: A group of 15 young people has come all the way from Amsterdam, not on a holiday but to serve kids with special needs. Executives of the Netherlands-based APG Pension Fund are here to renovate Campus Challenge, an NGO that was established eight years ago to provide education and shelter to 120 children, and help hundreds more via outreach programmes. Campus Challenge is situated near Pusaptirega on the national highway between Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam.
Anne Legeland, who runs Campus Challenge, hails from the Netherlands. Inspired by her work here, APG’s service wing sanctioned about € 7,000 (about ₹ 7.2 lakh) towards renovation of the institute. A team led by Stephan Schiller, which includes Ineke Meek, Ronald Hoevenaars, Ivonne Plagge, Rick Boer and Alexandra Katthagen, paid for its flight and other expenses. M. Shanmukha Rao, an Indian who also works in APG, accompanied the team. Among other things, the visitors learnt some techniques from local painters and applied their new skills to give the children’s hostel a makeover.
“Charity should not end with financial assistance. Active involvement gives us happiness and helps us develop an attachment with special kids. The weeklong trip to India will remain memorable for all of us,” Mr. Schiller said. Some of the visitors presented musical instruments and sports kits to young residents of the campus.
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“We always spend money for material happiness. But utilising the amount for a special cause gave us immense satisfaction. Our organisation, Friends Indeed, promotes this message powerfully. We are grateful to APG’s SWAP programme for sending its executives to our campus here,” said Ms. Legeland.