A Visit to Learning Space Foundation, Vajreshwari
For me, a smile on the face of a child is worth an endless supply of money, chocolates or any other materialistic items. This was my reward when I, along with my classmates of 7A & B, visited The Learning Space Foundation in Vajreshwari , on the outskirts of Mumbai. I would always cherish
these moments spent in the company of the children. However, the incentive did not end here; the trip was an eye opener to reality.
We expected to meet children from poor social backgrounds; it was later through our interactions with them that we realized the abject poverty they lived in. It was sad to see such an amazing bunch of talented kids having to suffer many hardships such as walking barefoot and not being able to afford suitable clothing.
The children came from local tribes and were brimming with enthusiasm. Though the inside room of the building was vacant, the four walls were bustling with the children’s creativity. Paintings, drawings and sculptures in vibrant colours surrounded us. The person in charge of the foundation gave us an overview of what we would be doing and showed us a video on nutrition created by these children.
We expected to meet children from poor social backgrounds; it was later through our interactions with them that we realized the abject poverty they lived in. It was sad to see such an amazing bunch of talented kids having to suffer many hardships such as walking barefoot and not being able to afford suitable clothing.
The children came from local tribes and were brimming with enthusiasm. Though the inside room of the building was vacant, the four walls were bustling with the children’s creativity. Paintings, drawings and sculptures in vibrant colours surrounded us. The person in charge of the foundation gave us an overview of what we would be doing and showed us a video on nutrition created by these children.
In the school or “shala”, we introduced ourselves to the children and were split into groups comprising students from DAIS and children from the shala. Each group had to make their own flash cards for the children to refer to. As we interacted with them, I realized that these children were a lot like us; the only difference was that we lived in a city while they lived in a village.
The children were creative, energetic and eager to do their work. The Learning Space Foundation had greatly improved their lives and extended the boundaries of their knowledge as they could answer our questions in English quickly and fluently. I tried to talk with them in a gentle tone and when I narrated jokes, they would burst out laughing. It warmed my heart. Playing simple games such as races, kabadi and ball games were quite enjoyable too. The day was filled with laughter and songs as we danced merrily as if we had known all of them,always.
Distributing my stationery and toys to these children brought an immense sense of satisfaction and the joy on their faces made the trip most worthwhile. This trip has really changed our perception of the people from the lower strata of life. We have always neglected resources such as water and food as we think of them as easily available. But we should think of ourselves as privileged as we never need to fight over such basic necessities. I was glad to be able to share some resources with these children and I hope that these will bring about some qualitative change in their lives for the better.
The children were creative, energetic and eager to do their work. The Learning Space Foundation had greatly improved their lives and extended the boundaries of their knowledge as they could answer our questions in English quickly and fluently. I tried to talk with them in a gentle tone and when I narrated jokes, they would burst out laughing. It warmed my heart. Playing simple games such as races, kabadi and ball games were quite enjoyable too. The day was filled with laughter and songs as we danced merrily as if we had known all of them,always.
Distributing my stationery and toys to these children brought an immense sense of satisfaction and the joy on their faces made the trip most worthwhile. This trip has really changed our perception of the people from the lower strata of life. We have always neglected resources such as water and food as we think of them as easily available. But we should think of ourselves as privileged as we never need to fight over such basic necessities. I was glad to be able to share some resources with these children and I hope that these will bring about some qualitative change in their lives for the better.