India Empire article ‘Hope Soaring’

India Empire is a leading magazine for building bridges between India and the UK.

Here is an article about WOHAA winners Team Aquila’s visit to Buckingham palace back in November 2012. Her Majesty invited the team to present their Diamond Jubilee card, which they had made for as part of their fundraising project to celebrate the occasion.

Testimonials

We had a wonderful time last night and the children so enjoyed the experience. Obviously the icing on the cake was the winning of the award for runners up ‘Best Presentation’. — Mrs. Green – Year 9 Manager at Collingwood College
WOHAA is one of the best external projects we have brought into the school. It is truly beloved by staff, students and parents alike as it broadens the horizons of our girls who would otherwise not g — Mrs Rachel Fink, Head Teacher, (Girls' School) Hasmonean High School
You made everyone feel so welcome and it really was a very enjoyable evening. We are now all very excited about our fundraising for next year. — Natalie Hodgson, Year 9 Student Manager, St Mary's High School
The WOHAA challenge is an excellent one and does uncover true leaders and team-workers. Keep in touch. And good luck to you and a great organization — Dr. Joe Spence, Master Dulwich College
It has been a pleasure and a privilege for Hasmonean to work with you on this project and we look forward to our continued relationship in the future. — Rachel – Headteacher at Hasmonean Girls' High School
It was a truly inspirational evening and a pleasure to hear about the work and success of so many young people. We were, of course, delighted that Surbiton High School pupils were recognised for their — Ann Haydon, Principal, Surbiton High School
Firstly, thank you so much for the last year - WOHAA has helped me to develop in many ways and I am extremely grateful for every opportunity you have sent my way. I am really keen to continue working — Serafina (Volunteer)
I would just like to thank you coming into our school to talk to us about WOHAA. I have enjoyed the project thoroughly & I was wondering if there is any other way I can volunteer for Wings of Hope. — Yumna, Student at Valentines High School
Thanks so much and congratulations for putting on such a great event. Already looking forward to the next one — Carl - Investment Banking Mentor, WOHAA Speed Mentoring
It was a pleasure to meet you and inspiring to hear stories of the ways in which the project has motivated young people to raise money for charity and work as a team to initiate and run different acti — Miriam – Teacher – Dulwich College
It was a great pleasure to see such fantastic talent at the WOHAA semi-finals and the WOHAA Award Ceremony, well done for this wonderful vision!’ — Baroness Verma, House of Lords
Dear Rajni, congratulations to the school. Worthy winners amongst many very deserving candidates. Best wishes. — Baroness Verma
I would recommend WOHAA to anyone I have met because it is a great privilege to assist in a charity while helping those less fortunate than ourselves. — Bianca, Student at Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College
‘It was really good, made me less worried about applying' ‘very informative trip' ‘great and informative!' ‘very interesting and insightful to life and cambridge' ‘pleasant and new experie — (in response to December 2014 trip to Robinson College, Cambridge)
What a wonderful and brilliant trip. Deepika still talks about it all the time and reflects back fondly of the trip with plans to do more in future. It would have been impossible for her to have h — Malavi and Kumanan Deepika's parents Wohaa winner 2013-14
Dear Rajni, congratulations to the school of the winning Team. Worthy winners amongst many very deserving candidates. Best wishes. — Baroness Verma
I learnt a lot from the WOHAA experience, it was a sort-of different experience. It was a challenge where I learnt about myself more than anything. I learnt how to adapt many different roles in order — Suman D. (Villiers School)
I can not thank you enough for choosing Team Unity as your WOHAA winner! we put our heart and soul in to your absolutely amazing charity and we are so so pleased all our hard work has paid off! — Tsiona – Hasmonean School for Girls
Well done for another fantastic event. You could see that the students were keen to soak up all they could in the time available, and lots of smiles all round – a good sign! — Linzi - Law Mentor, WOHAA Speed Mentoring
