A local high school student has been preparing for a three-week trip to India, where she will work for an orphanage.

Hayley Jensen, an Alden-Conger High School junior, will join a team of five young people organized by Youth Encounter, a St. Paul-based Christian organization.

&uot;It will be an opportunity to experience another culture to strengthen my faith, working with God the whole time,&uot; she said. &uot;This mission particularly is at an orphanage, and that drew me. Because I like working with kids.&uot;

With the second-largest population in the world, the people in India have been struggling with poverty, and children are on the front lines of the fight for survival.

Hayley is staying at a R.E.A.C.H. orphanage in the southern coastal area of the Bengal Bay. Starting each day at 7 a.m., she will help with the operation of the facility, taking care of the kids and helping out at the site all day long until 10:30 p.m. The program also provides her the chance to experience the Indian rural lifestyle, which cherishes traditional songs and folk dances.

&uot;I think I’ll gain so much from the differences between India and America, cultural and faith wise,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s just going to be such an amazing experience. I’m very excited.&uot;

Items Hayley is asked to bring includes a sleeping bag and mosquito net, indicating the trip is far from a stay at four-star accommodation. She started leaning some phrases in the local language and trying some foods to minimize the period required to adjust from her everyday life in the United States.

Since last November when she was accepted for the program, Hayley has been working hard to raise the $3,200 cost for the trip.

Besides a part-time job at a pizza house in Albert Lea, Hayley has been working on fund drives with help from the Salem Lutheran Church youth group, to which she belongs. A car wash at Wal-Mart earlier this month was a big success. She said, &uot;I’ve noticed how big people’s hearts are.&uot;

Hayley said she is still short about $500 and would welcome any donations.