Christmas is celebrated around the world with traditions and customs on the 25th of December every year. The word Christmas means the Mass of Christ. This is derived from a word used in old English, Cristes Maesse. Children enjoy this festival the most because they get to decorate the Christmas Tree, sing Christmas carols, munch on delicious plum cakes & also eagerly wait for Santa to drop in their surprise gift on Christmas eve.

Children at ACM GIDF too enjoyed themselves during Christmas, as they were taught how to make Santa’s cap & also got a chance to decorate the Christmas tree in class. A day before Christmas, a party was organized for them at the learning centers, 2 children from each center dressed up as Santa Claus who distributed goodies, leaving the rest of the children in awe.

Not only this, the children in Delhi also showcased their talent by performing Christmas Carols at Select City Walk & also earned accolades & cheers from the crowd present at the venue, who also sang along with them while they performed.

Lastly, they all brought in the New Year by making greetings cards in class, using colored paper, motifs & glitter, which they took back home and presented to their parents.

Every year, ING Vysya Foundation, under its flagship programme, ‘ING Chances for Children’ holds its Annual Volunteering Initiative of ‘education-through-fun’ every year, where the employees participate in an event organized for the less privileged children.

This year we conducted the event with the children of our Early Childhood Development Programme at the National Zoological Park situated in New Delhi on the 24th of November, 2011. The students had come all prepared to see the animals whom they have always spoken about in stories and recited in poems but never seen them in real, especially the king of the jungle, the lion. Amidst all the curiosity and excitement, what also made their day was the presence of the ING Vysya employees who had come to spend time with the children and showed their participation with full zeal.

The children were given delicious ice cream on welcome and an introduction to the ACM GIDF was given to the ING Vysya volunteers by Ms.Donita. After which they were seated in the vehicles provided by the zoo, along with the teachers & ING Vysya volunteers. During the hour long trip, the children finally got to see various animals like the bear, monkeys, white tiger, panther, jaguar, giraffe, hippopotamus, elephants etc. While visiting these cages, the teachers also gave a description of the animals which further engrossed the little children.

Once the visit was done, the children were given snack boxes to call off the day.

In India, Children's Day is celebrated on 14 November every year, the birthday of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru, who was fondly called Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru) by the kids, emphasized the importance of giving love and affection to children, who he saw as the bright future of India.

Even at ACM GIDF, children happen to be our pride. Be it our little toddlers from the Early Childhood Development Programme or the youth who are being trained by us in various vocations across India. Our effort has always been to make them feel special, but on Children’s day it is much more than that.

This year, we even had the participation of students from IIPM, New Delhi’s GID club who had conducted the “Have A Heart” event which started with a donation drive & then fun activities like coloring & dancing competition followed by distribution of delicious goodies for our children, in the learning centers itself.

Children in Mumbai participated in a fancy dress competition, cut a cake in class, saw a movie shown by the Maulik Films Society & were then given handmade flowers by the class teachers as a token of her love for them. In the same way, students in Hyderabad also participated in the fancy dress & sports competition and the most obedient and regular student was given the award of the Best Student.

In Bengaluroo, the educator spoke to the children about Pandit Nehru & then sweets were distributed in the class. Whereas in Pune, the children were taken to a park and played games there. Lastly,in Kolkata they participated in a cultural programme organized by the staff & also were given gifts at the end of the event.

2GIDF’s e-Shiksha project supported by GAIL (India) Ltd. was recently awarded as the 2nd Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Greentech last month and was given the Gold Award. Various organizations were evaluated in this category, on the basis of innovation shown in the CSR projects taken up by them and GAIL (India) Ltd. was shortlisted for the e-Shiksha project, which is a one of its kind in India. The project has been running in various villages of district Guna in Madhya Pradesh since 2009, covering almost 67 villages, 54 government schools and has reached out to around 6700 children since its inception.

e-Shiksha is a mobile computer learning center, which is fully a equipped air conditioned bus with eighteen laptops and power backup. This bus operates on a daily basis across many villages and provides basic computer education to children who otherwise do not have access to it.

Mr. Pradosh Bhardawaj (Senior Manager CSR, GAIL (India) Ltd.) collected the award at the function conducted in Srinagar, J&K.

Diwali also known as the festival of lights was celebrated by little children in GIDF under the Early Childhood Development programme on the 24th & 25th of October, 2011. This Diwali it was planned to celebrate the festival by also involving the parents in the various activities that were organized.

All the learning centers in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune & Hyderabad had organized a Rangoli Competition of the children as well as the parents. While is some centers the parents made the Rangoli &their children observed carefully, in the other centers the children were asked to fill in colors on their own within the outline of the design that was drawn by their parents. On the other hand the children in Kolkata were given diyas that were made by their guardians and they were asked to paint it in class whereas in Bengaluroo the Rangoli competition was amongst the educators itself. The ones who had made the best designs were also given away prizes.

