August Round up
The month of monsoon saw our children celebrating India’s 72nd Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan. SOS Tarang Zonal competitions commenced and children participated enthusiastically to showcase their diverse and spectacular talents. We hope you enjoy this quarterly round-up of the latest events and activities at SOS India.
1. SOS India Pays Homage to Tara Ali Baig
At SOS India, August 8th is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lt. Smt. Tara Ali Baig, the 2nd President of SOS Children’s Villages of India. She served the organisation for 22 years during which, our work expanded massively. This year, SOS India organised the 29th Tara Ali Baig Memorial Lecture on Skilling for a Better Tomorrow. The event began at 5:30 pm and was held at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, New Delhi.
2. Tarang 2018 Zonal Level Competitions have begun!
(a) South Zone
Organised on August 18th and 19th, SOS Tarang Zonal Level Competitions brought immense joy to our children at SOS CV Puducherry. Bubbling with about 260 children from seven Children’s Villages of the South Zone, the events were majorly dedicated to sports, music and dance.
On the opening day, Ms. Alice Vaz, IAS, Secretary to Government (Welfare), Government of Puducherry, attended the event as the Chief Guest and Shri. Pravimal Abhishek, IAS, Assistant Collector, Government of Puducherry, as the Guest of Honour. Additionally, Shri. S. Rajendran, CWC Chairperson, Puducherry, Shri. S. Yesvanthaiyah, Director, WCD Dept., Govt. of Puducherry and Smt. V. Sarojini, Deputy Director, Dept. of Social Welfare, Govt. of Puducherry, were also present during the programme. Ms. Vaz enjoyed a lot witnessing the sports and cultural competitions and also visited Family Homes, interacting with not only children but also our mothers.
The closing ceremony on the 19th witnessed the presence of Chief Guest Shri. V. Narayanasamy, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Puducherry and Guest of Honour Shri. M. Kandasamy, Hon’ble Minister for Welfare, Puducherry.
SOS India thanks all our distinguished guests for taking out the time to be part of the programme and encouraging our children!
(b) North Zone
Held at SOS Children’s Village Jammu, Tarang 2018 Zonal Competitions of the North Zone took place from 16th-18th August 2018. Competing in the fields of sports, music and dance, enthusiastic participation of 120 children from nine children’s villages was witnessed.
To grace the occasion, Chief Guest Mr. R.K. Dhar, Principal of Hermann Gmeiner School Jammu, was invited. Additionally, while Mr. Jagir Das, Village Director of CV Jammu, delivered the addressing note on the 17th of August, Mr. Suresh Kumar, Senior Education Co-worker concluded the programme by giving the vote of thanks on August 18th.
3. Soaring High; Independence Day 2018
The occasion of 72nd Independence Day was celebrated with vigour in all Children’s Villages across India. Besides celebrating within the Village, some of our children also got the opportunity to attend a gathering of dignitaries in Madhya Pradesh. Kiran and Vijay, two of our children who represented India at the Special Olympic World Winter Games 2017 in Austria and Special Olympic World Summer Games 2015 in Los Angeles, respectively, were invited for the same.
Additionally, children from SOS CV Jaipur were also felicitated for outstanding performance in academics and sports.
4. Raksha Bandhan Celebrations 2018
Celebrated on August 26th, Raksha Bandhan was thoroughly enjoyed by our children in all villages across India. Not only did the festivity bring immense happiness to our children, it also helped them realise the importance of familial ties and relationships. This year, the festival of Rakhi gave our children an opportunity to meet some of the eminent dignitaries of their states.
5. SOS India Launches #NoChildAlone Campaign
Launched in August, the #NoChildAlone Campaign is a step to ensure that over 26,000 children under the care of SOS Children’s Villages of India will never be alone again. Through this campaign, we want to connect people to these children who need care and protection but are barely heard and hardly noticed.
