​It is our constant endeavor to bring forward to our children the various options available to them to start their work life.
We have been organizing various workshops, constantly updating about the new options available to our children.
Visit to Haldiram Skill Academy, is one such effort to ensure that our students are well aware of the options available to them.
Under PMKVY 4.0, Haldiram Educational Society has set up Gyanshree Skill Hub Initiative and it is to this place our children from study centers sector 50 and sector 93 along with their mentors – Gupta sir, Archana maa’m, Meena maa’m, Nirupma maa’m and Seema maa’m  visited on March 19.
34 children from our study centers visited the Gyanshree Skill hub where Kashyapi maa’m, Sandeep maa’m and Amit sir took a class room session for them before taking them on the round to their workstations where Indian street food, Indian sweets, continental food and bakery items were being prepared. Children were able to get a hands on experience in the various work stations! They also showed the children the tailoring unit where the children were able to see the process of cutting, stitching and embroidery.
Haldiram Skill Academy was kind enough to also provide the transport to and fro for our children.
The children had an amazing experience and all their questions were patiently answered. 
Many thanks to Haldiram Skill Academy for giving this opportunity to our children to broaden their horizons and to show them the various options available to them to develop their skills.

​It is with great sadness we inform you all the desmise of our child Upasna on June 14 who had just taken admission  in  Rajkiya Balika Inter college in Class 9 was looking forward to the next phase in her life.
She went to her village where she passed away due to high fever which went untreated.
We at Sunshine Society mourn the loss of such a young and promising life and pray that her family gets strength to bear the loss

When it gets really hot and it is time for the students to go to their villages! Gupta sir and Kapur sir explaining to the children how best to utilise their vacation time also offering them suggestions on do's and don'ts for summer vacations!

Olga an artist from Ukraine  took an art workshop for our children. She was assisted by Alex and Bogusia Workshop was for more than two hours. The results were amazing. We have some budding artists in our centre.

​A day filled up with fun and knowledgeable activities. Today at the sector 93 study centre  Give Me Trees trust took a 2 hours  Workshop for our children. 
Sahil and Piyush conducted the workshop. They explained the importance of trees in our lives. How they help us to sustain and help in maintaining the environment. Sahil explained how students can identify the value of trees around them. A small survey was conducted by the children with the help of team. Google mapping of trees in the area around was explained.

​It was in March 2022, when the residents of Silvercity decided to put to good use the funds collected via Sunshine Society’s initiative “Raddi Collection”.
Taking inspiration from Sh. Vinod Gupta who started the study center in sector 50 community center, the residents got together to start the After School Study center in sector 93. The initiating team led by Nirupma, Anupama, Rijita, Vinita, Sujata, Dipali and Bandita met the president, Sh. Pandey of Super MIG flats RWA to seek permission to start the After School Study center at the community center for the first generational learners of Gejha village children. After the successful meeting, we started the study center in March 2022. 
After the initial set of 25 children, there were so many children who wanted to come to study from the enthusiastic teachers who decided to donate their time and efforts towards making India educated. 
As we complete one year of being enriched by children from Gejha village, of being a part of their efforts and smiles, of their enthusiasm, the volunteers teaching them pledge to guide them to seek knowledge to understand their syllabus and to study to empower their lives and the lives of people around them. It is only because of  volunteer teachers from Silvercity like Nirupma, Seema, Rijita, Sunaina, Bandita, Naghma, Saba, Vinod, Sudhir, Tanvi, Aruna, Neeta, Preeti, Archana and so many volunteer students from University and schools in Noida that we have been able to teach the children regularly. Donors, from all walks of life never let us feel the shortage of stationary, eatables, consumables and other relevant items like a TV screen! required for our children.   
Sustainability comes from the Raddi collection that is supported by Dipali, Chaitali, Seema, Anupama, Rijita and so many more…
As we complete one year of such a beautiful purpose in sector 93, we take the children to the Park to emphasise the importance of physical activity along with academic studies and who better to guide them than Sh. Binod Bhadri of Bmilitay Fit. Who not just ensured that children played team games but also explained the importance of being physically active to the volunteer teachers present.
Enjoy the pictures of a beautiful initiative which has such beautiful people involved!
Sunshine Society is an NGO for children and senior citizens and is 12A and 80G certified. Established in 22013, and currently in its 10th year of purpose full existence, Sunshine educates over 500 children through their EACH (Educate a CHild), SEP(Sponsored Education Program) and ASSP(After School Study Program)  programs.

