Anita Pisharody has been volunteering with CMCA for many years. Last year, she was part of the group of volunteers who took CMCA at Home, one of our Covid-response initiatives, to underprivileged children. As part of the programme, trained educators engaged with students through a series of 20-30-minute calls and provided simple, engaging activities to do which encouraged family bonding, resilience, good health, and empathy. We asked her to tell us about her experience.
Overall, CMCA at Home has been a great learning experience for me as I got to witness first-hand the impact of the pandemic on children from marginalised communities. While it was saddening to find out that most children were bored of sitting at home and upset about not being able to go back to school, the response I received from the kids and their parents was heart-warming. Most of the students I spoke with remembered CMCA, were very polite and respectful, and told me that they enjoyed the calls and activities.
I am happy that through CMCA at Home, I could provide a much-needed break from mobile screens and encourage children to pursue other activities and play board games. I also used our calls to talk to boys about the importance of sharing the load at home and how everyone, even boys, should learn at least basic cooking. I was so moved when, a few days later, one of the boys I spoke to sent me a photo of the pulao and carrot halwa he prepared with the help of his grandmother! It made me realise the impact we have on children.
I have to admit that it hasn’t always been easy, though. The most challenging part is to establish contact with the kids and their families, navigate through poor connections, and the background noise during the calls. But then I remembered that CMCA is not always about doing the easy thing but also about doing the right thing.
Thank you, CMCA for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful programme and to do my bit to make a difference.
This blog was written by Anita Pisharody, a Mumbai Volunteer Educator, and published here with minimal editing.
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CMCA has been accredited by Credibility Alliance under the category “Desirability Norms” – for good governance, accountability, transparency and continuous improvements. Credibility Alliance is a consortium of voluntary organisations committed to enhancing accountability and transparency in the voluntary sector through good governance.
