The silver lining-Sr Citizens can be a formidable force for any development programme
A Silver Lining
Senior Citizens can be a formidable force in any development
programme. Take for instance, a group of seniors in Bangalore who
are bringing much cheer into the lives of underprivileged kids.
By Monika Chauhan
“From what we get, we can make a living;
what we give, however, makes a life.”
—Arthur Ashe
Catering to the basic needs of the children, the group of
senior citizens has also been facilitating Akshay Patra Mid day Meal
Scheme which provides a nutri- ous mix of ragi and jaggery
for breakfast to thechildren.
The never-ending journey
called life can surely be beau tiful if we lose our selves in the service of
others. For similar reasons, Senior Citizens Bangalore (SCB), an NGO formed by
senior citzens in 2001, doesn’t believe in the tenet that retirement means you retire from life, it’s more about
embracing anew start to your life. From a humble beginning with four retired men providing a few pair of shoes to needy school
children, to lending a helping hand to local schools in taking care of the
children’s health, nutri tional and academic needs the NGO has come a long way
from four founding members in 2001 to almost 70 members and more. Located in
Indiranagar, Bangalore, the NGO today supports almost 4,000 children and young
adults, thereby helping 14 primary and upper primary schools in improving the
lives of the underprivileged. Out of these 14 schools, 13 are situated in and
around Bangalore, and one is in Hoskote. The NGO also extends sup port to
three PU colleges and one degree college, besides running a skill development
programme and supporting a destitute home in Hennur.“Our recent additions
include professional courses and post graduation,” The Better India quotes
Chair man BS Lamba as saying. “The addition of colleges is because we found
out our students were doing extremely well and they needed a support pro gramme
financially, and dation. The Foundation also offers basic skill development
courses at RBANMS School premises on Dickenson Road, Bangalore. The idea of
joining hands with Unnati Founda tion was proposed by one of SCB’s members,
93-year-old Mr. Parthasarathy, explains Mr. Lamba. The Skill Development
Centre offers students at PU level and above with a 50-day soft- skills
training programme. A professional soft-skills trainer conducts the training
with support from SCB member Arun Sinha, who is a personal executive trainer
himself. After the completion of training programme, SCB ensures placements for
these students; the last batch com prising around 85 students placed received salary
levels of approximately 30,000.
It is worth mentioning here that the course is being offered
free of cost to these students. The NGO is taking
into consideration “future industry requirements” through the
course.Besides skill develop ment, SCB also sets aside a huge chunk of their
funds for scholarships, especially for students in rural areas. “Our budget is
?15-16 lakh for scholarships,” Mr. Lamba quips. There has been a remarkable
improvement in higher education with the introduction of scholarships,
according to Mr. Lamba.
“In 2012, we gave scholarships for the first time in the
school we support in Hoskote Taluk. We gave it to five girls. Today, one of
them is doing engineering and the other is doing final year of BCA,” SCB Vice
Chair man Shyam informs. “This year scholarships have been given to 106 girls.
Their aver age result is around 80 per cent.” Drawing inspiration from their
school life, the group is making continuous efforts to improve things for the
chil dren they support. Three members have also made a contribution towards funding a
?45 lakh corpus
for scholarships. In a bid to encourage slow learners, Mr. Agarwal has
introduced an award titled Most Improved Student. “In a
school, the teachers only know the top 10 students. The award is for those who
are at the bottom of the class but have improved the maximum. Ever since we
started it we have seen two advantages: the bottom of the class has come up,
and the teachers have come to know the weaker students better,” Mr. Agarwal
explains. The group has begun con ducting summer workshops in computers,
tailoring, and beautician courses for girls from RBANMS High School this year.
“The aim of the six-week programme was to enable children to learn a skill
during the holidays,” says Mr. Lamba. It is worth mentioning here that some of
the girls have now started working as part-time beauticians, and are earning a
sufficient amount for their families during weddings and festivals. Catering to
nutrition needs
of the children, the group has also been facilitating Akshay
Patra Mid Day Meal scheme which provides “a nutritious mix of Ragi and jaggery”
in breakfast to the children, shares their former chairman Bharat Sarronwala.
The NGO has got tremen dous support from organizations like Kelloggs, Sankara
Netralaya, Chinmaya Mission Hospital, and Dettol that have extended their
support by providing food and health check-ups. The group com prises an
executive commit tee of 15 members, most of whom are extremely active.
Notwithstanding an average membership age of 75+, Senior Citizens Bangalore has
accomplished a lot when it comes to socially empowering the underprivileged
kids. Their success blossoms on their willingness to give something back to society.
(Source: Secondary Research)
S C Maheshwari
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