The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose- Hada Bejar

Sunshine Society feels privileged to be associated with all of you. And is thankful to all who came together to  help our children in just one message. 
Sunshine Society distributed smart phones to 8 children who were having difficulty in studying due to the  unavailability of a mobile phone. It was a winning moment for all of us to see smiles on their faces wrapped in emotions.

We are once again thankful to all our sponsors who supported this cause and helped us in making this possible. 
Sunshine Society aims to keep the wheel of education rolling.
The children are happy and we all are confident that this will be a beneficial  journey.

​A famous quote by legendary Leonardo da Vinci connotes that acquiring knowledge and learning is a process with no end. The mind has the capacity to absorb and assimilate as much knowledge as it can but only when one is willing to do so. With around 500 Sunshine children studying in various schools and coming to after school classes at sector 50 & 51 in Noida, we at Sunshine Society have always felt the need to mould our children into individuals willing to learn because this is the first step to success. Thus  we strive to provide such platforms to our children where they get an opportunity to learn. English workshop being one amongst them.
This year also English workshop was organized by Sunshine Society from 22ndMay which came to an end on 28thJune to resume back next year again with the same zeal and enthusiasm. The 5-week long enrichment workshop was highly beneficial for the children because of the sincere and dedicated efforts put in by the teachers to bridge the language gaps of our children.  Approximately 90 children benefitted from this workshop this year. The workshop which was activity based, focused on speaking & writing skills of the children with an emphasis on parts of speech, vocabulary, comprehension, creative writing, spellings, punctuations, etc.  Children were also motivated to speak more in English by organizing extempore, debate, story- telling and recitation. The idea was to boost the confidence and help the children in getting over their fear of speaking.
The entire workshop was planned in a structured way, module wise by our teachers Iram Shamim Malik and Priyanka Saxena.
Iram Shamim Malik has done her M.Sc in Industrial Chemistry from German Institute of Science & Technology with a joint degree from National University of Singapore and Technical University of Munich, Germany. Currently Iram is pursuing B.Ed  from Amity University, Noida.
Priyanka Saxena has done her Masters in Commerce and is an experienced teacher who has worked with reputed schools like G.D Goenka School, Patna. Currently pursuing B.Ed from Amity University, Noida, Priyanka has become children’s favourite in a short span of time.
The workshop was supported by five student volunteers: Shalina Prakash, class 11th, Shiv Nadar School; Jahnavi, class 11th, Somerville School; Meghna Chopra & Diya Mundra, class 10th, Kothari International School;  Rhesa Rose Mookken, class 9th, Somerville School. The dedication and sincerity with which these volunteers worked with the children is worth mentioning and commendable.
A one day workshop on Best out of Waste was organized by Madhu Mittal who demonstrated to the children how waste generated in kitchen can be recycled to make compost and other products 
The finale which was scheduled on 28thJune was as exciting as the other days of the workshop. Shri. V.P. Gupta Sir was kind enough to grace the occasion with his presence. His interaction with the children motivated them to excel in the field of academics and co-curricular. Children shared their experiences during the workshop and the learning in this 5 week course. Few chose to speak on current topics like Indian education system, technology, water pollution and environment. These children not only presented their thoughts on such topics but also demonstrated their improvised speaking skills. 
Children were finally awarded based on their performance on various parameters like full attendance, active participation, best performance in extempore, creative writing, regular tests, drawing, sketching, craft and showing maximum improvement.
The end saw the distribution of goodies by some kind heart residents. Fruits by Reena Goswami from Alok Vihar 2, peanut and sesame chikkis by Sonali Kumar and notebooks & stationery by Sapna Dubey from Alok Vihar 1.
Thus, with the beautiful moments of fun & laughter amidst learning and exploring, we decided to meet again next year with the same commitment and enthusiasm to continue to learn, un-learn & re-learn.