Once the activities were done, the educators were given gifts on behalf of the organization whereas the children were treated with snacks.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” - W. B. Yeats

IEducational institutions and literacy missions around the world commemorate International Literacy Day on the 8th of September every year. Endorsed by UNESCO, this day is proclaimed for disseminating literacy awareness amongst world's illiterate community. Since its very inception, this day became a special occasion to mark literacy awareness and many educational programs featured this particular day in their year round events.

GIDF has always laid special emphasis on the importance of education; therefore celebrating this day with the little children who come to our pre school was quite necessary. The day was celebrated on the 8th & 9th of September this year & the children in all our learning centers from the Early Childhood Development Programme approached this day in their own special way.

To begin with, in Mumbai, educators in Kolkata and Delhi had invited the grandparents & parents of all the children. The parents were then asked to participate in a discussion on the importance of education for an individual, community & society as a whole.

Whereas the children in Pune & Hyderabad decided to participate in a rally within the community, where they shouted out slogans like – “Education is our right” & “Each one Teach one”. Their class teachers spoke to them about the importance of the day & then also guided them in the rally.

In Ahmedabad, we had invited Mr P.B.Bhatt (a retired LIC official & guest lecturer) along with Mr.Rajnikant (a businessman & dedicated social worker) over to our learning center, where they were asked to address the students on the importance of education and the advantage of being a literate, responsible citizen. By the end of the day they are also given little gifts from our side. Lastly, the children in Bengaluroo were asked to participate in various educational activities in the class.

"Limit your need, minimize your greed; sow a seed, let the earth breathe"

Planting a tree has long been a suggestion to better the earth, possibly even preceding the outcry and warning of global warming, water crisis, etc. It was always one of those quaint ideas opted for to mark a special occasion, or to simply make one’s landscape a little prettier. Now days, with the new focus clearly pointing to the desperate need for action against the ongoing destruction of our natural resources, it is more common to hear the simple comment that part of what you can actually do to help is to plant a tree. It seems like such a simple and menial task. But the truth is; every tree makes a difference.

Therefore the children at ACM GIDF did their bit by actively participating in the 'Sow A Seed' day that was conducted at their centers on the 13th, 14th & 15th of September, 2011. Children from all the Early Childhood Development learning centers were asked to bring their own pots with some mud and then in class, they were first shown how to sow the seed & then were also showed how to plant a sapling.

The children were asked to repeat the activity and were then spoken to about the importance of planting a tree & how it will help our environment. Not only that, they were also explained how a seed grows into a tree and then used for various purposes. The children have been asked to place their pots outside their learning centers, water it daily & take care of it.

This activity did not only help them learn about the importance they hold for preserving our environment but also helped in developing their fine motor skills.

"A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image"

Teachers are a significant part of everyone's life. They show us the right path and groom us to become a better citizen and a better person. They teach us to face the most difficult challenges of life and get through them, easily. Teacher's Day is celebrated to pay tribute to teachers, who have dedicated a considerable part of their life to impart moral and academic knowledge to their students.

Teachers have an influencing role in the life of every student. They are like beacons of light, guiding us in the formative years of our life. Teachers mould us and in the process shape our future. What we learn from our teachers remains with us, throughout our life.

The festival is celebrated on the 5th of September, every year. The date was selected, because it is the birthday of a timeless teacher and former President of India - Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. When some of his students and friends approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, he said, "instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be an honour, if September 5th is observed as Teacher's day". From then onwards, this day is observed as Teachers Day, in India.

On the same note, the day was celebrated in all the GIDF Early Childhood Development learning centers across India. The children who come to our centers face a lot of problem since they don’t belong to well to do families & their parents send them to study after making a lot of sacrifices. Therefore this day is important as the children get to pay tribute to their teachers, their guide.

All the centers first paid their respect to Dr. Radhakrishnan & then carried on the celebration in various creative ways. Like in Mumbai the students made cards with sketches of leaves, flowers and gave it to their class teachers. Later the teachers of both centers were presented with gifts by us.

Some students in Ahmedabad & Delhi also went ahead by imitating their teachers, like their dressing sense, copying the way they spoke & taught in class. Even over here the teachers later stayed back in the centers, had some fun time together & were later given gifts as a token of appreciation from our side.

Teachers in Pune spent the day with their students helping them make a chart by spray painting on it. Whereas in Hyderabad the staff gathered in one of the educators house, cooked food together & later participated in a group discussion to share their experiences. Lastly, the staff in Bengaluroo were taken out for lunch and were also later presented with gifts.

