Activity 1: Visit to Orphanage.

1. Prison Ministry:

INTRODUCTION:
Our March was met with a lovely surprise when we were informed that we
would be visiting Kolbe home, a prison ministry just a few kilometres away
from our school. The sisters and fathers in charge are given the angelic duty of
helping the unfortunate juveniles who had to come under prisoner’s children.
Whether they are criminals or accused criminals, the world sees prisoners
through a different lens. Their children are considered the worst in the eyes of
society. The visit to the orphanage of Prison Ministry, as a part of SUPW
completely changed these perceptions. The truth is that when we reached
there, laughing and telling jokes with the lightness of a short trip, our hearts
were touched by what we saw, heard and experienced.
Within the walls of the orphanage, stories of courage and resilience unfold,
narrating the lives of children who've faced life's complexities from a tender
age. This visit unfolds in the compassionate world of a prison ministry and a
heart touching journey into an orphanage's realm.

EXPERIENCE OF VISIT :
All the Tenth standard students were brought to the place in two buses. We
stopped outside the building where we met the head of the building,
Fr. Francis Kodiyan. Only the juniors were in the building as the seniors had
gone to study.
Still, we were uncertain as to what we were going to see. The mere thought of
being a child under a prisoner was frightening. Our doubtfulness was
reflected in our hushed stillness as we carefully and slowly climbed up the
stairs. After making our way to the topmost floor, we lent a helping hand in
arranging the chairs for the gathering. That was when we caught sight of the
children for the first time. Their smiles resembled sunbursts breaking through
clouds. They had the energy of a fizzing soda bottle about to pop.
These children, who were destined to live in the prison made by the society,
without getting any care from their parents, without knowing whom to tell
their wishes to, without any complaints, were making our arrival a
celebration. It was heartwarming to see their happiness on our arrival. The
way they were jumping, opening the windows that were double their height.
The way they obediently took their seats and acted disciplined. It was a lot to
take in.
We started of the get-together with a Christmas carol from our side, a dance,
a thank-you-speech for letting us come there to have a learning experience as
to what these centres are like. But it turned out that they had a performance
planned for us. The little ones had planned for us quite a dance show. Words
could not describe how synchronized and energetic it was.
Their show left us with a very different view on these children. As we know,
parents are such an essential part of one’s childhood, it’s hard to imagine
what a child would have to go through when he/she is forced to leave their
parents knowing that they are going to jail. It left us hopeful seeing that these
children were able to such beautiful smiles on them just by the love and
support of the sisters and fathers there.
The spokespeople here are truly a blessing to the youngsters’ predicament.
Their effort is well reflected in their joyous faces. From the way they danced,
to the way they made fun with us, it would never occur to anyone that they
had ever experienced trauma.
We left the home, thanking the father for giving us the wonderful experience of
visiting a place like this, and getting to know how the children who end up in
those kinds of circumstances are taken care of. The young tots even talked to
us, cracked a couple of jokes, and had a laugh with us. We even gave a little
teasing to the main dancer of their group. They waved to us as our busses
cranked and began to leave for school. There will be a promising future ahead
for these children.

CONCLUSION:
The joy derived from spending time with these children is immeasurable.
Witnessing their smiles, hearing their laughter, and sharing moments of
warmth create a profound sense of fulfillment. This happiness stems not only
from providing assistance but also building genuine connections and offering
a positive influence in their lives. Every shared moment becomes a source of
inspiration, reinforcing the belief in transformative power of compassion by
understanding and addressing the unique challenges they face.
The children, who were denied the affection and care of childhood, the
sparkles of childhood, and the colours of adolescence, just because they
were the children of prisoners, taught us many lessons. In the illusionary
world of abundance, their faded dreams were a complete wonder for our
generation, who are not satisfied with what they have and mourn for what they
don't have. When we shared a lot of laughter and walked down the steps of
the orphanage, we decided to fight tirelessly like them in any crisis of life.
The trip absolutely made us appreciative of our blessings. We felt happy
providing aid to the Kolbe home for their work and hope to see the children
grow and progress over time.

2 Jeevodaya:
INTRODUCTION
We were given the wonderful chance to visit Jeevodaya, a home away from
home for women in distress. They strive to instill independence and dignity in
all those who come into their folds and enable women to live a life free of
abuse of any kind.
The stigma around a lot of problems women face makes us uncomfortable to
even consider that these problems are reality for a lot of people. We are
blinded by societal standards and our own petty problems.

