In an offbeat sporting and cultural competition, students from the orphanages and special schools came together to compete and have fun.
While some of the children preferred to dance to loud, fast numbers, others preferred the more soft tones. Many even decided that they would sing.
Depending on their abilities, they were divided into different categories and they were made to compete with each other to improve their sense of camaraderie and also help them develop their social skills.
Most children living in orphanages do not meet people from other orphanages and many of them think they are all alone. By making them compete with each other, they will be able to develop a sense of competition as well, one of the volunteers of the Gathering Resources at Time in Aid to Society (GRATIAS) Arun said.
On Sunday, they all came together to receive prizes for their efforts and also participate in a cultural festival, where people from the orphanages and even the old age homes watched as the children performed.
Both the elderly and children in orphanages are the most in need for company. Bringing them together will make them both happy. Children in orphanages do not have grandparents they can go to, and similarly people in old age homes often crave the company of young children, he said. On the day, GRATIAS also launched a women’s Self-help Group called GRATIAS Blossoms.