GIDF celebrated Republic Day at all its Early Childhood Development center in Delhi, Pune , Kolkata, Bangalore ,Hyderabad and Mumbai on the eve of Republic Day, 25th January, 2011.

The day was celebrated to pay tribute to the golden heritage of our nation & instill the values of a responsible & patriotic citizen in each of our students whom we foresee as the future leaders of country.

The day started with all the children & their parents gathering around the Indian Flag that was hoisted by the local community heads, followed by the national anthem that was taught to the children in their class.

After that children were involved in various activities like in Mumbai and Hyderabad the students participated in a fancy dress competition where they came dressed up as famous politicians and freedom fighters, whereas the students in Delhi, Kolkata and Pune centres participated in races & were also asked to draw and color the national flag.

The teachers in the Mumbai centers also took the initiative of having a discussion with the parents regarding their responsibility towards the community & our environment. They were asked to help their children plant a sapling in their locality & do their bit in protecting the environment.

The day came to an end with the distribution of prizes for the winners & refreshment for the students, which they enjoyed with great happiness.

All festivals in India are celebrated with great pomp & show, be it Lohri, Holi, Eid or Diwali. In the same way Christmas is celebrated with equal joy & happiness over here, like it is done all over the world.

Every year, our teachers from the GIDF - Early Childhood Development Programme (Pre-School), celebrate all the important festivals in the classroom along with our little students, so that they can have fun in the event that is organized for them on the respective day and also understand the significance of the day.

In the same way, Christmas was celebrated recently at all our centers. People love everything about Christmas - the nativity scene, caroling and scripture reading. November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. The teachers had decorated the classrooms with colored lights, the Christmas trees manifested in its glory, along with shiny decorations and artificial snow balls thrown on class windows.

The special day was celebrated in all our centers 2 -3 days before the children went for their winter vacations. All the teachers in the Delhi centers had made a Santa Claus using their artistic skills & the children were asked to decorate the Christmas tree. Children in the Kolkata centers performed a cultural play & also participated in the fancy dress competition followed by prize distribution amongst the winners, while the children in Hyderabad enacted the Nativity play in the presence of their parents & guidance of their teachers.

In the same way the children in our Bengaluroo, Mumbai & Pune centers were taught how to make a Santa Claus, Christmas caps & decorate the Christmas tree.

Once all the activities were completed, the children were given little gifts & treated with delicious goodies like plum cake & chocolates.

We Share Because We Care
1st to 3rd November 2010

This time, on behalf of the GID Club, the IIPM students organized a Diwali event starting from 1st November, 2010 till 3rd November, 2010. These days were especially dedicated for the less-privileged but special kids.

On the first two days of the event, we had set up a counter and named it “I SHARE”, wherein students were invited and informed about this beautiful event. It was remarkable to notice that students were willing to listen to us and the amazing part was that we were able to collect gifts around Rs. 12000 and cash around Rs. 6000, which was also used for purchasing more gifts for the little ones. All the items, like Cadbury Celebrations et al, were gift wrapped especially for the occasion of Diwali. Some students also gifted puzzle boxes, stationary items like pencil, rubber, scale etc. Some gifts carrying little financial value but a lot of meaning and perspective while the others carried a lot of both.

The last day was the best part of the Theme “We Share Because We Care”, as the 52 children along with their teachers were invited to IIPM Campus Delhi. Prof. Rohit Manchanda (Dean-center for HRD, IIPM) was the guest of Honor for the day. Students had fun with these kids by playing dog and the bone and by making the children participate in the dance session. Then later these kids were motivated to sing poems that they have learnt. These little children were also served grilled sandwiches by Salad Chef. In return, the kids showered their love upon us by gifting their hand colored greeting cards.

Finally, we bid farewell to them by wishing them good luck and handing over all the gifts that were solely purchased for them. We hope that this event was as memorable for them as it was for all of us.

The day was slightly chilly but despite that the environment was full of energy, as the little children from our Early Childhood Development Programme were all set to put their best foot forward & enjoy the day that was organized specially for them by GIDF & supported by ING Vysya.

The Chances for Children event had taken place on the 24th of November, 2010 in a lush green farmhouse of Mandi, New Delhi where the students had come along with their teachers. Not only that, we also had volunteers from ING Vysya, members of the IIPM GID Club & our very own GIDF team off course, who actively participated in the activities to help make this day a joyous & memorable one for the little children.

In the beginning we introduced ourselves and the children to the volunteers from ING Vysya. Then, they welcomed all the children and encouraged them to participate in the entire event. With this small speech we started off the programme, the first show that we began with was a puppet show. Sheru, Goofy, Mickey and Donald characters from the puppet show really impressed all the children with their notorious act. Following that a Magic Show was held where the magician performed, amazing the audience with his tricks & further engrossed them in the show by involving 3-4 children in some of his acts.