I was very impressed by the event at the House of Lords. I think you have made a major breakthrough in getting such a high level of engagement from UK schools. — Sir Richard Stagg – Ex - High Commissioner to India
Thank you for your message of 12th June and the link of your awards program which I went through. As always wishing you and Wings of Hope all the very best. — Dr. Yusuf Hamied, Chairman - Cipla
Thank you for the great opportunity to look around Cambridge and Robinson College, we really enjoyed it — Ambika (in response to December 2014 trip to Robinson College, Cambridge)
It was a pleasure and very inspiring and exceptional talent on display. Thank you for having me as part of this wonderful charity and a real honour. — Tunji Akintokun, Director at Cisco, (WOHAA 2015-16 Panellist)
Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. We had a blast!! — Lily Maya (in response to December 2014 trip to Robinson College, Cambridge)
Our WOHAA journey has opened our eyes to the injustice in this world and shown us how students anywhere can really help the children who need it the most and how important it is to do so. — TEAM – FORTITUDE - LADY MARGARET SCHOOL
I absolutely enjoyed spending time listening to the kids. They are an inspiration. — Nupur Mallick, HR Head UK & Ireland, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (WOHAA 2015-16 panellist)
My time at Tata was a memorable experience; I was lucky enough to shadow the consultancy team and met many clients such as the COO of Aviva and a director from Barclays wealth. — Akshay Dhamecha
What a fantastic experience and I am delighted that the girls were excellent representatives of the school. They clearly gained a huge amount from being at Barclays. — Rachel – Headteacher at Hasmonean Girls' High School
It was a pleasure helping to judge the Wings of Hope Finals. Not only are those involved an inspiring group of young people, but the wider cause is also one to which I am very happy to lend any suppor — Lady Elizabeth Roberts, Dean of Studies at the Weidenfeld Centre, Trinity College, Oxford (WOHAA 2015-16 panellist)
For my part, I was, as always, very impressed by the commitment, ingenuity and enthusiasm of the young people involved. WOHAA is indeed a two way street, with real benefits for those who receive the h — Lord McNally, Chair of Youth Justice Board, (Regular WOHAA panellist)
Over the course of the last five years, we as a school, have offered WOHAA to our students across different year groups. As Vice Principal, I am delighted to partner with WOHAA. This year as WOHAA c — Mr. Ian Smith, Vice Principal, Surbiton High School
India was a fantastic experience – one which I will never forget. I recommend WOHAA to all students because a trip to India is the biggest motivation. — Anna, 2013 Winner
Thanks once again for letting me be part of your brilliant initiative. The entries and the teams continue to inspire! — Jackie Cooper- Global Creative Chair of Edelman PR (Regular WOHAA panellist)
I would just like to say thank you for everything both you and Mr Sriram have offered me through the Wings of Hope program. The Award has given me experiences and skills, I just couldn't learn — Athishan Vithivet Pillai, Merchant Taylor School
It's a fantastic initiative & it was an honour to be with such distinguished supporters of the charity at the semi-finals & an even greater honour to see the work of the young members of our community — Clarke Carlisle, Chairman, Professional Footballers' Association.
It is always so uplifting and encouraging to see the students representing their age group in such a positive and enriching fashion. They all deserve an award! The event goes from strength to strengt — Sir David Jason
For me CV writing and interview skills were the most useful part of the workshop and I feel as though I came away with a lot of new, valuable information to take into account when writing my own CV. — Emily from Langley Park School for Girls
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for a truly unforgettable trip ---the memories, the kindness and the goodness of the children and everyone we met I will never forget. I am happy to help you — Lv Lauren - Overall winner 2013-14
Thank you Janelle for organising such a fantastic opportunity for our girls. I know Sara found it such an interesting and valuable experience. Best wishes — Debbie - Sara's mum, Hasmonean Girls' High School
It was great fun and very useful — Jade (in response to December 2014 trip to Robinson College, Cambridge)