Tigers Making a Global Impact in March

In the ongoing pursuit for the Ridley community to expand its global understanding, give back to other communities, and foster a greater perspective, students embarked on service trips to Malawi, Thailand, and Guatemala during March Break. In Malawi, Ridley partnered with Marie Da Silva and the Jacaranda School for Orphans to help orphans whose lives have been impacted by HIV and AIDS have access to education and basic care. On Ridley’s first-ever trip to Thailand, students explored the rich Thai culture while doing their part in local conservation efforts and cooking for underprivileged individuals. Last but not least, Ridley partnered with the Doppenberg family through the D.I.G Guatemala trip to serve local and indigenous people with educational and nutritional empowerment. 

We as The Tiger Times wanted to then hear about the inspiring experiences that our fellow peers encountered and their insights to share with any students perhaps interested in attending a service trip in the future. Huge thanks to Caitlin Ng ‘25, Syafeera (Iryna) Syahrizal ‘26, and Denise des Vignes ‘26 for all of their help and contributions!

Malawi Jacaranda Trip:

The following has been provided by Caitlin Ng.

Over the March break, a group of 18 travelled 15+ hours to land in Malawi with no idea what was in store for the week ahead. We had all gone on the trip for different reasons but came out with new mindsets and learnings. For me, my sister and brother both went on the service trip in 2018 and 2019 and only had positive things to say about it. Since then, I have been looking forward to being able to experience this and the time has finally come this year.

The Jacaranda School for Orphans was founded by Marie Da Silva in 2002 with the mission of: "Educating underprivileged children in Malawi, and providing the tools to help them realize their potential." The main purpose of our trip was to connect and engage with the school.

On the first day of our arrival, we walked through a village behind the school where many of the past and present students live. Seeing worn down houses due to flooding and other factors like Cyclone Freddy in 2023 opened all our eyes to the privilege we Ridley students take for granted in our lives. Many students had even lost one or both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. However, we were able to hear the stories about the work students have put into their studies and passions to reach new opportunities in their lives which gave us a glimpse into why Jacaranda does what it does.

On Monday, we arrived at the front gates of Jacaranda greeted by students holding a chitenge (an African piece of fabric) for each of us. A girl wrapped it around my waist as a skirt and once we were all ready, we filed into the gates to be welcomed in the most heartfelt way I had ever experienced. All the students were lined up on each side, creating a path for us to follow as the sounds of singing, clapping, and drumming filled the air, infusing the atmosphere with energy and anticipation. There was a sense of camaraderie and unity that followed as we walked the path, and this feeling lasted the rest of the trip and is what is meant by the "Magic of Jacaranda."

Throughout the week, we participated in several different classes, whether it be teaching or learning with the students. For instance, I sat in on a Grade 11 agriculture class and a Grade 5 English class but also taught math to Grade 12s and different languages to Grade 7s. The love of learning was very evident in all the classrooms with hands constantly raised and laughter expressed by teachers and students because everyone appreciated and was grateful for just having the opportunity to be sitting at a desk learning. They all understand the power and influence education can have on their lives, which is why they show up to school every day, ready to learn. The school offers various classes and clubs directed towards any interests from photography, to dance to chess. They even have a sewing room where students sew the uniforms and reusable pads. Every student I met had a passion for something and Jacaranda provides these students with chances to excel in them through ongoing support, resources, and encouragement.

During the time spent outside the school, we toured the other programs Jacaranda offers which include a vocational school, a physiotherapy clinic, a preschool, and the Jacaranda Forest used to teach sustainable agriculture. There is also a program named Luc’s Libraries which the Jacaranda Foundation Executive Director Luc Deschamps developed. Luc’s Libraries builds, stocks and monitors community and school libraries, and he has just recently hit 26 libraries in Malawi. Our group was able to contribute to the physiotherapy clinic by working together to construct the brick walls that will be used as another space to expand the clinic in the future.

Before the trip, Mr. Burke approached me with a project to take on. He told me about a cello they have at the school that I might be able to play or perform which I was excited about, except it had no strings and no bridge, so it was a wooden box at that point. He was able to get the parts from Ridley, however he asked me if I would be able to put it all together. I had no experience with this task then, but I told him I would be willing to try. I had gotten a short tutorial a week before the trip and so a week later, the music teacher at Jacaranda was telling me she was hoping to have the cello fixed and ready to be used in a lesson that I would be giving to a student the next day. Sure enough, in one day, I had all four strings on the cello and a Grade 7 student sitting in front of me, eager to learn a brand-new instrument he had never heard of before. In one hour, he was able to play a scale and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which took me by surprise. The amount of focus and commitment he had during the lesson made teaching him effortless and I am hoping he and the rest of the music community in the school pursue an interest in the instrument now. This brief moment highlighted the impact that I was able to make and the larger impact we were all making by going on this trip.

