Surviving on HOPE: Understanding Street Life, A Volunteering Experience

Nilanjana, a young girl came to the office of Joining Hands with high level of motivation to do something for the underprivileged. Seeing her enthusiasm to volunteer and the preference of geographical area she was placed with one of our partner NGO: Salaam Baalak Trust. At the contact point where street children are gathered and engaged in some constructive activity she got involved in teaching and counseling the children who were either drug addicts or had been victims of addiction. Her interaction with the parents of these children gave her a greater insight into their lives. Here’s her experience in her own words:

Having a natural inclination to get involved in social work, I volunteered while in school and when in college I got engaged in teaching blind students. Joining hands introduced me to Salaam Baalak Trust and it exposed me to life on the street.

I saw the street life. It’s vibrant yet gloomy.
There is hope on the streets but lot of despair
There is pain clouded by smiles
Life is different on the streets
Leading difficult lives but that’s their way of life
They don’t want to give up this way of life

I visibly see myself being more positive
I realized that those kids don’t need our sympathy
They just need lot of love and affection
They are smart kids capable of doing anything under the sun
Being whoso ever they want to be but lack the opportunity
A helping hand is all they need

I have learnt from my experience that one must never give up hope in life
Because many people just survive on that one word
Hope for a better tomorrow!

The experience was enriching. I got exposed to a completely new life. I must have passed by C.P a hundred times before, however since I was not volunteering before I never really noticed this other side of C.P where there exist people who are leading completely different lives from ours. It’s like saying that one never really knows about the wet unless one buys a pet. What I noticed in particular was that the kids are very street smart. They are up to date with all the recent movies but the sad part is that most of these kids end up getting into drugs. The free availability of drugs in that area is a menace. I came across a child who had given up on drugs completely on his own will. The volunteering project opened my eyes to this menace of drugs.

The project that I was involved in focused primarily on teaching the street kids and counseling them. I also focused on a lot of craft work because it was something they were genuinely interested in. The kids enjoyed learning about new facts so I made it a point to get my own personal books. I taught basic English to one kid who was very keen on learning the language. Considering the fact that I volunteered only for sometime I could not teach him English in detail but I focused on the basic things.

It was the craft bit which actually got out the real talent of the kids. They are very innovative. They saw waste material and in no time turned the waste paper into a bag. Their creative bend of mind was brought out when I conducted the craft class.

I did not dislike anything about the project. However I feel that working with the kids for just 2 to 3 hours in a day does not bring about the desired changes. After all, the kids revert to their normal street life. It’s important that there be a mechanism to see whether the kids are actually abiding by the things they are taught in class. To become victims of drugs is very easy. Till the time the social workers are with them they are in safe hands. But the question is what after that?

I can say that I had a personal equation with two - three kids. I definitely did not bring about a change in the life of all the kids but I made an effort to influence them in a positive way. Vishal started communicating with me in English. It was not fluent but simple things that I had taught him he was taking an effort to practice. I saw that the mother of one of the kids was extremely comfortable around me and expressed her concerns regarding her child. She opened up to me and told me that they were more than ready to send away their children to centres. They believe that the atmosphere in the area was not good and they fear that their children will be victims of addiction in the future.

Keeping in mind that the kids are street kids it’s very important that we know what exactly are their needs and their desires in life. Their aspirations are different. They might not be able to write alphabets or spell words but they are very smart. They can be great actors if provided with the opportunity. They can be great artists. Not everyone is born with an inclination towards studies and not everyone is provided with an atmosphere conducive for education. It is important to tap their talents.

I got the opportunity to volunteer through Joining Hands. I experienced a lot of new things and the reason behind that is the fact that JH introduced me to Salaam Baalak Trust. It’s been a beautiful journey and the experience will be cherished by me.

Nilanjana Sen
Volunteer
July 2011

Be Your Own Superhero!

Our nation is fast developing, but, more often than not, it can be observed that more emphasis is laid on the economic growth that we attain, shadowing the need for social development. In the wake of this fact, many concerned citizens have formed non governmental organizations to propagate that since all of us live in a community, it is vital that we reach out to each other. Hence, arising the need for volunteering, a non paid initiative taken by a person to contribute to form a holistically developed nation.

In my opinion, the best part about volunteering for an NGO is the fact that you don't have to be a superhero to be of help. You can be anyone, just with a motive, to HELP. Volunteering is one of those things that makes you encounter the latent talent stored inside you as you make use of your abilities. It makes you feel happy, satisfied and productive. It makes you confident enough to tell the world with pride that you have done your part to make this world a better place to live in. Apart from discovering things about yourself, you also introduce yourself to various things in this world that you were aware and yet unaware of, like, the abject poverty, the insensitive discrimination and heinous social evils of the like. Once you start to follow these things through, you become more sensitive and hospitable to the people around you.

In short, you become a better person.

So, don’t just sit home and relax, instead, go out and save the world, BE YOUR OWN SUPERHERO.

Archita Khanna, Delhi

International Volunteer Day Report.

Volunteering Week by Joining Hands Nov 29- Dec 6, 2009 ‘Volunteer to make a difference and join hands to influence positive social change’

To commemorate IVD and reach a wider audience for spreading our message, Joining Hands celebrated volunteering week from November 29-December 6, 2009. As part of the initiative, we invited Corporations to join and involve with us in our efforts to influence and motivate more people to volunteer, by reaching out to the community during this period. Philips and WNS came on board with us by Philips volunteering with our partner NGOs Divya Chaya and Literacy India; and WNS with Sai Kripa.

