Where kids learn the value of sharing

Kochi: They may be tiny tots, but they have done a big service. A kindergarten in the city, which has tied up with the Cochin Cancer Society,  took  the children in its care to meet cancer patients and hand over the donations it  had collected for them recently.

The Aadhyakshari pres-school, which appealed to  parents to donate generously to a Home Stay facility run by the  society for financially struggling cancer patients in Kurikad, took the children along when handing over the provisions collected to the centre. The programme was part of the ‘Daan Utsav’ (The Joy of Giving) week celebrated from October 2 to 8.

“Moral values must be taught to children once they  enter kindergarten or even earlier as by the time they reach middle school they have already learned them and  can seldom be changed,” says the pre-school principal, Vinaya Sarath explaining that the Cochin Cancer Society, spearheaded by noted oncologist, Dr Gangadharan, provides Home Stay facilities to cancer patients, who find it hard to rent accommodation while struggling to meet the cost of their  treatment.

“The response from the parents and teachers was heartening. Not only did they donate good quality provisions but also provided financial assistance. Although the donations were purely optional, we collected Rs 60, 000 in a week and handed the money over to the society,” the principal  reveals.