The strong influence of art and culture also creates an atmosphere different from what I have experienced because it brings so much life to the school. An assembly was held to welcome us on the first day where multiple dance groups performed expressing energy in every one of their movements. It was carried outside where a circle was made, and suddenly, Gioia and I were pushed into that circle. It was one of the most daunting moments of my life because I had no idea what to do with my body, but everyone started cheering and dancing along and I no longer felt apprehensive. All the students at Jacaranda are inclusive and welcoming towards everyone and just waving at them made them smile. I would be able to walk past a classroom, wave, and have half the class turn around and wave back at me. These moments were very refreshing to see and feel this way. Many students also have a special way with words by creating poems and quotes with deep messages behind them. For example, a boy wrote in my notebook, "My travels are measured in words, not in kilometres." They are all comfortable with expressing their thoughts and feelings, which makes being able to connect with them a lot more meaningful. Connecting with all the students was one of the most special parts of the trip because we could learn from one another. Although we come from completely different backgrounds and lives, the relationships formed within the week are going to be ones I remember for the rest of my life because of the way they interacted with us and made us feel valued.

Overall, I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone because it puts a lot of things into perspective. For me, the main thing I took away was to find and have your values to live by so that you do not lose sight of what is truly important. In our group discussions/reflection time, many noticed that the kids have different outlooks on certain things in life than we do such as the stress some of us put on grades. We noticed that most of the time, students at Ridley will focus on the result of the class, which is a final grade, whereas the students at Jacaranda genuinely value the process of learning and this can be applied to many other aspects of life. This is just one of the many life lessons I have learned over the trip and being able to experience this with other Ridley students and teachers has allowed me to grow and become a better person.

Thailand Service Trip:

The following has been provided by Syafeera (Iryna) Syahrizal.

This year our school has organized a service and culture trip to Thailand, and I with 13 other students was able to experience it during this March break. We did service activities such as cooking meals for a homeless shelter with the SOS rescue kitchen program, hand-crafted and planted seed bombs throughout conservation, made plant pots at a forest restoration project, and cleaned a big sea turtle pool at a conservation. Along the way, we experienced Thai culture as we visited numerous temples, took Thai cooking classes, Thai boxing, and beyond. Many would not consider this as a service trip as we did not do that much hard labour.

Though, the idea of service does not just come from physical action, but advocacy and education, and Mr. Pimentel, the coordinator of the trip, wanted us to understand this. We demonstrated this through our services as we visited the Khao Nam Phu conservation to learn about the endangered bantengs, the Forest Restoration Project in Doi Suthep, the Ourland Centre, the Anuntara Elephant Foundation (or Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, GTAEF), and the Thai Navy Sea Turtles Conservation. To be educated you can advocate and make a change, and after this trip, I and other members of this trip plan to organize aid and support for a service we found first-hand passion for.

Guatemala D.I.G Trip:

The following information was provided by Denise des Vignes and turned into paragraphs by Rebecca Liu for formatting and clarity reasons. The content is meant to be as faithful as possible to the original messages.

During the Guatemala trip, the purpose was to install smokeless stone stoves in the homes of Mayan villages as many needed proper access to cooking facilities. The stoves that we built were not only suitable but also safe cooking equipment that prevented smoke exhaust from spreading through homes and harming families’ living conditions. In total, we were able to install over 40 stoves all to help improve the community for the local and indigenous Mayan people. 

When we first arrived in Guatemala, I was thrilled to be able to experience and explore a new country, exposing myself to new cultures, all while still being able to help out people less fortunate than myself. While I appreciated and enjoyed the rich, vibrant, and colourful environment and culture of Guatemala, I also witnessed the dangerous conditions many of the locals were living in. As much as I was delighted to learn and experience this new nation when I saw how these people were living, it put so much perspective into my life back in Canada. After this trip, I feel far more grateful for what I have and a new-found passion to help others less fortunate than I am. During the trip, I worked harder than I had to simply because I wanted to aid these people to the very best of my ability. I ended up carrying as many smokeless stoves as I possibly could and looked for any other help I could offer. After the trip, I find myself with a renewed view of the world. I understand just how important it is to have gratitude while also discovering just how much I can do to create change. I am so happy to know that I helped 41 families live in better and safer environments and I will miss my time in Guatemala and with the Doppenberg family.