The fourth English Workshop came to end on 22nd June 2018.   The classes which commenced on 28th May ended today successfully. The 1 & a half hour classes were held 5 days a week from 10 in the morning and around 55 children have been a part of this workshop. Despite the scorching heat, the teachers were committed to conduct quality classes and the students were regular and sincere to attend and benefit from them.
Like previous years, this year too, the workshop was led by member Ritika with regular volunteers Tanya and Sangeeta. They were assisted by young volunteers Isha from Mahagun Maple, Agrima, Sarahna, Pooja, Jagriti, Priyamvada, Sugandha from Alok Vihar 1, Diya Mundra & Meghna Chopra from Mahagun Maestro. The classes mainly focused  on improving the language skills of the children, concentrating on their vocabulary, pronunciation, reading & speaking skills. The entire syllabus and modules were designed by member Ritika and the overall coordination of the workshop was supervised by member Keka.
The students were made to undergo a comprehensive test based on what had been taught to them throughout the month. Based on their performance, a prize distribution ceremony was held at Community Centre, Alok Vihar 1, Sector 50, Noida on 22nd to felicitate meritorious students of the workshop  as well as the volunteer teachers. Prizes were given under the titles of Star Performers and Commendable Improvement under each age group. The volunteer teachers were awarded certificates to recognize their participation in this noble cause. Sunshine girls sang melodious “Rang aisa bharo…” and surprised everyone with their beautiful voice. After the prize distribution ceremony, the children were given refreshments all sponsored by 24 Mantra Organic. Our regular teachers Ritika and Tanya were presented gifts from Rusta.
Children left teary- eyed but excited to meet their teachers again in the next session. They have not only learnt the language but have carried good memories of a great bonding with their mentors. Inclusiveness in true respect !! 
To read more about this workshop click the link http://www.sunshinesociety.in/activities-sponsored-education-programme-sep/english-workshop-2018

​Sunshine Society  is conducting it’s 4th English Workshop from 28th May 2018 for the underprivileged children at the Community centre, Alok Vihar 1, Sector 50, Noida. A 1& a half hours class is  held 5 days a week from 10 in the morning.  2nd week in row now, around 55 children are  part of this workshop. The classes mainly focus on improving the language skills of the children, concentrating on their vocabulary, pronunciation skills, reading & speaking skills. The entire syllabus and modules have been designed by member Ritika and the overall coordination of the workshop is being supervised by member Keka. Like previous years, this year too, the workshop is lead by member Ritika with regular volunteers Tanya and Sangeeta. They are helped by young volunteers Isha, Agrima, Sarahna, Pooja, Jagriti, Priyamvada, Akshita & Sugandha. The best part of the workshop is the sincerity & enthusiasm shown by these young volunteers and the curiosity & passion to learn by the children coming for the workshop. The workshop which  started  in  2015 has been witnessing  an overwhelming response  both by the teachers and the children every year who thoroughly enjoy the classes. 

A bright Sunday morning, smiling, enthusiastic children and raring Sunshiners, made a perfect setting to inculcate the learning to move from household waste to education.
 
February 25th, 2018 was the day when Gulshan Vivante, sector 137, Noida joined the Waste to Education bandwagon, making it the 10th such society, to convert their household waste to funds which support Sunshine Society in providing end to end education for its children. Sunshine Society is happy to partner with Waste to Wealth to convert Waste to Education and ensure that there is a win - win solution. The Environment is taken care of by reduction of waste and there is Education for the children coming from economically weaker section of our society.
 
Sanal Thomas, from Waste to Wealth educated the participants by giving his expert advice on the process of recycling and how it benefits our environment, The young Sunshine environment warriors who previously have also been planting trees and supporting recycling, participated actively in the drawing competition organized to create an awareness on ways to save the environment. The creativity and innovative ideas were clearly visible in the beautiful drawings made by the children of all ages. The quiz competition tested them on their practical knowledge and the waste segregation area showed very clearly how to segregate the different types of waste: Newspaper, metal, plastic, e-waste and kitchen waste. Just A Minute(JAM) session brought forward the actual knowledge the children had about improving our environment! Car pool, cycling and recycling were some points that came up very prominently.
 
