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Testimonials
Ashwini Charitable Trust - “Lots and lots of
joyous, happy and smiling faces welcoming me and greeting me with----Namaste
Didi” when I enter the premises. I cannot describe to you or anyone what
a transformation I go through at that moment just looking at them and
listening to them!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
Shobha Jaidev, Bangalore
" Akka...I will study hard and when I grow up..and get a job.....I will
buy a cell phone...and the first person who I will call will be you
...".
I dont know what I did to deserve that place in someone s heart, but i
do know that ACT gave me an identity- "Madhulika Akka - the dance
teacher" . An identity that I thought I would never get since I am one
of the millions who are trapped in the corporate world. ACT only makes
me feel very obliged and humble. It has given me a direction and loads
of love - unconditional love, something that is rare, something that is
too precious. Something that i will value till my last breath.
Anyone can very well imagine what it means to me, I left Bangalore
almost 2 years back but my identity still remains, Am still Madhulika
akka, Am still an acteer, will always be.....
We rock!!!
-
Madhlika, Kolkata
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First, a little background info ... In October 2005 when we, the
volunteers from Infineon, started our visits to ACT we were assigned to
spend one-on-one time with a few children who were identified as kids
who needed special attention. One of these children was Sangeetha Priya.
She was a quiet and meek girl who would always stand with her eyes glued
to the floor, afraid to look at the person she was talking to. Any
question addressed to her would very quickly bring tears to her eyes.
Several volunteers worked with her patiently to help her cope with her
studies. At one point, she was being considered for transfer to NIOS,
but some volunteers didn't want to give up on her and requested that she
continue in the main stream and they would do their best to provide all
the help she needed. She has now passed her SSLC exam and has
successfully completed her 1st PUC.
Last year, I was assigned to teach a spoken English class to all the
senior students at ACT (studying in PUC or higher). One of the
activities in this class was to stand up and speak for 2 minutes on a
given topic. When it was Sangeetha Priya's turn, she stood up with a big
smile, came and picked up the chit with the topic that she had to speak
on and then started to speak, confidently looking around and making eye
contact with everyone in the room! Yes, she made a lot of grammatical
mistakes and veered off the topic at times, but that didn't stop her :-)
. To me the most amazing thing was that she was standing there in front
of 20 people and talking without any hesitation! Several volunteers had
spent their time with her over the years and helped to build up her
confidence with their love and patience and had transformed the tearful
scared little child into a confident young girl. However, what happened
after Sangeetha Priya finished her speech was what really touched my
heart ... every other child in that room started clapping and saying
"Very good, Sangeetha Priya" and she stood there beaming with pride.
None of the other children got this kind of reaction to their speeches
that day. The children all knew, and were sensitive to the fact, that
this was a big achievement for Sangeetha Priya and acknowledged that
with their applause.
The change in Sangeetha Priya was not brought about by one single
volunteer but with the efforts of many volunteers and it did not happen
overnight, but took several years. I am sure you all must have seen
several other success stories like this in the 10 years of ACT and I
know we will continue to see a lot more thanks to the family of
dedicated ACTeers!
-
Arpita Dutta, Bangalore
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The supreme efforts put in here are going to be result in great
achievements. I wish ACT all the best, but with the presence levels of
dedication and sincerity they just might not need it.
- Disha Rao, Bangalore
I have worked with Volunteer org before (Red Cross, Lions etc) but none
have impressed me such as Ashwini has done. Real commitment from both
leaders and parents, it motivates my work to higher levels. People here
really do care about other people.
- Anne Lee Gandersen, Oslo, Norway
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This is my first experience with an organization like this, and I have
had a really amazing and wonderful time. Every single one of the
children have amazed and inspired me. You are all very special, and I
wish you all the very best for the future.
- Ruth Patrick, Glasgow, Scotland
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