The students of Westwood School in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh organized an event to bring joy to elderly villagers and help a disabled person. They collected over Rs. 10,600 by fundraising activities. They brought smiles to pensioners living in hardship by hosting games with prizes and fruit. Each elderly person also received a blanket. The students used the funds to set up a small shop with inventory for a disabled villager to support his family through weekly fish sales. The experience taught the students to appreciate what they have and find purpose in small acts of kindness that uplift others.
2. WHAT DID WE CHANGE
1)We brought the smiles on the faces
of old people for a day in a village who
forgot to smile due to their worries and
hard life.
2)We arranged livelihood for a
disabled person whose wife is
struggling hard to run the family having
2 small daughters by selling fish once
a week.
3. 1.In our survey and ground work it is identified that
many old people in Kollipara village who are neglected
by their children and surviving on Rs 200 per month
pension forgot to smile due to hardship for their life.
2.We are moved to see a disabled person without two
legs is struggling very hard to arrange basic needs for his
family. His wife is selling fish once in a week to run the
family with her 2 small daughters.
4. FEEL :We went to Kollipara village panchayat office and enquired about
the pensioners list and went to their houses to see their living conditions
and interacted with them to find out the real needy people.
5. IMAGINE
• We can bring smiles on their faces by arranging some
games for them and donating fruits and food.
• We also decided to donate a thick blanket to the
identified people as coming season is winter and it
can save these old people from severe winter cold as
they cannot afford to buy a blanket.
• We also thought it would be meaningful if we could
provide a permanent solution at least for one person
and decided to arrange livelihood for the identified
physically handicapped person.
6. DO
We collected the money required for fruits , food , prizes for the
games and arranging a small shop made of wood and
asbestos sheet with items required for selling for livelihood .
The various means of collecting fund were
1.By collecting the old newspaper from their houses and selling
it.
2. Greeting cards and crafts ( made by the students )Sale on
Parents teacher meeting .
3. Motivation by the slogan "Be a part of upliftment and
excitement by sacrificing one evening entertainment " Cancel
one movie or one outing or one dinner at restaurant and
contribute for a sacred purpose. (Students pocket money
donation). The amount collected by us was Rs.10,600 .
7. We went to a near by KOLLIPARA Village ,invited them to
panchayat office and conducted games for the aged .We
danced and sang songs for them . They had lots of fun and gave
prizes to the winners .We distributed fruits and rice for that day
and gave each one of them a blanket. Tears rolled from their
eyes for the affection shown by all of us.
8. We made all the arrangements required for inaugurating the
general stores for the disabled person. We bought the items
required for the shop and it was inaugurated by a reputed
elderly person of the village. We also gave Rs 1000 to him as
capital for the secong purchase of the items.
10. HOW DID WE GET CHANGED?
• We came to know and understood about the Government
Scheme of Rs 200/-pension for old people.
• We changed our opinion that service is not just giving
money but it could also be bringing smiles on others’ faces
by doing small deeds of affection.
• This journey was a lesson for us showing us true life of many
villagers and we started thinking how fortunate we are to
have the comfortable life given by our parents.
• It was a great achievement for us at the age of 11 and 12 to
give life for a family by arranging livelihood.
• We realised that it is worth foregoing our entertainment ,
movies ,outings to see happiness in others.
• We cannot forget those haunting eyes filled with light
gratitude, love and affection.