Our Social Family
Social Empowerment through Work and Action (SEWA) is an integral component of CBSE-i. The objective of this programme is to highlight the importance of the interdependence of all beings in this shrinking global village. Keeping the purpose of SEAW in mind the teachers undertake projects to sensitize the children towards others and make them responsible individuals.
As part of the SEWA project the children of classes 3 and 4 were taken to the Mother Teresa’s Orphanage for mentally challenged girls. The project was titles “Our Social Family” and the orientation of this project followed a step by step procedure. Initially, the teachers made the concept of a family clear to the children by highlighting the different roles that each member plays in their lives, the roles and responsibility they have in the family, family values and the personal bond they share with each member-that they are closest to, who they trust more and whom they can help etc. Once the concept and the importance of family was ingrained in our children’s minds, our teachers introduce the topic of different kinds of family in our society.
The photographs of the girls living in the orphanage were taken and pinned on the class boards in order to encourage a personal bond between the students and the girls before the visit. The photographs also acted as an introduction to ‘Disability Awareness Week’ for the children. Teachers for almost a week introduced the topic of disability to the children through various activities, video and discussions. The children of classes 1, 2,3 and 4 were also asked to make gifts like cards, photo frames, jewellery etc. for the girls of the shelter before the visit.
The sisters of Mother Teresa’s Convent have been providing shelter, food, medical care and an abundance of love to 20 odd girls who suffer from mild to severe mental retardation among other ailments. There are a few working girls who help the sisters with the household chores and lend a hand with the looking after of and caring for these differently abled girls. The sisters were very welcoming when our school approached their shelter for the project and encouraged us to keep doing similar outreach projects.
On 10thMay 2014, 48 of our students, accompanied by 3 teachers visited the orphanage. During the one and a half hour long visit , the children spent a lot of time sitting down with the girls in small groups and helping them with colouring the stenciled images provided by our talented art teacher Mrs. Isha Sachdeva. The girls were also given the handmade gifts made by the students of classes 1 and 2, which ranged from cakes to jewellery boxes to decorated dupattas and pencil stands. Once the colouring activity was over, all the children had a small dance party with the girls. The students enthusiastically taught some new dance moves to the girls who happily followed them.
Among the girls living in the orphanage, 5 girls were bed ridden nd hence could not be a part of the festivities. So after the dance party, our students went up to their rooms to meet them. They narrated stories to the girls, who listened attentively and were happy with all the love and attention they got.
A few of the parents of the school’s students also took part in the visit and stayed with us for the entire duration. We saw a great deal of compassion, understanding, kind curiosity and an eagerness to help and bond with the girls. We concluded our visit on this high note and returned to our school.