“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”- Mahatma Gandhi
It is in this spirit of service that the Lions Club of Chennai Skyline embarked on a journey to improve the quality of education of children studying in corporation and government schools. By giving them a clean and safe space to learn, the Club gave them an opportunity to not just dream of, but also experience a better quality of life.
School life
For many of us, school life was filled with experiences that, even today, make us yearn for the ‘good old days’. We learnt, made friends and made sense of the world with no second thoughts to basic infrastructure and facilities.
But, life is not the same for everyone. For many children, especially those studying in Government and corporation schools, their time in school is not rosy. In many of the schools we visited, students had limited access to proper desks and clean drinking water; many of the restrooms were in a state of disrepair and could not be availed.
The Club’s aim
It was a saddening state of affairs; but as Joan Baez rightly said – action is the antidote to despair.
The Club got right down to action; after due diligence, we adopted schools that were sorely lacking in infrastructure. Special focus was given to the provision of basic facilities like comfortable benches, clean drinking water, installation of light fittings and ceiling fans, reliable security and hygienic restrooms.
Four schools that were in dire need of care and a makeover were shortlisted. Within a few months the Club successfully fulfilled its aim of providing poor students with a truly wholesome experience at school.
This was just the beginning of a continuing journey for the Club; today, several schools, deserving care and financial aid, are benefitting from the Club’s aim of bringing comfort, hygiene and dignity to innumerable students in corporation and government schools.
Adopted schools
Following are the four schools that Lions Club of Chennai Skyline had supported – both financially and through thousands of hours of community service by its members.