The efforts put in by the resident members of Sunshine Society: Nupur, Vidya and Vaishali were very motivating and result bearing. Fully supported by our volunteers Vini, Harjeet Aunty, Deepti, Reena, Namita & Sudipa the standards have been set high for future societies.
Tanmaya and Avika were adjudged first and second respectively in the 5-8 years’ category of the drawing Competition while Avni and Aanya won the two top positions respectively in 9-13 years’ category. Dhrumil and Rudransh were awarded Certificates of Appreciation for their speeches in the Just-a-Minute Competition. The winners were awarded Certificates and croton saplings.
 
6 of the eager residents gave away their household waste to Sunshine on the very same day. The children and the residents went back happy with a promise to pledge their “Raddi” for Education. Looking forward to a enthusiastic participation from all in coming times.

We all will agree as parents that when our children do good and make us proud... there can be nothing more precious (Aah...I can read the smile and glow on your face!!). A pure delight.
Today Sunshine Society feels elated to announce the result of our children who have excelled in their 10th class exams. 13 students had appeared for CBSE & UP Boards exams (academic year 2016-17). All the students cleared their exams. More than half of them got 1st Division. Varsha (9 CGPA), Neha (8.8 CGPA), Ranjana (8.4 CGPA), Jyoti (68.6%), Thakurdin (67.6%), Shubham Pal(67%), Rajni (61%) are few of the children who have outshined others. Varsha and Neha will soon be joining Nilgiri Hills Public School, sector 50, Noida. Way to go!!
Sunshine believes in providing equal opportunity to all. With this commitment and support from our well-wishers, we strive to give our children ample resources and facilities. These children who are regular students have really worked hard and their determination, focus and the zeal to perform has brought them these laurels.  We have so much to learn from them and so it is our responsibility to give them something back… a helping and nurturing hand so that they can get a better future.
The hard work of the teachers who have played a vital role of a mentor and guide is worth mentioning here. Nothing is possible without proper guidance. In order to appreciate the efforts put in by these students and their teachers and to motivate them, Sunshine Society organized a felicitation ceremony in the after school study centre which operates from the community centre, sector 50, Noida.
These children fared well not because they never failed but because they never gave up. The right attitude!! 
But, as they say that slow and steady too can win the race. So at Sunshine Society, the emphasis and focus is also on our children who are not performing /have not been able to perform up to the mark. The idea is to identify their strengths and to work on them so that we can bring them at par with other children and to remove any kind of inferiorities. The weaker areas are also probed and efforts are made to make a persistent improvement.
You may still remember the poem which as kids we used to recite along with Doordarshan “Ek chidiya anek chidiya…..”. Success lies in team work and so for Sunshine each one of you who is reading this is important. These children need you as their guide, as their mentor.…who can gift some time from their daily schedule. They need someone who can channelize their energies in a positive direction. In case any of you is interested and think can make a valuable contribution, or if you can suggest methods and ways to bring about improvement in these children, you can write to us at [email protected]. We believe in working together to create a better future.    

​Sunshine Society is very thankful to the kind gesture that Sapient has shown by donating dry ration to our children.
The ration set is given as a prize to the students with best attendance and academic achievement.
Sapient’s contribution of atta, rice, dal, salt and butter to 3 of our children on a monthly basis goes a long way in motivating our children to do better in their studies. We distributed the first set of 3 Sapient prizes on23rd May 2017 and the response was very impactful. The prizes were given to Varsha of class X, Rama of class VI and Ritika of class I.
Such recognition of deserving children is motivating others to maintain regular attendance due to basic hygiene & cleanliness and focus on their studies thereby achieving holistic growth of the children.
Thank you to Sapient for such a kind gesture and look forward to their continued support towards our institute.