Our time and Jeevodaya was an eye-opening experience. For the first time, we
had the opportunity to witness missionary work in its truest form. It has given
us the motivation to bring about fundamental changes in the ways that the
lowest strata of society are treated.

EXPERIENCE OF VISIT

We were welcomed with open arms when we arrived at the prison ministry.
The sisters there gave us an introduction to the residents and the unfortunate
situations they were in. Despite being dealt with some of the toughest cards
life has to offer, they overcame everything and worked towards rebuilding
their lives. The sisters also gave us more insight into the workings of the
ministry. It is a delicate balance that requires dedication and hard work to run
smoothly. From the passionate way they described their livelihoods, it was
easy to see the joy and selflessness with which the sisters served their
community.

The residents told us their stories in more detail, revealing the inner workings
of our society and how much people are suffering from a dysfunctional prison
system. It gave all of us a true sense of perspective and showed us how trivial
our own complaints were. The raw emotions emanating from their stories
were enough to move us all.

Our class especially bonded with a grandmother we called ‘amma’. She

tearfully told us about how her son had been taken away and thrown in jail.
She had been waiting for his release for the past 14 years. True patience and
love like this only comes from a mother. Her strength stood the test of time
and many a storm that tried to break it down. We were moved by the heartfelt
way she told us of her life.

All of us moved to a hall that was a part of the compound. We sang a few
Christmas carols in the spirit of the season. They surprised us by singing a few
songs themselves, and we were amazed at their energy. We squeezed
together to take a group photo. Everyone wanted to mark this day as one to
remember forever.

The women lovingly stuffed biscuits in our mouths as we made our way out of
the hall. We explored the compound itself, huddling under a gooseberry tree
and enjoying the tartness of its fruits. A few of us made our way to a candle
making studio. A lady was inside, carefully using the wax to make dozens of
pink candles. The table was littered with candle molds and wax in various
stages of the process. Once the candles were finished, they would be sold. It
was nice to see that the residents had a form of income and were learning
skills to thrive in society.

We bid farewell to the home far too soon. A smile was fixed on everyone’s
faces. The joy of spending time bonding with the women was truly one of a
kind. The motivation to make the world a safer place for people, especially
them, burned in our hearts.

CONCLUSION

The prison system is in dire need of an overhaul. More often than not, the
innocent are grasped in its clutches while the guilty freely roam the streets. A
prison sentence impacts everyone around the person charged and can turn
many lives upside down.

It is our duty to serve our community. The world is nothing without its people.
We must stand together and work towards a stronger and more caring
society. No matter how small, each and every one of us has the potential to
make a real difference if we work as one. Together, we can transform lives and
uplift those most in need of it.

Reformation begins at the very root of society. We hope that more people will
share experiences similar to ours and be exposed to the truth of how cruel the
world can be. While change is not instantaneous, the spark that has been lit in
our minds will one day grow into a flame that fuels the betterment of the
world.
3. Mercy Home:
Introduction
Our school visited an old age home to celebrate and share the joy of
Christmas and learn from the experiences of the elderly. This
project aimed to foster empathy and understanding while gaining
insight into their lives. This report shares our reflections and the
impact of this experience on our perspectives.
Experience
In March, the students of class 10 visited the Mercy Home to
celebrate Christmas and the joy of sharing. With excitement,
students prepared carols to sing.

Six grandmothers lived there, and sisters took care of them. Of

them, two were Malayalam speakers, two were Kannada speakers,
and two were Tamil speakers. The students presented them with
gifts.

The visit kicked off with the students performing Christmas carols.
The boys were playing musical instruments while the girls were
singing with beautiful voices. They sang one Malayalam song and
two English carols. A few girls not only sang but also danced to
these carols, enlightening everyone in attendance.
Following this, all of the students had wonderful conversations with
the grandmothers. They all joked around, laughed, and enjoyed their
time with the grandmothers. They learned about each
grandmother's origins, language, and areas of interest.

Conclusion:
The students created lifelong memories while spending quality time
with these lovely and joyful grandmothers.

