Special kids educated about cleanliness
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, August 23
Pramukh, an NGO working for collection and management of civic waste for 20 years, hosted a children’s event at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) here today. The event was meant to raise awareness among children about the importance of cleanliness and proper waste management.
As many as 75 children participated in the event which was conducted by local NGO Waste Warriors in collaboration with Pramukh. Welham Girls’ School provided 25 volunteers to assist the children in their activities. The session started with a welcome address by Pramukh chairman Paramjeet Singh Kakkar He spoke about the immense need for civic sense, followed by a story called ‘Anjali and the Garbage Prince’. After this, the children were divided in groups to participate in a number of fun and educational activities, including a recycling relay game, banner painting with cleanliness slogans, a ‘How long does waste take to decompose’ memory game and a garbage collection race.
A street play on the theme of Swachh Bharat was also rehearsed, which the children will be performing prior to a cleanliness drive at the NVIH to be held in near future. Group discussions were held on the importance of cleanliness and three Rs–reduce, re-use and recycle.
Dr Geetika Mathur, medical officer, NIVH, said “The NIVH has taken steps towards making the environment clean by sensitising children towards a clean and green environment and tree plantation has been a major activity over the past years. The students appreciate the importance of cleanliness and how it is related to a healthy body and mind. On the NIVH campus, one can find trees and more than 40 species of birds. Students feel proud that they live in a green environment and are so close to nature.”
Florence Pandhi, secretary of Pramukh, said “The responsibility of one’s surroundings is a privilege. We should find pleasure in keeping India clean. NIVH students have shown that there is always something we can do that will have a positive effect on our environment. These young people are an example for all of us that we must not sit back and watch others contributing. We should dedicate ourselves to maintaining a good environment for them to grow up in.”