Vinod Prakash Gupta should be one proud man today and so is Sunshine Society - proud that is. The children he has been nurturing for past nine years are all grown up and doing him proud. The little ones in primary classes when he started his classes, have now passed class X boards with flying colours. 
Sunshine Society had a little show off ceremony on June 11 at the sector 50 community center.
Sector 50 RWA has very kindly given three rooms to teach the children in the evenings. Children from all classes and of all ages come to the community center to learn what Gupta sir, Pradeep sir, Madhu Maam, Rai sir, Ayush sir, Nishtha maam, Raj sir, Joshi sir, Shashi maam, Shrivastav sir, Ajit sir, Singh sir, young Rishi and so many others have been teaching them from years and the teachings range from Physics, Chemistry, Maths to English, Hindi, Social Studies and life skills. 
The felicitation ceremony of all the Sunshine Children was held on June 11 2017, The prizes were given to children who academically excelled and showed promising progress. The children's parents came to witness the success of their children. Sangeeta maam who also arranged the library shelves for the children was also present with her father.
The proud moments were many - when our two girls Aanchal and Shikha anchored the entire program, when children sang songs that were taught to them and when children gave their heart to their Gupta sir.
The poignant moments where the audiences couldn't stop a tear, were when the parents came to the stage and talked about how Gupta sir and Sunshine Society held the children's hands to give them equal opportunity. Single mothers who found support to stand on their feet and to continue to educate their children.
The ceremony wrapped up after Sunshine Society thanked all the volunteers who helped the children along the way and after the children were given snacks sponsored by Archana of Palm Grove apartments.
Ramita Taneja, Member, Sunshine Society motivated the children and parents to continue to work toward academic excellence. 

“Learning another language is like becoming another person”.
​English is no longer regarded as a foreign language, rather it has become a universal language and has become very important to sustain life in today’s world because of it’s communicating power.  Still, there are some children who are not familiar with this language because of certain limitations  and thus are in need of resources and people who can help them in learning this magical language.
This gap has been identified by Sunshine Society, an NGO which is helping  these children from the economically weaker section of the society , in learning English to provide them with equal opportunity as with the children in the society and also help them in settling in mainstream education easily.
Since last 3 years , Sunshine has been organising these English workshops during  summer vacations to help these children master a new language which will help them in their future. These workshops take place under the guidance of Mrs. Ritika and Ms. Tanya. Many young volunteers like Utkarsh,   Aashita and Ishita from Mahagun Maple, Prateek from Shubhkamna  Apartments and Sarahna Prasad from Alok Vihar 1 have joined hands this year with Sunshine society.
The English classes take place in the community centre of Alok Vihar 1. Various topics of English grammar and writing are being focused upon like framing sentences, one word substitution and new words, which are taught to increase the vocabulary of the children so that they can use these words easily in their daily life. Currently more than 50 children from nearby villages of Barola and Hoshiarpur are benefitting from these classes. When I spoke to Mrs. Ritika who by profession is a teacher and a member of Sunshine Society, she said “The response I have been getting from the children is overwhelming. They have a strong and genuine desire to learn and are very curious. If the classes  start at 10’ o clock , you can find some of them sitting here from 9:30. This shows their desire to learn. There has been a tremendous improvement in most of the children and they are finally learning to work hard on this language.” Ms. Tanya, who has been taking the classes for 3 years now, also feels that the children have improved.  She says, “Education never fades. These classes have led to the betterment of so many children. They deserve getting educated, confident of themselves and living a dignified life.”
The children attending the workshops are happy that  Sunshine Society is organising this workshop every year. Aanchal, a class 12th student attending these classes says, “I want to become an IAS officer. These classes are helping me in realizing my dream and work upon it. I feel that the classes are great, and the teachers are very patient and cooperate with us. I learn English here and at home I help my brother in learning it too. I have developed confidence and hopefully will be able to improve my parent’s conditions, so that they will not have to work so hard in future.”
The excitement, curiousness and the determination to learn is something which one can feel and see when we enter the workshop.  I feel humbled and overwhelmed at what Sunshine society is doing for the betterment of these children and would urge everyone to come forward,  join hands and do their bit to make this process of learning successful !!

