My name is Sagarika Satyavada, and I came to know of the Samiksha Foundation through Youth for Seva, in Bangalore. I live and study in the US. Throughout high school and college, I volunteered in different hospitals reading to children and playing games with them, and I always wanted to extend my volunteering experiences to India as well. Youth for Seva provided me with this platform and connected me to the Samiksha Foundation, which cares for children with cancer at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.
I have witnessed the impact of the Samiksha Foundation on the lives of children with cancer as well as their families. On the first day that I arrived, I immediately noticed from what was written on the chalkboard that there is a definite structure to the children’s day. They begin the day by doing lessons in math, reading, or any other subject with the volunteers present. After lunch, the children spend their afternoons playing games, drawing, or just talking to us. By the second day, I met Dr. Manjari, who explained the other activities that the children partake in, such as prayers, yoga, and storytelling. I also met Ambika, the storyteller who has worked with the foundation for the past two years. Although I don’t understand kannada, the way she narrates her stories to the children is impressive and never left a question in my mind as to what it was about.
On a more personal note, the children that I have met at Kidwai are tremendously sweet, funny, and a pleasure to spend time with. In the beginning, I was a little worried that they wouldn’t feel comfortable with me, especially because I cannot speak Kannada. However, by the second day of volunteering, the children eagerly waved and smiled at me and would grab my hand to show me their newest drawing or book that they wanted to read. What’s more, I realized that my rudimentary Kannada became a source of entertainment for the kids, and they were the ones who were teaching me to say things correctly while simultaneously trying to stifle their laughter at my pronunciations.
While spending time with these children, it is easy to forget that they are suffering from a chronic illness that they must deal with on a daily basis. I spent one morning teaching the English alphabet to a young boy and his eagerness and determination to correctly learn the alphabet by heart was amazing. He would write out each letter from ‘A’ all the way to ‘Z’ many times over in order to achieve perfection. There are endless such incidents that I could describe ,because the children have not lost their appetite for learning despite having to take time away from school to undergo chemotherapy.
My time with the Foundation is something that I will remember always because not only are the children inspiring, but the two teachers, Ms. Parvathy and Ms. Vidyavathy, who spend time with the children every single day from morning to afternoon, are so inspiring. Their good-heartedness and constant encouragement to the children is something that is very special to see, and I would like to thank them for allowing me to volunteer alongside them.
I am very impressed by the Samiksha Foundation, and the enthusiasm and graciousness of Manjari Bhatnagar, Meera Srivatsan, and Sandhya Sharad who run the organization and play an active role in making sure that the foundation lives up to its expectations by consistently arranging programs for the children and spending time with them as well.
Sagarika Satyavada
NYU student. Summer Volunteer at Samiksha Foundation. Posted with Sagarika’s permission
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