Student Home in Solan

http://www.aimforseva.org/Projects/himachal/regional_himachal.html Student Home in SolanOn February 6, 2002, AIM for Seva opened "Seva Niketan", a student home in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Seva Niketan opened with 16 children, grew to 30 within the first year and plans on increasing its enrollment to 50 children before the end of the third year.Seva Niketan is an unique institution where free residential facility is provided to deserving students to enable them to pursue their studies without interruption. The aims and objectives of this institution is to uplift the quality of life of people through proper education which is balanced academically, morally and spiritually. The motto is to help them to help themselves and become an asset to, rather than a burden on, the society. The student home provides an opportunity for those students who would otherwise drop out by the time they reach the 8th / 9th grade due to the lack of a nurturing home environment. For example, five of the students come from broken or single-parent homes, where the opportunities for pursuing their studies is very stunted. The Solan student home is providing such children with quality educational care in a home-like atmosphere.The student home functions primarily as a residential facility, as most of the students have been admitted in the local private schools. Dedicated teachers regularly coach the students in major subjects taught in the public school. To facilitate a well-rounded educational curriculum, the students are also provided classes in music and singing on the weekends. Each day, moral and spiritual values are highlighted during prayer sessions, and bed-time stories. In Seva Niketan, the students are encouraged to take part in various extra-curricular activities to bring out the best in them. Under the supervision of our staff, they take care of cleaning their own rooms and even washing their own clothes. This facilitates self sufficiency.Seva Niketan will help children grow into confident and responsible citizens in a comfortable atmosphere that is conducive to learning. As part of the cultural regeneration program, the children will be made aware of their Indian heritage and they will inculcate the right samskaras (impressions) to help them lead a healthy and happy life. Further, they will be trained in vocational disciplines so that they can earn a comfortable living in this competitive world.A typical summer day begins at 5:30 a.m., with prayers, exercises and pranayama (breathing exercises) followed by cleaning their rooms and other daily chores. After bathing, by 7:30 a.m., all are ready for their studies. (It must be noted that due to constraints of resources, they get their hot bathing water after igniting wood in a special device called hamams every morning, which delays the morning schedule by 30 minutes). By 8:30 a.m. a full meal is enjoyed and everyone prepares to leave for school by 9:15 a.m., carrying their lunch boxes along with them.Their school starts at 9:50 a.m. and is over by 4:00 p.m. They return to the student home at around 4:30 p.m. and are given tea and snacks. They play for a while and at 6:00 p.m. they gather for songs and stories. By 7:00 p.m., they are back to their studies, completing their homework, clearing doubts and memorizing lessons under the supervision of student home staff. They are given dinner at 8:00 p.m. and at 8:30 they have time for play among themselves. At 9:00 p.m., they review lessons taught in the class and by 10:00 p.m. its time for their hard earned rest.On May 12th, 2003, Seva Niketan also started a free coaching / tutorial center at the student home for children of Class V (both boys and girls) coming from poor families. Currently, eight children are receiving tuitions at the center.AIM for Seva is planning to expand the student home facilities with more residential quarters and a larger kitchen. As the student home continues to expand its activities and enrollment, more furnishings and equipment will be required. We welcome donations of furniture, carpets, kitchen equipment, musical instruments, storybooks and other books for learning, toys, and indoor & outdoor games' kits. Educational books and magazines for children in Hindi and educational toys are also welcome, as are warm clothes for children (over ten years old) and warm blankets. Also, donations of food provisions and notebooks will be much appreciated. Every penny and every grain donated goes a long way in improving the lives of these children. India Office All India Movement for Seva c/o R. Venkatramani Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Anaikatti Post Coimbatore 641-108 Tel: 0422-265-7150 indiaoffice@aimforseva.org USA Office All India Movement for Seva c/o Janet Falk PO Box 639 Saylorsburg, PA 18353 USA Tel: (570) 402-1244 Fax: (570) 992-9680 usaoffice@aimforseva.org