The morning of Sunday 20 April was unlike the many lazy Sunday mornings for many bright and young kids at ATS One Hamlet, Sector 104, Noida.
A big bunch of 30 children in the age group varying 8 to 16 years came eager to know what can they do to ‘Make a Difference’. It was an orientation session of sorts to prepare the children as volunteers for the Sunshine activities including but not limited to the monthly raddi collection for SEP funds generation.
This society has just begun this activity in April and it was a blockbuster beginning. Some children came forward and volunteered in the task that Sunday but the astute volunteers did not want to make it a one time show only and the energy and enthusiasm brought forward many more children to form the younger army for Sunshine in this wonderful society.
Displaying true community spirit, Col. Apurva Tandon, Shilpi, Vivek, Pamita and Deepa, organized this session. Young champions Madhav and Rishab helped by registering the children and making sure they are seated well.
Apurva Tandon kicked it off sharing how each of us wish to do something for the many children we see outside with less in life and how after joining Sunshine we are making a difference to them. He encouraged the kids to also join and feel happy about bringing a positive change. Vaishali, the Secretary, Sunshine Society then addressed everyone and first energized and got their attention by playing a game and then talking about Sunshine. She shared how the society was formed and what it does and how with a humble beginning with supporting 25 children from neighboring slums and villages it now supports regular school education of more than 200 children and after school support for many others. She shared this was possible due to the unfailing support of people like them and we wish to continue to spread sunshine more and more. She took ideas and questions from the very keen young audience and closed by asking them to begin with small and possible acts and contribute to making the change.
Vidya, the President Sunshine Society provided information on the website and congratulated the entire ATS One Hamlet team for their spirit. Shilpi encouraged the children to stay focused on Save Water, Save Electricity and Swachh Bharat which continuously stay relevant to us. Col Apurva divided the teams by towers for the upcoming raddi collection on Sunday, May 14 and it was so heartening to see children in rapt attention and asking very relevant questions. Seeing the enthusiasm and commitment of the children we closed the session satisfied and assured that the coming month’s raddi collection at ATS One Hamlet will be richer as the children will be the torch bearers. It was a couple hours well spent by all and people went out looking forward to the future Sunshine activities.

​Three years and we have been building Sunshine spirit – togetherness, happiness and making a difference. This was so evident during the Durga Puja celebrations at Alok Vihar 1. This spirit is infectious and catches on…
 
Alok Vihar 1, Sector 50, Noida celebrated Durga Puja on October 7, 8 and 9 and Sunshine put up a stall to showcase the activities carried out in the past three years and to thank all the donors because of whom we have achieved so much.
 
Sunshiners Meena, Archana, Shaloo and Keka took the lead to set up the stall. Rakhi, Ritika, Vaishali , Leena, Vidya, Dr Suchitra, Dr Mittal, Sabi, Shipra, Sunil, Rakesh, Nitya, Preeti, Pratiksha and a few other members volunteered and shared duties to run the stall.
 
Proper planning starting from food items, disposables, banners, posters everything was worked in great detail.
 
Environmental consciousness from Shaloo brought  up the idea of best out of waste and was participated very well by the residents.The judges Shikha and Rimaa had a difficult time to choose the winners. The winners, Akansha,  Simran and Vatsal   were presented beautiful plants put together by Sunshiner Rimaa.
 
The food stall for fund raising was a great hit. With a new dish everyday, the popularity and the sale of items increased every day.
The best part was that yummy dishes like Rajmah Chawal, Kheer, Matra Kulcha, Sandwitches, Gulab Jamuns, Pasta magically appeared in the stall to be sold and all the sale proceeds committed to Sunshine courtesy generous supporters.
 
The total proceeds of the event over three days was INR 9650 and the priceless support of multitude of people joining hands with Sunshine in many ways.
 
Thank you once again to all the Alok Vihar 1 residents for supporting Sunshine and being a part of the cause.

March 25th to March 30th 2016

​Albert Einstein once said "Science is not just a collection of laws, a catalogue of unrelated facts. It is a creation of human mind, with its freely invented ideas and concepts."

Over the last four days, eleven children set out on an interesting journey to understand some basic scientific concepts and learn about renowned scientists.

