Children from under-privileged section of society
remain constrained- with regard to their access to not only
resources but to everything else- be it education, health
care facilities, nutrition, gainful activities. They also
remain ignorant, lacking in awareness and knowledge about
world around them and exposure to different facets of it -
which are essential for one’s wholesome development
and upbringing. At the same time their exposure to modern
media, TV in particular, and different programmes exhibited
on it often provide lop-sided view of life and society, in
general, which can be quite damaging to impressionistic mind
- inculcating in them possibly undesirable knowledge, outlook
and values.
SMILE Foundation has initiated a new venture
(Project) called Nurturing for Success. The project contemplates
that children from non-elite segments get opportunities, are
offered a wide range of activities like excursion, visit to
sites of national and historical significance, cultural programmes
etc. Also arranged are motivational and informative sessions,
through personal encounters, termed Face to Face, with well
known personalities and successful achievers from different
walks of life who could have positive influence on the children.
Children, particularly from deprived lot, often, do not find
much to aspire for, with not much of hope or dreams. Making
children come face-to-face and their encounter with such personalities
is bound to surprise and motivate these children alike, besides
providing them with rare, invaluable exposure. Also children,
listening to such personalities, and their experiences, may
find in them a positive role model and therefore a cause to
aspire and dream.
With active help and co-operations from the Foundation for
Religious Harmony, SMILE started this initiatives on occasion
of Women's Day in year 2003. The first programme took girls
(from Community based Computer learning Project) to the residence
of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms. Sheila Dixit who
formally flagged off the Programme in presence of about 70
girls. Ms. Dixit also spent the morning talking to the girls
- prominent members of the two Foundations also being present.
The girls were understandably thrilled with
such occasion and the esteemed company adding to the frenzy
of excitement! Taking advantage of the opportunity, the girls
freely interacted and asked many questions from the dignitary.
The girls also presented a small cultural programme and even
roped in Ms. Dixit who sportingly joined them in dancing.
After the visit to the Chief Minister, the
girls were taken to the Science Museum and at the end of the
programme they were made to participate in Quiz and Games
organized for them. Needless to mention, the initiatives jointly
started provided for much fun-filled excursion trip with tremendous
exposure of educational significance- an experience of altogether
different kind, to be remembered by these girls!
Next in series of such initiative, Smile
is planning a visit to the President of India, His Excellency
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, by children from the various projects
in different
States like Orissa, UttarPradesh, Rajasthan
and Delhi. About 50-60 children are being selected for the
occasion and expenses likely to be incurred over outstation
children’s travel, boarding and lodging in Delhi and
other logistics management etc shall be borne by Smile foundation.
Meeting the President is one of the agenda
during children’s visit to Delhi for 3-days. During
the stay, children are to be taken for a conducted tour for
“Delhi Darshan”, visit to a few Delhi Projects
supported by Smile Foundation and then participate in a quiz
contest organized by Smile. Children from different partner
organizations shall be accompanied by 1-2 teachers from their
organization/ State.
The programme is expected to give a life-time
opportunity to the outstation children, in particular, most
of whom probably never had gone beyond their village! At the
conclusion of the programme/visit, each child would be asked
to write about his/her experience of the visit, learnings
and how they felt benefited. The children then will be asked
to describe their experiences of the Delhi visit to the fellow
children on reaching back to their respective of their school/organization.
Smile, understandably, feels this initiative to be of immense
benefits to children. Trying to nurture young impressionistic
minds by facilitating such exposure trips with wealth of educative
and motivative values.
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