This year's trip to Ladakh followed the pattern I've come to treasure — visiting the schools, the children, and their families, and seeing for myself how everyone is getting on.
My first stop was Jamyang School in Leh, where the students are doing wonderfully. I arrived right in the middle of their inter-house sports day, with basketball matches in full swing — a lovely, noisy welcome.
One of my favourite parts of any trip is visiting the students' homes. These visits are always warm gatherings — tea, biscuits, and long chats about school and family life — and they genuinely feel like a family reunion each time. I updated sponsorship reports, collected school notes, and helped record video messages for sponsors back home, enjoying every smile and every sign of progress along the way.
During my morning walks around a small park near Rinchen's house, I noticed a fair amount of rubbish scattered about — so I joined a community clean-up programme that happened to be taking place at the time. Small things, but they matter.
Thank you to everyone who makes these visits, and everything they mean to the children and families of Ladakh, possible.