Staying Busy and Healthy
During lockdown due to COVID-19, our SWRC Sikkim centre was determined to keep trainees feeling safe, healthy and engaged in a number of projects that took place on campus. The extra time was spent on several constructive initiatives that served to educate our beneficiaries and proliferate their skills further. In fact, the activities strengthened their curriculum by putting their lessons into action.
Trainees plant vegetables in the campus garden
Campus Cleanup
Lockdown caused a lot of grief for trainees, who were left stranded beyond the usual time their training sessions would require. A myriad of activities was implemented to keep them occupied during these difficult times. For starters, a campus cleanup commenced, where rubbish was collected across the premises while emphasis was given to the significance of keeping trash organized and reducing our waste consumption to keep the environment tidy and healthy.
Campus cleanup and planting served to raise awareness around healthy ecosystems
Health
Medical assistance was offered during the trainees’ duration in Sikkim. This included the testing of blood pressure and distributing relevant medicines. It also entailed ensuring that trainees remained healthy overall, so as to avoid any potential of local outbreaks. This assistance kept beneficiaries reassured that they would remain safe and in good hands while being far apart from their communities and familiar spaces.
Vegetable Cultivation
A nursery was established with vegetables and flowering plants. Teaching the importance of self-reliance while distracting the women from the current situation was addressed. Agricultural resiliency is increasingly becoming a vital means for communities to keep well-nourished and financially stable.
Trainees planting around campus, following optimal safety measures
Handicrafts
Using recycled wool, the trainees designed decorations to be hung in homes. This could become a livelihood opportunity as the products turned out attractive and easily assembled.
World Environment Day
For World Environment Day, staff members organized an event that included a campus cleaning and planting of trees, fruiting plants and flowers on the SWRC Sikkim campus. The same type of event was held in Hathikuli Tea Estate, Assam. Solar Sakhi Mandira Patra gave a speech to the other trainees, explaining the importance of WED and why responsibly living in harmony with nature is important for everyone to implement in their daily lives.
Big smiles on World Environment Day!