At the summer science workshop organized by Sunshine Society, 10 year old boys and girls set out to explore the vast and interesting world of microbes. They collected samples, as diverse as parrot feathers and deodarant to look for microorganisms. The task gave them a new outlook of their world as they came to know that they are surrounded by microbes, some friendly and others not so friendly. Before testing, they had to guess whether the sample they chose would contain bacteria, and this sparked off a debate between two of them - whether saliva contains bacteria or not.  In the true fashion of scientists the debate went on for days to come. On another day, the children peered through an advanced microscope, putting all sorts of materials to discover anew the world around them at the micro-scale.
The second day was a very interesting one. The eleven children together explored Thomas Newcomen and James Watt’s creation- the steam engine. They created steam boats which were powered by a cute engine made of an egg. They hollowed out eggs and filled water in them, lighting a fire underneath to produce steam to power the boat. This activity resulted in a lot of mess which the children enjoyed a lot. Another attraction for them were the games they played. They were to guess the name of the scientist, which the quiz master thought of, by asking ten questions which would just be answered with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. The first day had no winners but the second day had many- Arpit, Ilinna and Aditya.
The next day the children unlocked the secrets of the human eye. The children explored lenses- concave and convex. They made a model of the human eye to understand how it worked. Their instructor told them that "We look with the eyes but see with our brains". This activity was followed by the dissection of a goat eye.The lens taken out from the eye was used to see faraway objects. The children thoroughly enjoyed this. The cherry on top of an exciting day was a game of dumb charades in which each child had to act out an invention and the rest had to guess it.
The fourth and the last day was when the concept of centre of gravity of any object was explained to them. Soon, they knew how to balance objects and the secrets behind many toys. They had already seen inertia in action by spinning eggs!  The attraction that day was particularly the game in which two teams had to put on their thinking caps, work with their teams and make structures with Lego blocks and polyhedrons.
In five days, the children enjoyed the wonders of the world of science, made more friends and learnt team work and patience. This experience was enlightening for both the students and their teacher who shared their knowledge with each other. Aaditya, Akshat, Arpit, Divij, Ilinna, Kaashvi, Navya, Prithvi, Saanvi, Shaurya, Shreyas now have another thread bonding them together- the scientific bond!
All this threaded together like pearls in a necklace, by Dr. Beena Pillai, member Sunshine Society, senior scientist CSIR-IGIB.

What started as a small step towards adding English to the children's skill set, has now become a much wanted workshop. This year Children were already waiting in anticipation to attend the workshop much before it actually started.
Continuing from previous year, the children moved forward in comprehending English better.
Under the leadership of Ritika Kakar from Mahagun Maple, Sector 50, Tanya, Sanya, Katha, Aman, Aarav, Pratik and Aaklit formed a team to ensure that English is taught relevant to all age groups. Each member of the team was responsible for a particular age group and was responsible for teaching age specific English.

June 27, was the last day of this year's workshop and the achievers were facilitated. There were a series of tests conducted after each concept, and the achievers listed. The children were sure very happy and motivated getting the prizes.

The involvement of Meena, Archana and Shalini overseeing and anticipating the needs of the children made the workshop very effective.

Last but not the least the workshop, two year in a row, would not have been possible without the availability of space in the F3 community centre. Thank you RWA F3 Alok Vihar 1 for your thoughtfulness in providing the space and extending all possible help.
Sector 50 has now become a front runner in making a difference in the children's life. All the above facilitators are from F-block sector 50 and the rest of Sector 50. 
So three cheers to the front runners in education!

Some glimpses from the last day of the workshop below until next year during the summer vacations.  

