AFS India ended the year of 2017 by engaging the volunteers in an impactful activity of Community Service at National Level. AFS India conducted its first Community Service Project at National level from 18th-23rd December 2017 with 39 volunteers representing 10 chapters. Each volunteer took the initiative to be part of this six-day project in Indore with great enthusiasm and energy. With the various activities sketched down and planned by the working group in Volunteer Strategic Plan with the aim of appreciating them and engaging them, Community Service Project is one of them.
For the Project, AFS India partnered with an organization named Round Table India, a nonprofit entity doing community Service project to Build Infrastructure for Education of Underprivileged Children.
The Community Service Project undertook in three Gramodaya Schools (Government Schools) at three different locations in the outskirts of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. All the Volunteers were grouped into different wings of community activities such as:
- Personal Hygiene for Girls,
- Education (English Classes) & Computer Science,
- Painting (of Classrooms & Washrooms) and
- Construction (of Classrooms & Washrooms).
Every group had minimum of 7 volunteers along with 2 Group Leaders, who moderated and networked with their respective team members in completing the objective to which they chose to be part of it.
At the end of each day, there would be a de-briefing to recognize and understand every individual and groups highs and lows of the respective day experience and reflective learning.
Moreover, apart from volunteering, the Indore Community Service participants displayed their gratitude by donating to the needs of the respective three Schools. Various chapter came forward to donate stationery and other utility things for the children. There were volunteers who donated gifts from their chapter as they couldn’t take out time to join the Service.
It was also a reason for volunteers to rub and polish their skills in sharing their talents, skills and expertise in their respective groups throughout the six days. Equally, it provided a self-belonging of completeness in helping the needy students to grow and develop in their small worlds.
To the closure of the Community Service Project, the volunteers were felicitated with AFS India Certificates and Calendars for 2018. They thanked each other, shared their learning and bid goodbye. With the hope of having more Community Service in future, volunteers promised to work on sharing their learning with other volunteers back in their chapter and promote the thought of giving back, so that we can do it the Service at larger scale in 2018.
We’re thankful to all the volunteers who took out time for their busy schedule and joined hands together to give back to the community. Special thanks to Sumer Singh, Board Member of AFS India & President of Indore Chapter, Sarita Badhwar, Former President of Indore Chapter, Siddharth Singh, Vice-President of Indore Chapter for their continued support.