Children often learn attitudes from their parents and people in their immediate environment.

I am grateful to my parents for inculcating in me noble attitudes such as being kind and compassionate to those who are less fortunate and helping the elderly.

I would love to share my thoughts about MANASA, which is a rehabilitation and training center in Pamboor, Udupi, India.

In this center, children who are mentally challenged and have speech or hearing impairment stay and study. I make it a point to visit this institution every year when I go to my native country in India. Whenever I have been to MANASA, I come out learning something new. Most of the children have later participated in the Special Olympics and have won medals.

The best time is usually during any event or special days, like Indian Independence Day. There are tiny flags all around, plenty of music and activities, and also a flag hoisting event. Perhaps what’s even more special is that the children spend time learning a lot of life skills like bookbinding, tailoring, candle making, and various art and crafts.

Two years ago, I spent a lot of time teaching them dance steps as well as learning from them. They are always are eagerly waiting for visitors to come and show everyone their dorm, the things they make and greet visitors with pleasant smiles on their face.

I visit these children once each year and they usually don’t remember my face. However, I’m always greeted with the same excitement.

A few years ago, I had a chance to talk about the environment and recycling. I had an opportunity to teach them about global warming, and some of the students listened through the help of a sign language interpreter. We took a small pledge to protect the Earth. We took plenty of selfies and had a lot of fun. Visiting them every year brings in another level of joy.

This year I had an opportunity to serve food to many children. They were very humble and kind. All of them made it a point to thank the server before starting to eat. After eating I spent some time listening to their stories and all the jokes they share among themselves.

I learned a lot from these children.

Even though they stay away from their family they don’t have any complaints. They are very happy with the little things in life. The support staff deserves many thanks for the great work they do taking care of children without expecting any publicity or credit for their work.

Last year, I got another opportunity to visit the street children (Holy Spirit Childrens’ Home) in Bangalore. Children come to the street for various reasons such as lack of care and protection in the family, poverty, lack of interest to study, and negligence on the part of parents.

The author in Bangalore, India

When they run away from home, they end up in bigger cities, where they feel lost completely. After NGO’s come to their rescue, those who are interested in learning are placed in centers and are educated. Efforts are also made to identify their parents.

I learned a lesson from the MANASA children about being patient and seeing happiness in small things. Despite all the privileges many of us in the world have, we still complain about minor issues.

The joy that radiated from the kids touched me and my family in a profound way.

I learned from these visits to be grateful to God for blessing me in so many ways especially with parents and good health. I find joy in sharing my time and resources with the children in MANASA.

I also appreciate the hard work of the staff of MANASA in taking care of the children and educating them. I wait eagerly for every summer vacation and a visit to MANASA.

It is a call for us all to remember to help those that are not as fortunate as we are. We should always remember the one famous saying by Mother Theresa, “Giving Hands are better than the praying hands.”

Neola Castelino is a grade 9 student living in the United Arab Emirates. She is a young environmentalist and a top recycler of the UAE. Neola has won the prestigious Sheikh Hamdan Award and Sharjah Excellence Award for excellence in education and other talents. She has also won the Diana Memorial Award for her environmental contribution to the UAE. Read other articles by Neola.