HYDERABAD: Wednesday was an unusual day for the students of the Kollur campus of Gaudium School in Ramachandrapuram mandal, Medak district as none other than Miss World Australia 2017, Esma Voloder, dropped by. Esma was at the school to support an initiative by grade III students on child rights.
As part of inculcating the IB Learner’s profile in the children, the grade III students of Gaidium focussed on ‘Rights and Responsibilities’ where the children took a step forward in serving the under privileged children of the primary government school from the village Borbatla, 78 km from Kukatpally.
On November 11, they put up a farmers’ market where they sold artifacts that include best out of waste items such as diyas, Ganesh idols along with food and game stalls within the school premises on November 11. They had worked for over an year to do this. About 4,000 people visited the market and the children made a profit of `40,000. “For a child, it is a big leap towards providing to the society and they have put all their efforts in creating an impact with all the activities that the children have planned themselves,” says Hema Surapaneni, Principal of The Gaudium School.
A psychology graduate, professional model and currently working as a criminal profiler in Melbourne, Esma recalled her childhood. She was born in a refugee camp after her parents escaped the Bosnian War and the family then relocated to Australia. She met Dr. Satish Sikha, Founder of Healthy Kids Happy Kids Foundation five years ago and entered the beauty pageant aiming for a future that involves helping people. She stood by her word when she won the title and travelled to different places trying to bring about change.
With the help of The Gaudium School, the current Australian Miss World began her journey in helping the children financially. “The skit by the children to spread awareness about child rights made me emotional. At such an young age, your message is so profound and when you grow up into adults, you can positively impact the society. If India is going to be in the hands such understanding young people, the nation’s future is definitely bright. Never seen such a large group of children demonstrating on an issue of child rights anywhere in Australia and we can borrow a leaf from these kids and imbibe,” she said.