REUNIONREVISITING OLD FRIENDS

A project for DFC 2012 by Anando

Last year , our group had worked with the students of Hanshi Khushi, a school for mentally challenged children.

We had taught them crafts which they were later able to use for their annual sale.

This time we included a few more friends into our group.

SUROJIT

RATUL

PIYALI

MAMONI

GARGI

SANJIB

FEELDEEPTI

Last year was our first exposure to children who are differently able. And just like the name Hanshi Khushi , which means “smiling and happy” in Bengali, we were also very “hanshi khushi “ about our intervention .We really wanted to go back and do more at Hanshi Khushi.

So when the opportunity presented itself, we decided to once again make this our project.

A visit with Hanshi Khushi principal Urna Bose, convinced us that we were on the right path.

IMAG

INE

We decided that we would take our project a step further this time.

Now we would also teach the teachers , so that they could continue to work with the students after we had gone.

We also wanted to make decorations for the annual sale and help out at the stalls on the day o the event.

One group would come to Hanshi Khushi for an hour three times a week before their own schools

started.

Another group, comprising of those who could not come to the school because of their own school

timings, would take on the responsibility of finishing the products over the weekend classes

at Anando and at home.

Our other friends at Anando were also invited to join in ……the more the merrier we felt!

We divided our group according to the tasks at hand……

With everyone’s suggestions , a list was made of all the items we would like to make, based on our previous experience.

We found we were more confident now as we knew what to expect!

We were soon back at the school!

The students were so happy to see us again……and we were excited to meet them again!

They seemed to have grown up a lot in this one year……..

DO

The “ teachers “ soon got to work ! We started with painted clay pots.

The pots were first sandpapered and then painted with a base coat.

Then they were sponged with paint and finally varnished to create brightly coloured lower vases.

We also used printing techniques to create notebook covers…….

Later, we covered the notebooks and then wrapped them with plastic film to protect the covers.

Pinky and Deepti worked with the Hanshi Khushi educators to teach them how to make jute dolls.

On the days we could not come , our friends from Anando filled in for us. They helped the students to complete the picture frames we had made.

Over the weekends , we worked at completing and finishing the products.

Some of the other things we made……

CALENDARS

JAPANESE DOLL BOOKMARKS

MORE RAMES

It was a proud moment to see all the products on display on the day of the annual sale……

Student SpeakIt was a good experience overall.

We found the children could do so much more now and we too were not as unsure as before.

Our organizing skills could have been better…it was more difficult trying to co-ordinate with the larger number of team members, especially as we would meet only once a week.

Our list of things to make was too long…we didn’t have enough time to make everything on it!

It was not possible for us to help at the stalls because most of the guests came in the morning when we ourselves were at school!