On 9th September, members of the youth wing participated in the annual Charity Walk for the Blind.
In 2015 and 2016, the Om Sharavanabhava Seva Trust raised over £30 000 to aid young and partially sighted victims of the civil war in Sri Lanka.
This year, we are hoping to do something similar by raising funds to deliver free valuable educational materials for under-privileged children in Sri Lanka. This will provide them better opportunities in education and in work. This is something that we take for granted in our country- we all automatically follow through in a system beginning from nursery, right through to university. We often forget that this is a rare occurrence for some children who born into poor families affected by many years of civil war.
This year we were fortunate enough to be led around Richmond Park by Swami himself. The walk began at Sheen gate at 10am; Swami led the large group of about 200 devotees around the park, happily chanting ‘Haro Hara’ and singing bhajans right till the end!
The walk took about an hour and a half from start to finish – everyone walked at their own pace, trying to keep up with Swami who sprinted on three occasions! His infectious energy made the walk possible for even those who normally had mobility issues.
Members of the youth were involved in crowd control as it was important to ensure the health and safety of participants. We helped with registering participants at the beginning, selling hats and setting up the food stall.
The walk was a huge success – although the weather forecast was looking grim, there miraculously was no rain right until the end as Swami’s darshan was finishing.
Events such as this allow the younger generation to reflect upon the facilities and opportunities that have become part of our everyday living, and how a small effort such as organising a charity event like this can go to great lengths to completely revolutionise a child’s future.
If you feel inspired to help these young children to experience a better future as well, we would be most grateful for any donations towards this worthy cause by visiting our justgiving link below.
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| Swami encouraging everyone to chant |
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| Swami leading the sponsored walk |
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| Swami boosting everyone's morale |
