Sally Whittaker visits India

About Sally's visit to India with ActionAid
ActionAid took Coronation Street star Sally Whittaker and her 12 year old daughter, Phoebe, to Rajasthan, northwest India to meet the child they have been sponsoring for the past eight years.

Sally first started sponsoring 13 year old Reena Rawat in 1999 after a trip she took with us to southern India. Since then she has received letters and updates on Reena's progress every year but never thought she would get the chance to actually meet her.

Sally and Phoebe spent a day and a half with Reena and her family to see what life is like for the Indian teenager and how Sally's support over the years has helped improve her life and her future.

Reena lives with her mother, father, sister, two brothers and grandmotherin a small mud and cement house. Sally and Phoebe got to see where they cook, clean, sleep, fetch water. Phoebe even milked one the of the family's goats so that they could have fresh milk for their tea!

Sally and Phoebe spent the morning at Reena's school and sat in on one of her lessons - geography. Both Sally and Phoebe felt very priviliged to have had the opportunity to see the positive impact that sponsoring a child through ActionAid can have on a poor community and hope to continue their support by sponsoring another child in another community.