Earlier this year we brought the Health and Construction volunteer teams together to complete the vocational room in the Palaruthy Relief Settlement (PRS). With the help of staff members, volunteers, and many of the residents, the room is now complete and fully functional. This has created space and the environment to allow the volunteers to train the residents in vocational skills.
As the brain child of health coordinator Kim and construction coordinator Dave, an unused room in one of the buildings at PRS was refurbished to be put to better use for the residents. Together Dave and Kim came up with a plan to make the room a better space.
What we did
They put up mosquito mesh to the windows and Kim came up with the ideas for painting. Volunteers from all the projects, such as construction, health, sports and women’s empowerment supported the completion of the room. The lovely residents of PRS were able to assist the volunteers by using the premade stencils to draw and paint the wall.
Residents like Raju took ownership of a section and enjoyed personalizing this space. The female residents of PRS also joined in the activity and painted flowers and elephants. The place looks really beautiful with all the elephants, Indian flag, flowers and a massive rainbow. In addition to beautifying the area, the new room is now equipped with 3 tables, 20 chairs, 3 beds and 2 shelves that are full of materials for art, recreational and vocational activities. The construction volunteers also put together a bench for PRS with the help of Raksha Special School vocational unit. The final result highlighted how much passion and energy was put into the project.
The Benefit
The objectives of our work at the settlement include sports to improve motor skills ,teamwork and hand-eye co-ordination. We also provide vocational, relaxation and social activities. Prior to the rooms completion, these objectives were difficult to accomplish.
The newly refurbished vocational room has opened more opportunities for our team and the residents. We are now able to offer a designated space for activities where we will be able to showcase the residents completed works. We are able to set out short and long term projects with the knowledge that they will not be disturbed before completion. An additional benefit is that the residents are sheltered from the sun and other weather conditions while working in a more structured environment that develops their confidence and skills.