Activity 2: Gardening& Cleaning of School campus

Introduction:

Cleanliness is the act of keeping our body, mind, dress, home, surroundings and
other work area neat and clean. We all should acquire the clean habits from our
childhood and follow onwards throughout the life. Dirt gives rise to the moral evil
however gives rise to the moral purity. A person with clean habits can destroy
his/her evil desires and dirty thoughts very easily. Cleanliness should be taken as
the first and foremost responsibility by everyone. We can be healthy only if we
take everything within us in very clean and hygienic way. Cleanliness of the
surrounding areas and environment is very necessary for the social and intellectual
health.

It is very important topic now a day, as, a huge population are dying daily just
because of diseases caused due to the lack of cleanliness. So, it is very necessary to
be aware about the importance and necessity of the cleanliness in our life. We all
together need to take a step towards cleanliness to save thousands of lives and give
them healthy life. Cleanliness should be initiated at home, school, college, society,
community, office, organization and country level to bring a clean India revolution
all over India. We need to clean ourselves, home, surrounding areas, society,
community, city, garden, and environment on daily basis.
Cleanliness is not a work which we should do forcefully. It is a good habit and
healthy way of our healthy life. All type of cleanliness is very necessary for our
good health whether it is personal cleanliness, surrounding cleanliness,
environment cleanliness, pet animal cleanliness or workplace cleanliness (like
school, college, office, etc.). We all should be highly aware about how to maintain
cleanliness in our daily lives. It is very simple to include cleanliness in our habit.
We should never compromise with cleanliness; it is as necessary as food and water
for us. It should be practiced from the childhood which can only be initiated by
each parent as a first and foremost responsibility.
Gardening is the process of growing plants for their vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs,
and appearances within a designated space. Gardens fulfil a wide assortment of
purposes including but not limited to production of aesthetically pleasing areas,
medicines, cosmetics, dyes, foods, wildlife habitats, and saleable goods (see market
gardening). In addition, gardening may be practiced for its therapeutic, health,
educational, cultural, philosophical, environmental, and religious benefits.
Gardening varies in scale. There are immense palace gardens such as the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon, or the 800-hectare Versailles gardens, large fruit orchards, vast
forest gardens, small backyard gardens, and container gardens grown inside or
outside. Gardening may be very specialized, with only one type of plant grown, or
involve a variety of plants in mixed plantings.

EXPERIENCE

Cleanliness is not just an act; it’s a lifestyle. It’s a crucial element in maintaining a
healthy and productive environment, especially in schools. Schools are the training
grounds for future leaders, and cleanliness plays an integral role in shaping their
attitudes towards hygiene and sanitation.

We, the students of class X were invited to go on a cleanliness activity from 9 to

10. We all readily agreed. We first formed groups and cleaned various places in
our school ground. The girls went to the alley of flowers around the ground. They
picked the dry leaves, twigs and dead flowers, collecting them in heaps. They then
put these into a garbage can and moved on the clean other areas. The Boys went to
the far end of the field where many dry leaves laid. They used brooms and
makeshift brooms to tidy the place. We tidied the place, put the leaves in our
garbage bag.

After cleaning the general premises of our school ground we turned our attention to
the plants themselves. We watered the plants, pulled out the weeds and also pruned
the defective parts of the plants. We planted some new flower plants along our
ground and take care of them everyday.

Overall, this was a wonderful experience. We were able to understand the

importance of campus cleanliness. The ground looks clean and tidied. All our
classmates felt good about themselves and pleased that they were able to contribute
to the welfare of the school and its members. We have understood the need for
sweepers and cleaners in our society and the pivotal role they play in our
communities’ welfare. We have also understood the immense love and care that a
gardener has towards his plant. We have learnt the basics of gardening and all of us
are exited to implement this and make our own gardens.
CONCLUSION

Cleanliness is a good habit which everyone should have to have healthy life and
standard lifestyle. Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has started a cleanliness
campaign called “Clean India” or “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”. We should
understand that cleanliness is the responsibility of each and every person living on
this earth. We have done Campus cleaning as a part 0f SUPW which is included in
our curriculum. It was very necessary that we should have a campus cleaning
because our classes, corridors and premises were very dirty and unclean with lots
of paper bits, spider’s web, dust and waste dumped here and there.
Gardening is a great hobby for everyone from working professionals to retirees. It
allows you to connect with your environment and with nature. You will find that
when given proper attention, a garden can soothe your soul and gardening can
calm and centre you. Gardening doesn’t just help you physically, it also helps you
mentally. In addition, it allows you to contribute to environmental health and even
your own table. Although gardening yields relatively slow results, those results
leave a deeper impact and are much more long-lasting.