories and for telling me all about Nepal which I wouldn't have known otherwise. You made the trip as enjoyable and memorable as it could be. - Jerry

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Hello Mr Dhruba! Thanks for always being around, making sure that we were all taken care of in our stay in Nepal. I'm really impressed and motivated by your knowledge of Nepal's history and background. Your telling us that our presence is felt by the children helped to encourage and motivate some of us during the service. Definitely, this trip wouldn't have been as enjoyable and fruitful without your care and concern. Thanks! - Melvin

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Mr Dhruba! I can't put my gratitude for you in this short length message but all I wanna say is that you're been an inspiration - not just for the Nepalese kids, who should look up to you and strive to achieve what you have, but also as a greater inspiration to me: your passion and involvement in community service makes me want to emulate you and reignited my flame to help those in need around the world. Reast assured that I'll study doubly hard now to be financially sound in future then I can also take up jobs in NGOs to make the lives of the poor better.:) I really appreciate all the work that you did to make our stay in Nepal a pleasant and memorable one. I truly enjoyed talking to you to find out more about Nepal's present economic and social status. I agree wholeheartedly with you that the standard ofliving in Nepal should be improved yet it must strike a harmonious balance with the preservation of the beautiful Nepalese culture. Let's pray that someday this balance can be attained. :) - Kheexuan

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Hey Mr Dhruba! Thank you for being such a helpful and friendly guide to us throughout this trip. We'll miss you! - Aileen

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Hello Mr Dhruba, Thank you for being such a wonderful host, guide and teacher for the past 2 weeks. Your knowledge of Nepal'sculture and historical background truly impresses me while your courtesy and benovelence has really touched me. You have made this trip a truly memorable one for me and I feel you are a great leader,an example that we students from Singapore and the Nepalese students should look up to. Hope to see you in Singapore. - Xiayan

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Hey Mr Dhruba! Thank you so much for your care and concern for us.Throughout our stay inthe school you had put in so much effort in making sure that we were safe and sound. I'm also truly impressed by your vast knowledge of the Nepal history and culture, your passion for the children of Nepal and the country itself indeed touched me. Thank you somuch. I sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavour, hope to see you again! - Zhaoxiang

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Always firendly, always approachable, ever so patient and helpful. Mr Dhruba you have been a great guide throughout. I'm really impressed and inspired just by working alongside your colleages and you. As all of us grew into our various jobs and responsibilities, your knowledge and passion have engendered a more successful process where our efforts cometo fuition at the end of the day.I sincerely hope more individuals in Nepal are endowed with your inherent qualities and work together to create a synergy strong enough to drive the nation forward. - Ming Yeung

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Thank you so much for being there for us all the time. You have been an amazing guide and host to us. I will always remember what you have taught us. :) - Jingbo

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DearestMr Dhruba, Manay thanks for being an excellent host and guide for all aspects of the trip. Thanks for tolerating all the last minute requests and helping us with all the arrangements. Your Nepalilessons were certainly enrichingand entertaining. It has definitely helped us understand Nepal much better. - Huifen

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