Vasanthi Kumar, shown above with two participants, writes:
Nearly a hundred children from 5 to 16 who are participating in the Chinmaya Mission’s Balavihar Summer Camp 2010, the focus of which is the all-round development of a child, got a dose of Humane Education on May 22, 2010. This Humane Education program which sensitizes children about the need for compassion and kindheartedness towards animals and other living creatures, who also share this world with us, was conducted by STRAW – Stray Relief and Animal Welfare, New Delhi.
The rationale for Chinmaya Mission’s and STRAW’s endeavor to conduct these programs is two-fold. Firstly, it is important for children to grow up compassionate and caring for other living beings because there is overwhelming evidence that the perpetrators of violence against humans typically engaged in deliberate cruelty to animals in their past.
Secondly, its our belief that animal abuse and their ill treatment is deep rooted in the cultural and social mind-sets of the people and that this requires fundamental changes in how people think about their relationship with the animal community, which can be best achieved through children.
This program was conducted with the help of volunteers of both Chinmaya Mission and STRAW. Both the children and their parents loved it.
STRAW – Stray Relief and Animal Welfare is an animal welfare organization recognized by the Animal Welfare Board of India and is a member society of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), UK. We strive to achieve our motto of “Animal Welfare through Education” by means of humane education programs that we conduct in schools for nursery and primary school children. The response to our programs in many schools of Delhi has been very encouraging. Both the children and their teachers love it because it contributes not only to animal welfare but also to the all round development of a child.
To find out more, please visit www.strawindia.org.
Contact:
Vasanthi Kumar – Co-founder & ChairpersonSTRAW – Stray Relief and Animal Welfare