Page 254 - DAIS Insignia 2021-2022

Aseema Welfare of Stray Dogs

The Aseema Charitable Trust is a non-governmental
organization with a mission to equip children from marginalized Welfare of Stray Dogs, or WSD, is a Mumbai based organization
communities with high quality, value-based education, enabling that aims to control the street dog population and eradicate
the development of their limitless potential. Over the past 25 rabies in a humane, scientific way. Along with this, they also focus
years, Aseema has worked extensively with children living in on promoting the adoption of indies, raising awareness on
slum communities in Mumbai and remote tribal communities in general behaviour of dogs, and first-aid treatments.
Igatpuri, Maharashtra.
Starting the year online, though we all shared a passion and love
As a CAS initiative, DAIS students worked with Aseema. We
taught students of grades 3 and 4 English, Mathematics and the for working with animals, there was a lot of uncertainty and
Sciences through 45-minute sessions every Friday. To make apprehension as to what we could and would be expected to do.
them as meaningful as possible, with regular discussions of However, after several sessions spent brainstorming, we finally
academic topics to get to know the students' level of learning. came up with some ideas. Starting out with a fundraiser, a few of
We spent time getting to know them as individuals. us set up a Ketto page raising Rs 50,000 to provide for food and
Additionally, the sessions were made interactive through playing games at the end of every class to test their learning. This method of other monthly rations. Additionally, we divided ourselves into
teaching helped them learn effectively as well as understand the importance of what they are learning. various groups to ideate creatives for the WSD social media
Overall, this service initiative not only helped the students of the NGO, but also helped us learn various skills through the planning, account, from reels to posts. Our creatives ranged from reels for
managing and conducting of these sessions. During CAS sessions, we worked in teams to solve problems we faced, making us better Holi, Valentine's Day, and World Rabies Day to posts regarding
collaborators and critical, creative thinkers. The joy we experienced when the adoptions, WSD merchandise, upcoming sales and others. We
students smiled and waved “Hello!”is something we will never forget from this also made a special campaign focused on sponsorships for the
CAS experience. “Social wellbeing is the gateway to living a longer, dogs at the kennel. Through this social media engagement, we
fuller life through healthy relationships between were able to get sponsorships for all the dogs! A few of us also
yourself and your community.”
made brochures, presentations and infographics on WSD,
Parents, profs, et mes chers amis, bonjour! Tridha Haritwal sponsorship/adoption information.
We also had the privilege of interacting with the CEO of WSD,
Avez-vous vu les œuvres d'art par les maîtres comme Leonardo de Vinci, Picasso, ou Monet ? Connaissez-vous leur talent de créer l'art Mr. Abodh Aras, who educated us about dog behaviour and
qui peut toucher l'âme, qui peut exprimer des opinions sincères, qui peut montrer la beauté de la vie et du monde ? Sinon, pas de Toybank the dos and don'ts – for dogs and humans – when giving first
problème. Puisqu'aujourd'hui, je vous invite à voir des œuvres de nos propres maîtres d'art, et vous n'en croirez pas les yeux quand aid. Thanks to the relaxation of Covid restrictions later in the
vous verrez ces merveilles créées par vos propres enfants, élèves, et amis ! year, several of us were also able to visit the kennel on our own
Toybank is an organisation that aims to promote the mental
Depuis des milliers d'années, les gens créent des œuvres artistiques. L'art visuel et la narration font partie intégrale de notre culture. and finally interact with the dogs. We met those people who
Les premiers gens ont peint sur les murs des grottes, et aujourd'hui nous dessinons sur des ordinateurs. Selon le peintre danois Gustav well-being and healthy socio-emotional growth of at-risk we had worked online with, which was a really enjoyable
Klimt. « À chaque siècle son art, à l'art sa liberté.» C'est la philosophie de notre exposition, et quand vous y mettrez les pieds, vous children in both urban and rural India. The organisation is experience. Some of us who were initially slightly scared of the
serez transportés dans un autre monde. Un monde avec du pop art à côté des dessins numériques et des peintures abstraites. Un involved in promoting morally correct educational games and dogs, found ourselves gaining confidence and comfort around
