A MAN travelled to India to meet the child he has been sponsoring for the last seven years.

Retired civil servant, Phil Wingfield, travelled to the Indian state of Bihar to meet ten-year-old Mohan Kumar at a local school alongside members of his family and community. He was accompanied on the visit by staff from charity Plan India.

Mr Wingfield, who worked at HMRC in Southend, has been a sponsor since 2001 following an earlier trip to India and is currently sponsoring his fourth child.

He said: “I went to India in 1996 on a whim and fell in love with the country. I found out about sponsoring a child five years later.

“Pan India selects a child for you. I donate £15 a month and another £15 a month for Mumbai street children run by the same organisation.

"The money goes to the whole community on schools and health facilities that help the sponsored child. Life can be very tough in India. I didn’t meet his father as he was unable to leave his work.

“The drive to Mohan’s town was a long one but we got to see a side of India that the tourist rarely ever sees. The whole school turned out to see us and we were treated to songs and plays highlighting issues such as sanitation and child marriage.

“It was very humbling. To meet Mohan and his family was fantastic. They are lovely people making it in a hard environment. I have nothing but praise for all concerned.

Mr Wingfield added: “I stood up and addressed the whole school. I told them how humbled I was by our reception, how important their education is, and how the future is in their hands. Then I took a few questions and met the teachers.

“Some of the children had painted pictures and Mohan wrote me a story on a sheet of paper. We exchanged gifts, which I hope he liked.

“It was a fantastic day. We got to meet Mohan and his family and see the good and important work Plan International is engaged in.”

Plan International UK is a global children’s charity. The charity said: “We work to give every child the same chance in life. In every child there’s a spark of imagination, curiosity and ambition. But not every child is born with the same opportunities.

“When you face poverty or violence the odds are stacked against you. When you’re a girl it’s even harder to be safe in school and in charge of your body.

Visit www.plan-uk.org