Week 3 - Personal experience

Volunteering at my different projects:

On Monday and Tuesday mornings i work at the Special Needs Centre in Maharagama. The Special Needs include blind, Downs Syndrome, physically and mentally disabled.

 I really enjoy working here as i really do feel we make a difference to the people there. The living conditions they live in is very basic and consists of a few rooms with beds placed side by side and a kitchen area.

 The men there have nothing to do all day so when we go there the main aim is to give them some sort of entertainment. We bring a ball and play catch or football which they really enjoy. They love drawing and colouring in. I have quite a collection of their drawings now! They join in with singing and dancing too as you can see in the photo below!

Sometimes its very hard being there, seeing their disabilities and knowing that they will be spending the rest of their life at the centre. There is a man there who is physically disabled and cannot walk, therefore to get around he has to drag himself along with his hands, scraping his knees along the way.

The physically disabled man

However, everytime i see him he always smiles at me and when we're playing catch or dancing with the others, he always wants to watch and will laugh along with everyone. It is such an amazing experience to be a part of, they treat each other like family and are constantly looking out for and helping each other. When they are drawing and colouring in, they always let me know when someone has come into the room to make sure i give them paper and crayons too. The way they treat each other and the strong group mentality they have is truely amazing and makes me feel so happy that i can be a part of it too.