By Volunteer Jaanvi Sharma, FHI Chennai
When I was little, my grandmother would take me to orphanage in our neighbourhood on birthdays and Diwali to donate money, clothes and food for the children there, thus making me realise and question myself as to why do we have to wait for an occasion to do good deeds. Why can’t we visit the children more often and make it a routine? I’d tell my mother (Ma) that I want to do something for the not so privileged in this world and my Ma would happily encourage this thought. Thanks to Ma who gave the younger me insights of what the reality is, taught me to value life just the way those children did without expectations, without complaining and just living joyously.
Well, today a number of institutions have been commenced in order to provide education to the not so privileged children as every child has the right to Education, but well, education does not only mean bookish, literary knowledge. Education is about academic knowledge as well as about learning something new, and learning does not stop with the last bell ring in school; in fact it actually starts from there, when you put in your theoretical know-how to the practical world.
I joined Fly Higher India – FHI after I had graduated school with a purpose to inculcate life skills in the deprived children, as these skills would add to the overall growth of the children. I’m glad to find a new set of companions at FHI Chennai who are working towards bringing about a change in the society just as I had told my ma before.
The time I share with the children is bliss. Looking at those happy faces so early in the morning makes my day. The sense of satisfaction derived is much higher than any chocolate truffle cake could give me. They bring out the child in me. Being around the kids creates a totally fun vibe, where nobody will be judged, everybody is going to take part and take back a new learning home. Honestly, it’s a two-way learning process, I not only teach them but they also teach me. Through FHI I’ve made new friends. It’s been six months that I’ve been a part of the Fly Higher India and each event is a new learning opportunity with a bunch of creative activities for the children and its their innocence and willingness to engage in these activities that makes us volunteers to come back with a new theme and set of activities each time. I’m happy to be a part of and am super glad to find a new set of companions at FHI Chennai, starting from the city coordinator to the event coordinator and each and every volunteers who are putting in their time for something that they want to do and are working towards bringing about a change in the society. I wouldn’t call FHI an NGO but a family.
“Knowledge is more important than materialist possession and spending time with children is more important than spending money on children”, is what I believe in. If only more people could take a little time out for helping, what a beautiful world it would be.
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