"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." John F Kennedy 

This week we are inspired by one donor who very generously contributed four big sacks of adult diapers. These were passed on to two residential relief homes in Kochi.
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#donations #kochi #kochingos #inspiration #kochin #payingitforward#makeadifference

Art is not a thing, it is a way..
A way to make learning more fun, a way to brighten up a space, a way to make children feel they are important. 
Excited children at this anganwadi will now get to learn colours and numbers the fun way. They are also excited about walking into a brighter class room. 
Thank you Abigail, our enthusiastic volunteer, for getting this done. 
#theashokatree #paintinganganwadis #kochi #makelearningfun

*The Author is an Intern with us at The Ashoka Tree

Past the skyscrapers, through the winding roads, you will find yourself able to hear the laughter of children that is when you know you have reached the right place.  Me being a person with several previous experiences with kids, I did have mild case of cold feet, but once I saw the kids I began it was all water under the bridge. I think I was more delighted to see them than they were to see me. 
Although since every coin has two sides, it was disheartening to see the walls of the play school colourless. Hence to change that, what I thought would be best was to paste cut- outs of colourful paper flowers and leaves, or of the stars and moon and the planets on the walls. The walls completely submerge the joy that runs through the environment there.

The second thing I think they require would be new visual poster boards. The ones that they have are currently torn and don’t seem to be very useful for the kids. Maybe posters of the alphabets or numbers, or colours of the rainbow could be put up.

The third thing I feel they really require is a proper weighing machine. I agree we are ,the food that, we eat, but I don’t think it means we be weighed like our food too. The children are asked to wear a sort of jumper and hung from the weight machine, this is not only harmful for the children, also does not provide accurate measurements. Hence I suggest we invest in a proper weighing machine.

And the worst being saved for the last, is the presence of no toilets. The children are asked to go outside in the mud, which is very unhygienic. If Modi can get an e–toilet made for the regular street- defecators, a bathroom for 4 year children is not too much to ask (a note for the residents of the area)