IV A SOCIAL SERVICE Trip 2015

On Saturday morning, 9/10/15, my class 4 A along with our teachers visited the St Catherine of Sienna Orphanage as part of our Social Service visit. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and interacted with the kids over there a lot. We even had a game of football with them! When we reached, we waited in a line and then Brother Joseph, the kind man who runs the orphanage and guides the children, showed us into a classroom and told us all about the lives of the kids, their timetables, their rooms, and the ones who actually lived there. Surprisingly, an astonishing 90 kids stayed there, 40 boys and 50 girls! He showed us around the orphanage, from their rooms to the impressive art gallery. And here is something interesting: they once had bunk beds in their rooms, but the kids were so used to sleeping on the road that they slept on the floor instead! So, the orphanage removed the bunk beds and installed mattresses! We then had a game of football after mingling with the kids. The match was a tie as it started to get a bit aggressive. We then helped them make lanterns for Diwali. Some of them were absolutely amazing! When they finished, their faces lit up brighter than the lanterns they had just made. Then came the most awaited part: the performances. First up, I sang a song. The girls danced to ‘Sun Saathiyaan’ which was followed by the performance we were all waiting for (Well, most of us!) Amaan, Siddhanth and Hrehaan’s dance. They really impressed the audience. Now, some of the kids of the orphanage who had been learning Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art dance, performed. They were absolutely mind-blowing, especially with the backflips! And finally the girls tried their hand at performing a musical. It was time to leave. We said our goodbyes and headed for the bus. It was real learning experience (And I’m quoting Arya Gupta here) as even though the kids didn’t have parents to look after them, they were smiling all along, if you saw their rooms, they were neat, tidy and organized! We had a very nice time and were sad to leave. I hope you get the chance to visit the orphanage and meet the children someday!

- Kabir Parekh
4 A