By Richa Wadhera
I recently heard great things about an organization that uses art, games, dance and other activities to show underserved children the lighter side of life. On the lookout for LBBD’s next NGO pick, I got in touch with the lady behind Paint Our World, for what I thought would be a short chat. I had seriously underestimated the time I thought I’d spend on the phone; this wasn’t just fun and games – there was a serious science backing POW, and all its activities; A science designed and supervised by a team of highly trained experts from Fortis Healthcare {in Delhi}.
Registered as a charitable trust in 2013 Paint Our World has been described by founder and director Dr. Virmani as fundamentally educational. It encourages love, trust, compassion, purpose and self esteem - all of which contribute hugely to emotional intelligence, especially in children. In a nutshell, POW conducts psychologically verified activity therapy workshops, all of which are tested and child sensitised. The kids they work with come with tremendous baggage, some of them having been abused, others orphaned, and a lot of them are resistant to any kind of counselling. POW tackles their issues through strategically designed art activities, games, skits, dances, songs and other fun activities. This has proved to help create a balance in the children's lives, allowing for them to experience emotions they most likely do not experience in their home environments. This, in turn, facilitates the development of other skills.
Essentially, the curriculum is divided into semesters of 3 months each. Each class is divided into 3 parts, and follows a theme. It begins with a game, then moves on to the main emotional skill, and ends with kids sharing their learning experience with the class. Their model is intriguing - the apparent simplicity of an activity, and its subliminal repercussions on a child’s brain.
Young people and professionals run the lessons; volunteers need to give a minimum commitment of 3 months, which involves an initial training and an hour and a half to 2 hours spent with the kids every weekend. With 6 centres in 4 cities {Delhi being one of them}, and volunteers also working with numerous other NGOs, POW seems to be taking colourful new turns everyday.
Notes in our Little Black Book |
Paint Our World conducts psychologically verified activity therapy workshops with underserved children, using art, dance, and music based activities, all designed by experts in activity therapy. These activities are designed to stimulate the mind and build feelings of trust, love, compassion and more, so these children can gain a sense of balance in their more often than not dark lives.
Contribute |
Apart from a nominal amount collected from contributors, Paint Our World has been running on its founder Dr. Priya Virmani’s savings. They’re open to any kind of contribution – stationary, computer access, space for workshops, catering for events, and anything else you feel your business could help them leverage.
Volunteer | If you’ve got a skill and can volunteer your time, or wish to join their volunteer training program, get in touch with them at info@paintourworld.org
Donate | To make a donation, click here
Note: POW has been invited to London and other places to showcase their children’s art. The space is free, but costs like insurance, framing and installation add up. Donate now and make a difference immediately.
Website here
Facebook Page here
The crew at LBBD has come across some awesome NGOs that support a range of causes. Look out for our featured NGO every month, so you can stay up to date with the incredible work people out there are doing, and contribute in your own way. Until Next Month!