Submitted by crinadmin on
Shabnam Resources, an NGO, partenered with YRC Anna University, in providing bed linen, towels, fruits, pencils, etc., to sick children in connection with Deepavali. They called the project 'Operation Diwali' and gathered about 20 YRC volunteers along with their own team. Armed with the things they wanted to gift, they set for the children's wards of Government Royapettah Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Government Hospital for Chest Diseases, Tambaram Sanatorium, on October 15, 2006. They spent time with each child and their care providers (mostly parents) sharing hope, love and care. "What we got in turn were beaming faces," says M R Hubert, who runs Shabnam, a registered charitable trust. He says that their gifts and their caring thought brought joy to the little patients and their parents. Many kids were so poor and in such a pathetic condition that they did not even have proper bed linen, leave alone other luxuries. So they were delighted and grateful for all the attention and the gifts that the Shabnam and YRC team showered on them. It was a positive intervention. "More specifically, we instilled confidence in the parents of HIV-affected children, stating that the festival of lights could bring in miracles," says Hubert. It was a day that the sick were thankful for the attention and the care that they got from the NGO and the college students. For the students it was an eye-opener, says Hubert. The youth were shocked at the sight of so much suffering but it also made them determined to do something about it. A positive reaction! "Shabnam is thankful to Vice-Chancellor Viswanathan, dean Dr Ram Prabu, YRC director Dr Shanmuga Sundaram, Laxmi, secretary, Dr Malathy, Dr Thangaraj, Dr Srinivasalu, student adviser Dr Ajay Kumar, YRC leaders Vimal, Balaji, Tamiloviyam and Gomathy and the whole team," says an obviously thrilled Hubert. He had set his heart on making this Deepavali season a magical one for sick children and he achieved it. Only he is sad that he was able to touch a small number of children through his operation. "Next year, my goal would be to reach out to 1,000 children," says Hubert with hope.