Next on the list was the Tug of war between the children which was done in 2 rounds. Not only were the children giving in their best, but even their teachers and the volunteers were continuously encouraging them to pull the rope as hard as they can. Last on the list was the drawing competition where the children participated with a lot of enthusiasm. The winners from the competition were awarded with exciting prizes by the volunteers. The remaining children were also given gifts as a token of our appreciation and love for them. The day ended with the distribution of delicious snack boxes, which the children ate & shared together with joy & returned back home with a big smile on their face.

GIDF has always laid a lot of emphasis on promoting education through its various initiatives. Be it the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programme, which provides a pre-school exposure to the little children or the E-Shiksha Programme, where we have a specially fabricated van with laptops installed, and visiting remote locations of India imparting computer education to children & youth, all belonging to the less privileged section of the society.

Like every year, even this year we celebrated Children’s Day in all our ECD learning centers located in New Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluroo & Mumbai. All over India, we pay tribute to all the children, who win our hearts with their angelic eyes and innocent smile. We celebrated the day on 13th of November being the eve of Children’s Day. A day when, we celebrate their childhood & pay tribute to our future leaders.

The essence of this day lies behind the fact that India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was born on November 14. After his death in 1963, his birthday has been celebrated as children's Day in India because Nehru was immensely fond of children. Children's Day is not just a day to let the future generation have its say. It is a day to remember a leader who, in his quiet but determined way, laid the foundation to convert a nascent nation into a world power.

The day in all the centers started off with telling the students about the essence of the day & Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. They also recited poems based on the occasion. Thereafter various activities were arranged at all our learning centers like in Kolkata there was a finger-painting competition, a Fancy Dress competition was held at the New Delhi centers. Hyderabad conducted a fashion show. The children at Pune were shown a movie after they had participated in poem recitation competition. Lastly, the children in Mumbai had a series of activities organized for them like cap making, Saare Zameen Par (differentiating different shapes of glass) & ball games. Apart from all these centers, even the children from our E-Shiksha Programme celebrated Children’s day. Where again, they all came dressed in their best attire to participate for the fancy dress competition. Not only this, they also conducted a play addressing to social issues like environment protection, corruption, child marriage and importance of girl child education.

On completion of the various activities, prizes were distributed to the winners & lastly the children were treated on delicious refreshments which they enjoyed to the fullest.

Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. ~William Butler Yeats GIDF has always strongly believed in the power of education and has been working on various initiatives, catering to almost every age group of the new generation, be it the little children through our pre- school programme called The Early Childhood Development Programme or the youth & adults through our computer on wheels programme called the E-Shiksha Programme. A unique initiative started by GIDF in the year 2008.

Our endeavor is to provide computer education to the children & youths who are residing in the rural parts of the country where computer education is still inaccessible.

For this, we have an air-conditioned mobile van equipped with state of the art laptops, projectors & a self power back up system fitted with generators. This van visits villages & remote locations of Madhya Pradesh, India to impart computer education where it is rarely available. We have been catering to numerous villages & so far 635 candidates have successfully completed the programme. The students enroll themselves in our annual programme & at the end of the year, once they clear the examination, they are given certificates which are duly certified by the government of India.

This year all 60 students from our 2009-10 batch cleared the examination & were given their certificates in an event organized in Guna itself by GIDF on the 4th of December, 2010.

Through this programme we aim to facilitate these students with computer knowledge, as we know how important computer education & technology is in our lives today.

"A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new…India discovers herself again." - J.L.Nehru

India got its independence from the clutches of British rule on 15th August 1947. It was this day when India’s tricolor flag was unfolded by Pandit Nehru on the barricades of the Red Fort at Delhi. Each and every patriotic soul watched with excitement and paid tribute to thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom.

Every year people all around the country celebrate this day with great pride & honor. So, in order to imbibe the same values in the leaders of tomorrow, we at GIDF also celebrate this day every year, with the little children of our Early Childhood Development Programme all over India.

We celebrated the occasion on the eve of Independence Day, where the students gathered together with their parents early in the morning outside their learning centers. They stood in attention & sung the national anthem along with the help of their teachers. The flag in the Hyderabad center was hoisted by the community leader of Indira Nagar, while in Mumbai the community corporator took the opportunity of doing the same.

A day before the celebration, the students were taught how to make flags & also decorate their classrooms. At some centers they learnt how to color the flag with pastel colors while the other learnt how to stick pieces of colored sheets together to make beautiful Indian flags. In some centers the children were distributed small flags which they proudly waved when the flag was being hoisted at their respective centers.

After hoisting the flag, the teachers explained to them the significance of the day & also made them recite poems on our favorite freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi & Rani Laxmi Bai.

Once the children completed the activities, they were given refreshments to mark the end of the day.