Asha organized excursions for over 2,300 children from 94 schools in Thiruvallur, Thoothukudi, Thiruvanamalai, Thiruvarur and Chennai.

Student Excursion – Jan- Mar 2025

January often brings the delightful sight of buses full of children, their laughter and songs echoing as they journey to discover new places. School excursions are indeed a much-anticipated event each academic year.

At Asha, we operate on the core belief that education isn’t limited to textbooks and classrooms. Instead, we know that learning is most powerful when it’s joyful and enriching. To cultivate these significant experiences for children, we actively organize school excursions, sports days, and annual day celebrations.

This year we organized excursion for over 2,300 children from 94 schools in Thiruvallur, Thoothukudi, Thiruvanamalai, Thiruvarur and Chennai.

You may view the album here.

Organizing Joyful Excursions

Asha meticulously plans each excursion, always securing prior consent from both the education department officials, school and parents. Our project coordinators across all our operating regions actively engage with local government schools to obtain annual permission for these outings. To ensure no disruption to regular classes, these trips are primarily organized on weekends, most often Sundays.

These excursions are always organized with the presence of school teachers as well. While Asha is sponsoring the excursion, it is made clear that this is organized as a school excursion and the school teachers, including Asha teachers at the school bear the responsibility of the safety of the children.

Asha handles all logistical aspects of the excursions. We arrange buses for comfortable travel, provide snacks during the journey, and ensure both lunch and dinner are organized. Asha also covers all entry costs at the various locations. We maintain a strict policy of never collecting any money from children or schools for these excursions.

Ensuring Safety and Supervision

Typically government teachers, alongside Asha teachers, staff, volunteers, and project coordinators, collectively organize and supervise the children. Children are requested to gather at their respective schools for pick-up by bus.

Parents can easily stay in touch with teachers and Asha staff while their children are away. Lunch is either arranged at the excursion location or sometimes packed from the pick-up point. In case the children return very late, we organize for everyone to have dinner before dropping them off.

The day usually begins very early at around 5 am and ends around 10 PM on most journeys. When time permits, children take some time to shop and pick up souvenirs on their way home as well.

Thiruvallur – Project Sangamam

Since Thiruvallur is our largest project, the excursions started from early January. We organize children in batches of around 200-230 students per day requiring 3 buses per trip. These excursions spread across 5 weekends between Jan-Feb 2025.

Students from 4th and 5th stds at various Asha supported schools in Thiruvallur were taken for excursion to Vandalur zoo in Chennai and Mahabalipuram. Total of 50 schools consisting of over 900 students were a part of these excursions. Children enjoyed seeing the wild animals at the zoo and also the temples of Mahabalipuram. While they read about these in their school text books, for the most children this is the first time they have had an opportunity to visit these places.

As always, beach visits left a lasting impression on them as they enjoy it the most. Asha staff, teachers and government teachers accompanied the children during these excursions. Asha volunteer and coordinator for Chennai chapter, Mr. Rajaraman also joined the children on two such trips.

Thoothukudi – Project Pearl

Between January and March, 452 government school children from Asha’s Pearl Project in Thoothukudi participated in an excursion to Kanyakumari.

These trip were organized over three weekends and has the participation of 38 government teachers and Asha staff. Asha facilitated transportation by hiring buses, providing snacks, lunch and dinner. The students explored several key attractions in Kanyakumari, including:

• Vivekananda Rock Memorial

• Thiruvalluvar Silai (statue)

• Kannadipalayam Beach

  

  

Key highlights for the children included a thrilling boat ride and crossing the Glass Bridge, both of which generated significant excitement. The children walked with fascination across the Glass bridge stopping to admire the view every now and then. For many students, this marked their first major trip outside their villages, making the experience particularly memorable.

Thiruvanamalai – Project Thulasi

On March 8th, 2025, 225 students from 10 government schools from Asha’s Thulasi Project in Thiruvannamalai embarked on an exciting day trip to Thanjavur and Thiruchikallanai. Accompanied by 5 government teachers and Asha staff, the children were set for a fun-filled, educational outing. Asha arranged tour buses, and the team provided breakfast, lunch, snacks, juice, and dinner.

The first stop was the Brihadeeswarar Temple, also known as the Big Temple or Peruvudaiyar Kovil which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a prime example of Chola architecture. The children delved into the temple’s rich history, its architectural details, and its dedication to Lord Shiva. After this, the group visited the Thanjavur Palace, where children walked hand in hand in the grand halls with the intricate carvings and also experienced a 3D show that brought the stories of the temple and palace to life. After lunch, the group visited Thiruchi Kallanai, rounding off a memorable day for everyone involved.

Chennai – Project PoornaVidhya

In the beginning of March, students from Asha supported schools in Chennai, embarked on their school excursion. Asha Volunteer, Mr. Sriram, joined the students in the morning and spoke with the government teachers about the arrangements carried out.

The first stop was the Birla Planetarium in Kotturpuram, where the students saw a variety of interesting exhibits. They visited the Halls of Science which included the Transport Museum, Ramanujam Math gallery and the Fun Mirror gallery. The highlight of their visit however, was the Sky Theatre, where students were mesmerized by a vivid journey through space projected onto the dome-shaped roof. As the show began, the children squealed with excitement and clapped until they were requested to stop.

After a quick break in the park, where the children enjoyed playing with science-themed playground equipment, blending fun with learning, the children had lunch. The lunch consisted of varierty rice – sambar rice, pudina rice, curd rice- vada, papaddam and ice cream.

Next, they visited Guindy Park, followed by the most eagerly anticipated part of the trip—Thiruvanmiyur Beach! The students had fun playing in the sand and waves.

Thiruvarur – Project Cauvery

The Thiruvarur excursions took place on March 8 and March 29, 2025. 200 students were distributed across two trips. The first batch visited the Trichy Mukkombu Dam, the Planetarium, the historic Kallanai Dam, and Thanjavur’s majestic Periya Kovil. Asha Volunteer, Ms. Komalavalli, accompanied the children on this trip, providing support and guidance.

The second batch immersed themselves in the coastal beauty of the region. Their journey took them to the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, Pichavaram Dam, and the picturesque Poompuhar Beach. To keep spirits high and energy levels up, students were treated to a delicious spread throughout the day. Morning breakfast included soft idlis and warm Pongal, while lunch featured a flavorful trio of Curd rice, Lemon rice, and Tamarind rice—simple, satisfying, and perfect for a day of exploration.