Lasting Leicester connections
- Aug 10
- 3 min read
As a hub for a large Indian community in the UK, including many natives of Ahilyanagar, our Snehalaya UK team has been actively promoting our work in the historic city. This is largely thanks to our trustees who live there, particularly Sarah who originally visited Snehalaya as a student volunteer, and whose commitment to our projects, especially our school, continues to make a lasting impact.
Last year, our Founder Girish, Secretary, Priti and Executive Director, Anil, further strengthened our presence in Leicester when they attended the European Marathi Sammelan hosted there.
Since then we have continued to spread the word of our work and we are incredibly proud to become one of Leicester High School for Girls charity partners.
The private school in Leicester, UK has been fundraising on our behalf through a quiz, disco, summer festival and more. They have also been raising awareness through student radio programming. This year, we were thrilled to welcome four students from the school to visit our Indian projects, accompanied by their teacher, Sarah, who over the past two decades, has been instrumental in supporting many projects, including a Connecting Classrooms program with the British Council which allowed teachers from the UK to visit us and for our own teachers to visit the UK to experience and learn different teaching practices. Sarah’s passion and dedication continue to strengthen the bond between our two communities.
In just one week, the young volunteers made a remarkable difference across Snehalaya. They joined us in celebrating Malala Day, marking the 10th anniversary of our annual tribute to education activist Malala Yousafzai. The Leicester students truly bonded with our Malala Peer Mentors, exchanging gifts upon their arrival and then working together to organise a weekend full of activities and birthday celebrations. They took part in a street rally and joined the mentors in their dance performed on the streets and a local school. They also then helped organise Malala Day celebrations, with cricket, basketball and cake-decorating competitions and fun and games for all of our children.
Having connected with Leicester-based artist Kamal Koriya before their departure, they also conducted a series of art workshops for our children and the women of Snehadhar. Armed with nothing more than coloured paper, glue, scissors and boundless imagination, they transformed simple materials into beautiful works of art. The sessions were filled with creativity, laughter and encouragement, helping to build confidence, teamwork and self-expression. The smiles on everyone's faces said it all, and the artwork they created together was truly wonderful.
In between all of this, they also spent time in our LKG classrooms, supporting our youngest learners. Their visit may have been short but the impact they made is lasting and we hope to continue to welcome students from the school in the future and hopefully they will host some of our students in return…
Volunteering is about far more than giving your time—it is about sharing your heart. During their stay, the girls embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm, compassion and a genuine desire to make a difference. In return, they left with new friendships, unforgettable memories and, we hope, a deeper understanding of the resilience, warmth and spirit that defines the Snehalaya family.
To Sarah and every one of the girls from Leicester High School for Girls, thank you. Your kindness, enthusiasm, creativity and generosity of spirit have touched so many lives. You were absolute stars, and your smiles and friendship will be remembered long after your visit.
You will always have a home at Snehalaya, and we look forward to welcoming you back again very soon.