It is one thing that teachers teach and facilitators help to understand, it is another to ensure that the student gets the best out of the facilities provided.
Meena Agarwal, Archana Chaturvedi of Alok Vihar 1 and Shalini Chauhan of Shubhkamna apartments took the session on tips to study and staying motivated to ensure that the children understand that it is for their own good that they study and input as much handwork as they can. Meena and Archana are convinced that the handwork of all of us should be fully utilised.
The session held on June 24, 2016, motivated the children to continue their studies and to take the best from their circumstances.
​

 Summer vacations begin and Sunshiners start planning for the summer workshops and creative ways to keep the children constructively occupied.
Like last year, this year too Sunshine Society started the English workshop on May 26. The duration of the workshop will be four weeks.
While we were still planning the dates to start the workshop, the children had already started to reach the community centre of Alok Vihar 1 ready to learn… it gives us so much satisfaction of going in the right direction.
As last year, F3 Alok Vihar 1 has very kindly given us the space to conduct the workshop.
Tanya and Sanya, sisters, from sector 50, and now at the end of their 1st year college, have decided to give their time this year too.
This year we also have two young class XI girls Katha from Sagar Apartments and Lakshita, both determined to spend their time constructively, to teach the children English. Aman from Alok Vihar 1 teaches the children of class X, XI and XII.
Under the guidance and leadership of Sunshiner Ritika, resident of Mahagun Maple, the workshop is aimed at improving the English reading, understanding and speaking skills of the children from nearby villages of Noida. There are total of 83 children enrolled and are taught in different groups.
Sunshiners who put the thought, energy and dynamics into this workshop are Archana Chaturvedi, Meena Agarwal from Alok Vihar 1 and Shalini Chauhan from Shubhkamna apartments.
If anyone wants to brighten their day, they just have to visit the class in progress and they will come out smiling with a warm feeling.

True spirit of Christmas... Sharing and Caring... A lovely morning with my Sunshine kids. Maple Bear school organised a fun morning for the children... fun, food and gifts!

​I love to teach and am quite indiscriminate about whom I subject to my teaching. Monday to Friday, I engage with Ph.D students, orienting them towards a research career. The weekend is for Sunshine students: I try to coach school dropouts to re-start schooling through the National Institute of Open Schooling.  NIOS provides a particularly attractive alternative to girls who have never been to school or dropped out after primary school, in pursuit of daily livelihood or even because of inaccessibility of an affordable school. 
This year, two girls who work as maids in houses in Sector-50, Noida are attempting to complete their matriculation.  Reema (name changed) was not the best student I have encountered.  When she first expressed an interest in studying, she could not string together a few sentences and I harbored no false hopes of rapid progress. But we decided that her ambition should not be nipped in the bud and with a generous sponsor willing to provide the financial support, she started coming for classes at my home during weekends.  The fact that this girl of 18 years who earns a Rs.60,000 per annum package needs a sponsor to forward the Rs.1700 yearly fee for her education is an irony- but that story is for another day. As her sponsor pointed out, even if she failed the examination, she would have a photo ID card, a necessity for travel or opening a bank account.  Since she had never been to school, nor registered as a voter, this was the first personal identity document she would possess. 
Teaching Reema was often frustrating, not least because of her chronic shyness and unwillingness to speak.  I could not make out if she was following my words and if I looked at her she would immediately look away avoiding eye contact and would never give any audible answers. After a few weeks, I started to panic thinking of her eventually taking an oral exam where the examiner would be a stranger to her.  I started putting her in the spotlight, refusing to go ahead until she would provide simple answers or look up at me.  A few weeks more, and slowly, but steadily, she started looking at me, but still no words!  Finally, I decided to bring matters to a head.  I said I would not teach her further, until I heard her shout out something.  I coaxed and cajoled, to no avail.  Finally, with ebbing confidence and a hurt ego, I said she had to shout out her name, just her name, but spoken loud and clear.  Cringing inside, because I could see I was making her very uncomfortable, and may indeed drive her away from the classes, I used the empty threat of not teaching her further. I had exhausted all the tricks in my bag of tricks, when she suddenly burst out loud and clear, “मुझे चिल्लाना अच्छा नहीं लगता”. After the split second shock, both of us burst out laughing.  The ice-breaker was much needed.  Reema has now started speaking in class, and in keeping with her good manners and upbringing, she never shouts! 

Dr. Beena Pillai
Scientist                                          
CSIR-Institute of Genomics and          
          Integrative Biology                       
Sukhdev Vihar, Mathura Road 
Delhi 110020