CHENNAI: Volunteering for a cause is often painted in serious colours; buckle up and work hard to create quantifiable results. And in many cases, this stands true. But for Chennai Volunteers, a gratifying day of volunteering involves letting loose, busting out moves, belting tunes and satisfying themselves with the immeasurable impact. Nivetha Shankar is one of them. Only a couple of months ago, she stumbled across an opportunity at the NGO Chennai Volunteers (CV) while looking for a feasible volunteering option. Soon she found herself in the company of many children and was tasked with a simple mission — making them happy.
These were residents at CanKids, an organisation that works across the spectrum of childhood cancer care, who spent most of their time shuttling between hospitals and the home. “All the children had shaved heads. Some had injected (medical apparatus) into their arms, some had just returned from treatment, and others were back from chemotherapy. Still, they were active. We began distributing colouring papers and they were painting with great interest. Everybody liked colouring the pages and they were communicating and interacting with this freely. They felt at ease talking to us and we had a good time with them,” she recalls, adding that they acquired a speaker and many children grooved to the music.
Recreational realms
This is the unquantifiable yet undeniable effect of recreational volunteering that Chennai Volunteers brought back after a two-year hiatus. But what exactly does recreational volunteering mean? “It is basically the fun part of volunteering there is no focus in terms of impact. It’s the most social volunteering wherein you’re just looking to spread joy, and engage people in games, chatter and art. We set up recreation corners in these places (like CanKids) wherein the material is kept,” says Rinku Mecheri, founder of CV. This type of volunteering is not uncommon in Chennai, she explains, and you may have seen this in the form of medical clowns who go to hospitals or volunteers who sing songs, read a story or just play indoor games with the patients. “Recreational volunteering happens at old age homes, with children who are being treated for illnesses, children who have special needs and those who are vulnerable due to their circumstances,” Rinku shares.
While the free movement pre-Covid era allowed much more activity, the pandemic crushed any chance of the same in the last two years. And while things have opened up and activities welcomed, bringing back recreational volunteering to the children of CanKids required meticulous preparation and care. “We work with the children at CanKids and VHS (for children with thalassemia), who are in both cases immunocompromised. So, it did take us a while to come back and we make sure that the volunteers are vaccinated. They’re always masked and in small numbers. If they have even the slightest of colds or coughs, we tell them not to go,” she adds.
Rewarding outcomes
Despite the simplest offerings of companionship, arts and entertainment, recreational volunteering has seemingly seen positive results not just for the children but the parents as well. Latha Mani of CanKids observes the uplifted spirits of families at the home. “Mostly, it is the mothers who stay at home with the children; we also encourage fathers to return to work so that they have the money needed once they move back to their hometown. We ask the volunteers to interact with them or give them motivation because even though we have our psychologists, sometimes one child might fall sick and automatically the other parents also start worrying, thinking about what will happen to their child. And though childhood cancer is curable, parents worry. When the volunteers come around, they feel very happy when they see their child laughing, running or doing activities. Otherwise, they are usually in the hospital or sleeping on a bed. So, the mothers are glad to see their children active and they also feel relaxed that one day,” she says, adding if the volunteers don’t turn up, often mothers enquire about it.
But it is not only the mothers who await the volunteers. Children too look forward to these days, especially when they have built a rapport with the volunteers. “If they spend even half an hour, it may not seem like a big deal to us but for the children, meeting new people and doing different activities gives them a boost. Some volunteers even come and celebrate birthdays, wedding days or some functions and distribute sweets or clothes,” Latha says.
Who’s ready?
If the story so far has inspired you to don a smile and carry your music and dance skills home, you may want to consider a few things prior. While there are no particular skills or requirements for this type of volunteering, it may still not be everyone’s cup of tea. “You are going there to spread joy and happiness to someone’s life. So you need to be in that positive and happy frame of mind. Because if you’re not, then you can’t share it either.
Definitely, everyone can volunteer but if you are a person who is not used to reaching out to people, then maybe this is not cut out for you because this is active engagement,” says Rinku, to which Nivetha adds, “I would recommend it but not to everyone. Those who have service-oriented minds can definitely go to the place and make good memories for those children.” That being said, Rinku mentions, there have been people who have visited with others and found that they are able to do it. “Volunteering is also about stepping outside your comfort zone and discovering a new aspect of your personality. And recreational volunteering is the easiest way to do that,” she concludes. For details, call: 9840182299 or visit: chennaivolunteers.org.