Charged with passion and motivated by the vision to show that young hands can do wonders that the world cannot fathom, the Award participants of Pt. Uma Dutt Public School, along with the Award leaders, Dr. Pankaj Vashishtha and Gufran Khan visited Machkund, an ancient sacred place in Dholpur city and offered their services by launching a cleanliness campaign.
The area from Monisidha Hill to Machkund Lake was squalid, with plastic bags and other waste material scattered all around as a result of a massive fair that took place, visited by thousands of people from all over India. The open fields and the area beside the road were not in good condition and the participants had to combat numerous difficulties to collect polythene bags and plastic waste material. They cleaned the entire premises in four hours nonetheless, reaffirming the philosophy of the Award Programme to ‘Engage. Equip. Empower. Reward.’
The Award participants, together with their mentors, have made volunteering to clean 10 square kilometre wide premises a part of their Service section of the Award Programme. The purpose of this cleanliness drive was to create awareness among the villages regarding cleanliness and to highlight the ill effects of poor hygiene. Such a pioneering effort by the Award participants convinced the inhabitants to not use polythene bags in their daily routine and ensure cleanliness in their respective areas. Initiatives like these not only fortify IAYP’s philosophy and values but also strengthen the individuals who choose to spread its values far and wide.
