Gift an education...Make a life !

Cuddalore School students wanted to visit the blind School
to reach out to the disabled kids. On meeting them, Isha Vidhya
students found them to have similar dreams and aspirations, they
liked similar things but their blindness is a challenge to be overcome.
This meeting brought awareness about how fortunate they, the Isha
Vidhya students are, to have their eye-sight. But, they found that the
blind kids displayed equal amount of talent and determination to
achieve their goals.

Our students learnt not to pity them when they saw that they were
no less than them. The change in attitude was important to build
respect towards the blind children, for their displayed ability to
overcome their challenges.

Our students promised that they would visit the blind school
regularly and keep in touch with those students!

Lavanya, a student of Cuddalore school who visited the
blind school shares:

"We went to visit the blind school students. We had taken fruits
and sweets for the children. Tears welled up in my eyes when I
saw those children. But to my surprise those children were not
feeling constantly sad about their disability but were a bundle
of joy and happiness. When we gave them fruits and sweets,
their joy in their faces could not be described in words. They
held our hands and thanked us. They entertained us with songs
and dance and we also joined with them. When we were about
to leave they became sad and asked us to come back again.
With a heavy heart I left the place but firmly decided to visit them
whenever time permits. I thank my school for giving me such
an wonderful opportunity."

What do you think?

Links:

• Recurring donation to Isha Vidhya

Gender inequality and discrimination is still prevalent
widely in India.  Interventions are happening to sensitize
people on the issue. Dharmapuri School, took up an
activity to sensitize students and create awareness on this.

The school administrator introduced gender equality in
indian culture to the students.  Charts were pasted in the
verandah and students were asked to write about their
woman role model.  Apart from their mothers, students
wrote the names of Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi,
Kalpana Chwla, their class teacher and their sisters as
role models!

Sridevi, an English teacher at the Dharmapuri school shares:

"Our district is backward in literacy and known for female infanticide.
Last year, I came to know about the women's equality day from one of
my colleagues Arivalagan. I wanted to use this opportunity to create
awareness among the students. I prepared charts with the help of other
teachers and displayed them in the school. I spoke in the morning
assembly and covered following points in my address:

    * Honour to women in ancient days.

    * Gender equality in the middle age days

    * Gender bias after invasion of India by outsiders

    * The need to bring back gender equality.

In the evening, I asked the staff and the students of 7th and 8th grade
to write about their favorite women personality and also the reason for them
to think so. I also tried to make them to think why it can't be their mother,
the neighbor or a relative.

I have done many activities but this activity satisfied me very much!"

And so, it's important that the children, the next generation citizens, and probably
the global citizens, realize the importance of gender equality, and start
practicing it from their early age itself.  What do you think?

Links:

• Recurring donation to Isha Vidhya