Sunday, September 6, 2009

Seasons in the sun

Things were so different few years back. Back, when I am in school and Jr. College I always enjoyed rainy season. Friends, Wet school bags, Paper boats, playing with kids in the street, rainbows were all associated with rains.
Traffic jams, Pot holes, Stagnant Water, Viral Fevers and Cold n Cough are things that are associated with rains now. Have the things changed or have I grown up so much that I stopped enjoying rain.
There were so many evening, we (friends) enjoyed with out a penny in hand. Now all of us have money to spend but we don’t have time now.
Every morning was a fresh start. Excitement of going to school and meeting friends woke me up. Now the very idea of a going to work on a Monday morning puts me off.
There was only 1 channel, yet it was so entertaining. Now we have 400+ channels yet I don’t stop switching between channels to find something more entertaining.
Summers were so special with visits to grandparents place, swimming in ponds, eating raw mangoes with salt and chilly powder in the fields.
No 1 or 2 month holidays now. It’s just a leave here and there. Summers are no different now.
Hmmm…where are those days?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

CSR(Coperate Social Responsibility)

And finally we have started CSR team in organsation.
I havn't ever enjoyed anything more than being a part of this team. We kick started by organising a blood donation drive which was a huge sucess. In the process of planning for our next event I happened to meet somebody from CRY (Child Rights and You). I am quite impressed to know thier holistic approach. It works at a complete different level.
They don't runs Schools, hospitals and orphanages nor they separate deprived and abused children from thier homes to put them under cover. They deal with the root cause of the problem. Thier projects mobilise affected communities, and equip them to struggle for their own rights as well as their children’s rights, and secure them without outside intervention. Thus making them self sustainable . They efforts towards advocacy with government bodies in influencing policy framing and implementation has bought in many a result.
Look at these figures of just 2008 -09
Number of children covered through intervention 7,61,167
Villages & Slums Reached 6,702
100% enrolment in education programs (villages/slums) 1,197
100% child labour free villages/slums (up to 14 years) 481
No of children covered in health check up programs 63,936
No. of new children’s collectives formed or activated 1,634
No of children mainstreamed into Govt. primary schools 38,169
Govt. schools reactivated 1,376
If you are wondering these numbers are huge......then..let me tell you, there still lakhs and lakhs of children who are deprived of thier rights by thier own parents and society. Very sad.