December 2 and 4, 2009

Divya Chaya

Quiz contests for children in Delhi and Gurgaon were one of the events proposed by Joining Hands. Philips, India sponsored the events on 2nd December at Divya Chaya Trust and 4th December at Literacy India, including gifts for all the children, prizes and snacks. It was a very interactive session and a fun way to encourage and promote learning amongst the students and also brought refreshing change and much joy to the children. Literacy India

December 6, 2009

A monument walk to Qutub Minar was organized on 6th December 2009 for the underprivileged children of our partner NGO Sai Kripa. Employees of WNS, India spent a day with the children. The children were also treated to food of their choice at a MacDonald Restaurant. It was a great outing for the children and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Here is what some of the volunteers from Philips and WNS have to say about the experience with the children: SWAPNIL, PHILIPS: Had it not been for this wonderful initiative by Joining Hands (JH), we would have missed this opportunity of meeting the next generation of our country. JH was most supportive, understanding and helpful. The program management was laudable. Their behind the scene efforts made it all seem seamless. They helped us reach the corners where our little gesture made a positive difference in someone’s life. Three cheers to the entire team of JH. SWATI SAHNI, WNS: It was a wonderful experience to be a part of such a noble cause. It is beautiful to feel that our presence and time spent with them brought smile and memorable moments in their lives. Hope to see them again and be a part of this noble cause. Thanks to everyone who made it possible for us to join. Our Partners: Uma Rani, Divya Chaya Trust:We would like to thank Joining Hands for arranging a corporate sponsored Quiz Competition by Philips India on 2nd Dec. 09 at Care Centre, Shahpur Jat. It was a great initiative to create interest and encouragement for students to have more knowledge Sudhir Gehlot, Literacy India:Children of Literacy India got a chance to exhibit their General Knowledge and win prizes. We are thankful to Joining Hands for bringing Philips employees to who volunteered and sponsered the General Knowledge Quiz on 4th December 2009. Anjina Rajagopal, Saikripa :Our thanks to Joining Hands and WNS for taking children of Balkutir for a picnic to visit Qutub Minar on Sunday, the 6th Dec 2009. The children came to know the historical importance of Qutub Minar, they enjoyed the whole site consisting metal pillar its peculiarity being that it has not got rusted due to any weather effect in spite of its age. The children enjoyed the architecture of the other monuments at the site though they were damaged to some extent. They were also awed by the architectural design and height of the Qutub Minar. After finishing the visit the children enjoyed eating burgers etc in a fast food chain.

International Volunteer Day

To commemorate IVD and reach a wider audience for spreading our message, we are celebrating volunteering week from November 29-December 5, 2009.We invite Corporates to join and involve with us in our efforts to influence and motivate more people to volunteer, by reaching out to the community during this period. Corporates can be ideal role models and will set good examples for others. Our active efforts will start from November 29, but you are welcome to choose a day that suits you.

The Volunteering activities report will be submitted at World Volunteer Web. This will enable organizations, volunteers and readers of World Volunteer Web to know about the activities undertaken by the Corporate during IVD. This information exchange will help us to enhance volunteering in India. World Volunteer Web is the global focal point for the IVD campaign and provides a platform to highlight voluntary actions by corporate, volunteer organization and individual volunteers - at local, national and international levels – to achieving Millennium Development Goals.

Planned activities
Seminar on awareness of eye donation
Venue: Gurgaon
Attend an hour-long seminar on eye donation at Ahuja Eye Hospital, Gurgaon on 5th December for approximately 22-25 participants. The aim of the seminar is to create awareness on the importance of eye donation. Thereafter, corporate employees could volunteer to promote and collect pledges from peer groups and others.

Teaching/event organizing
Venue- Delhi/NCR
Have an interactive session with students of an NGO, to discuss current events, hold general knowledge sessions or conduct creative activities. This event can be held for one day or more within the week. Alternatively, corporate could help organize competitions like a sports event/antakshari/on the spot painting competition for children at the NGOs. This small effort could bring about a refreshing change and much joy to the students.

Sponsor an advertisement
Daily Edition
Joining Hands wishes to express gratitude to its volunteers and acknowledge the precious time and skills they provide to our partner NGOs. We would like to publish an advertisement on 5th December 09 in one of the leading newspapers. A special mention of the sponsoring corporate will be provided in this advertisement.

Thinking back of the summer of 2007, I remember being avidly looking for an opportunity to work with an NGO abroad. Being a student in languages and communication (University of Amsterdam), with a background in cultural anthropology, I decided that after some years of studying it was time to get some practical experience in the field. In search of a suitable possibility I decided to do an internship abroad - I ended up in India, at Joining Hands. During the 8 months internship I learned more than can be described in a few lines, so this is an attempt to give at least an impression. First of all, getting to know Joining Hands’ partner organizations and their projects gave me an impressive exposure to development projects in and around Delhi. I saw deprived groups and the problems that they face, and I saw the efforts that people make to build up and maintain a sustainable way of life. One of my tasks was to help implement the Joining Hands volunteering program, which included the recruitment, placement, monitoring and evaluation of volunteers in partner projects. Moreover I got to know about the position of the corporate world and their Corporate Social Responsibility. Getting the corporate world involved wasn't an easy task at all. But working towards this goal did teach me some lessons. It enlarged my understanding of the ways in which organizations (profit and non-for-profit, governmental and non-governmental) can be interrelated and interdependent. Also, the issue of volunteering made me more aware of an individual’s position in society and the responsibilities that one can choose to take. It inspired me to start volunteering in my own country too: I'm currently coordinating Dutch classes and teaching Dutch to foreign citizens at an intercultural volunteer's organization that promotes social cohesion and participation. I am glad to have been part of the Joining Hands team and I would recommend anyone to take up some volunteering activity with them.

- Renate Roze, Netherlands