Citizenship Programme Initiative: Class IV Students Visit PALNA
Primary students of The Indian School visited the Delhi Council for Child Welfare, PALNA, a home for the abandoned children on 14 February 2020.
The small group of four students -Manha Furqan (IV B), Anugrah Massey (IV C), Shiven Menon (IV E) and Jiya Taneja (IV B) were accompanied by their teachers, Ms Martina Roy and Ms Sangeeta Aswani, coordinator of the School Citizenship Programme.
The visit aimed at bringing cheer to those less fortunate through sharing and caring. Towards this end, the young visitors carried several ´boxes of happiness´ which were filled with an assortment of toffees. These sweets had been collected by the students of classes III to V.
The sensitive and considerate Indianites also engaged in an interactive storytelling and poetry session in both Hindi and English, much to the delight of the kids there! Thus, the young ones spent quality time at Palna amidst much revelry.
The students were given a tour of the home, by the supervisor to familiarise them with the work done there. She explained that, once a child is left in the cradle at the gate, a siren rings and a nurse immediately brings the child inside. Ms Sonia elaborated how the NGO looks after over 60 children from new born babies to 9 year old children. All efforts are made to facilitate the adoption of these childen.
The Indianites were pleasantly surprised to see a colourful playground equipped with swings, cycles and other play facilities. Ms Sonia shared details of the PWK programme, i.e. PALNA WeeKids which prepares the children of under-privileged families in the neighbourhood between the ages of 2-6 years for enrolment in mainstream schools.
It was a great learning experience as the young students grasped the true meaning of empathy and kindness. Most importantly, they realised the importance of compassion which is love in its purest form.