monde avec des installations élaborées, du graffiti animé, des performances vives : une véritable réplique de l'art de la rue. Un monde play. the dogs. We walked a few of them at the kennel! we also
où tous types d'art cohabitent en harmonie et représentent la totalité de l'ingéniosité humaine. worked to collaborate with the Cookery Club at school to
We have worked closely with Toybank over the past year,
Les étudiants de notre école ont consacré d'innombrables heures, en cours et à la maison, pour réaliser leurs visions artistiques. Ils ont produce a batch of dog treats every month for the kennel and
sué sang et eau, ils se sont investis corps et âme pour créer ces œuvres. J'espère que ceux d'entre vous qui aiment déjà l'art peuvent interacting with the children of this organisation to help them hope to continue visiting them in our own time.
mieux apprécier les peintures vous verrez. Mais surtout, j'espère… non, je suis sûr ! Je suis sûr que les autres, pour qui l'art reste develop the fundamental skills critical to their learning through Volunteering for WSD in this last year has been a great learning
ennuyeux et une perte de temps : vous découvrirez également l'essence et la beauté de l'art à notre exposition ! games. The concept of the Play2Learn kit videos was one in
experience for all involved. We pushed ourselves to be creative,
L'artiste Pablo Picasso a si bien dit « Un tableau ne vit que par celui qui le regarde ». Et c'est vrai, car l'art est subtil, et on ne sait jamais which we created simple tutorials explaining interesting games more knowledgeable and even risk takers. We are proud that we
l'intention de l'artiste. C'est à vous de décider ce que l'art vous dit, et je désire que vous appreniez quelque chose de nouveau en to the children. The final videos were distributed to help the created campaigns that had a positive effect on their livelihood.
voyant cette exposition. children understand how to play the games and generate
Selon William Burroughs, écrivain connu, « les artistes sont les véritables architectes du changement. » Aujourd'hui, nos jeunes enthusiasm in them. Through storytelling, we taught the
artistes vont changer votre perception d'art. Je vous souhaite humblement les bienvenus à l'Exposition d'Art de 2022. children about the different challenges in life, ways to overcome
Merci beaucoup d'avoir m'écouté. Bonne visite ! them, and the lessons they could learn from them. Toybank also
has a ‘Buddy Program’ where we interacted with the children as
Aaryan Jagtap
a 'buddy' to develop a relationship with them. We also raised
awareness on different social media platforms about Toybank's
work and raised funds through planned events and donations.
“Well-being is ensuring to stay balanced in our pursuit of happiness, making
memories that last a lifetime while also prioritising ourselves and our future goals.” Working with Toybank for almost a year has been a very fulfilling
Anavi Kaul experience. We were sensitized to the various issues that
children from these backgrounds experience in our own
localities. The Toybank service experience taught us the
Vida Saludable Para Adolescentes importance of collaborating with a group of peers with different
skills working towards a common goal of helping children who
Me llamo Arushi Maheshwari. Tengo diesisiete años y vivo en Mumbai. En mi opinión es are underprivileged. Each game, while deceptively simple, had
muy importante tener un estilo de vida saludable. Me levanto a las 7 en punto cada día y the unique ability to teach children useful academic and social
duermo a las diez y media. Como muchas frutas y verduras pero no como carne. Me
Encanto deportes y pasar tiempo con mis famila y amigos. skills and develop healthy communication.
Es importante comer sano porque es bueno para las piernas, el corazón y los ojos. The experience of working as a part of Toybank was one of a
Adicionalmente, comer sano mejora su estado de ánimo, su concentración, motivación kind because we were given the opportunity to have a
y la atención. meaningful impact on the lives of these children. At the same
“Social well-being is finding a community and feeling the
Os aconsejo hacer deporte, dormir bien y hacer yoga. Debes beber mucha agua y comer time, this experience taught us so much in terms of creativity, sense of belonging. It is finding a group of people who can
muchas frutas y verduras. communication, collaboration, and organisation. Through the uplift and support you.”
Anushi Maheshwari simple medium of games, Toybank touches many lives. Insha Kabir
AARNA SANGHAI

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