Dates : From 19th May, 2018 to 25th May, 2018 (7days)
Place : Illedu – Chunambedu, Kanchipuram
Number Of Student Volunteers Participated:  78 (46 boys and 32 girls)

Description of the overhaul:
Prologue:
The volunteers of National Service Scheme (NSS) – AC Tech, Anna University, Chennai along with 3 NSS Program Officers went on a 7 day special camp from 19.05.2018 to 25.05.2018 in Illedu Village, Kanchipuram District. The total count of the volunteers participated was 78 – 46 boys and 32 girls. The volunteers stayed at the hostels for the scheduled class students of the Government Higher Secondary School, Chunambedu, Chithamur, Kanchipuram. The prime aim of the camp is to fix the lacking basic amenities of the school like installing suffice fans and lights and making the school premises student friendly for the school children. Also the camp comprised an eye camp in association with the Optometric Association of Tamil Nanbargal and a general health camp. The rural children were also bestowed with the valuable thoughts of striving hard to achieve through a puppet show by Jacob. As a whole the camp served all the rural population of Illedu irrespective of age.

Day 1/ 19.05.2018 – The Journey Began:
The selected student volunteers assembled in front of the Red Building, College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai in their white uniforms at 8.30 AM on 19th May, 2018. 54 first year volunteers (30 boys and 24 girls) were grouped into 10 under the guidance of 2 second year volunteers for each group. Following that general instructions were given to all the groups and the volunteers in 2 buses began the journey to Illedu by 10 AM. The volunteers reached the Government Higher Secondary School, Chunambedu, Kanchipuram by 12 PM and arranged the stock things in a classroom.

The Group1 with 7 volunteers took care of the electrical works in the school from 2 PM to 5 PM and the remaining 9 groups went on a Propagation camp from 3.30 PM to 5.30 PM in and around the village Illedu. The volunteers as groups distributed pamphlets on the eye and health camps which are going to take place on the following day i.e. on 20th May,2018 and asked the village people to get benefitted by the camps. They also surveyed the people about their basic problems in their day to day life. The volunteers got exposed to approximately 200 families of the village.

Then by 6 PM, the volunteers assembled in the GHSS and the first year volunteers were asked to share their
experience. The propagation camp received a positive welcome among the Illledu people and it came to limelight that the village is in need of street lights to avoid accidents during night time.

Day 2/ 20.05.2018 – Health is wealth:
The volunteers started their day with exercises from 6.30 AM to 7 AM. The volunteers assembled in the school by 8.30 AM. Group 3, Group 4 and Group 5 comprising 21 volunteers were assigned the job of guiding the elderly to the school for the medical camps form 9 AM to 12 PM.

7 volunteers of group 2 helped the electrician in the electrical works in the school till 5 PM. The volunteers of Group 6 and 7 arranged the classrooms for the medical camps. Group 8 volunteers took care of the hospitalit

Group 9 and 10 volunteers aided the specialists during the eye camp and health camp. Nearly 70 people where benefitted from the eye camp and 40 people had their general health check ups. The eye and health camps which kick started at 10 AM winded up by 1 PM. There had also been an awareness session on dengue for the village during the course of this camps.

Eye checkups for the elderly  

In order to thank the village children who cheered the volunteers with their presence, the volunteers conducted games to them from 4 PM to 6 PM and encouraged them with gifts. Day 2 ended with a discussion about the various aspects of the works done.
The volunteers then practiced for culturals for the interactive show with the village people which had been planned on 22nd May from 6.30 PM to 8.30 PM

Day 3/ 21.05.2018 – Cleanliness is next to Godliness!
The volunteers after their routine morning fitness works assembled in the GHSS by 8 AM. Volunteers of Group 3 aided the electrician in installing tubelights in 13 classrooms between 9 AM and 12 PM. The volunteers from Group 1 and 2 went on to clean in and around the Health Centre of Chunambedu. They also safely disposed the biomedical wastes under the supervision of the Health Inspector. Group 4, 5 and 6 collected the plastic wastes from the public places in and around Illedu with high level of garbage piling. These places where identified during the Propagation Camp by the student volunteers.

 Active participation of volunteers in cleaning

Group 8, 9 and 10 cleared the premises of the Veterinary Hospital near the school and they also collected the plastic waste which hindered the cattle grazing. These works were completed in 2 sessions i.e. Session 1: 10 AM to 12 PM and Session 2: 2 PM to 5 PM. The volunteers as usual had a review meet by 5.30 PM.
The volunteers then had their cultural practice from 6 PM to 8.30 PM.

Day 4/ 22.05.2018 – Strive and derive!
30 volunteers were involved in the arrangement works from 7 AM for the Puppet Show by Jacob, a volunteer from an NGO. 20 volunteers had their pre cultural rehearsal and rest of the volunteers took care of the audience. The puppet show fired off by 10 PM. Mr.Jacob through steering various competitions which aim at inculcating the viewers especially the kids with thoughts of hard work and also gifted them with small presents.

In between there had been a skit that revolves around farming issues and a mime that emphasis on present day problems of the society delved deep with everyone’s duty for the world. The program went off by 12.30 PM.
By 2.30 PM, the volunteers were taken on a visit to the National Agro Foundation(NAF) and they were explained about the various farm equipments and the flora they are growing. The visit got over by 5 PM.

Entertainment of all times-Puppet shop held in camp

Day 5/ 23.05.2018
From 9.30 AM to 12 AM and 2 PM to 5.30 PM, the volunteers of Group 1 to 4 cleared the dried grass, debris and plastic wastes in the school ground and disposed them off. They also cleaned the backside of the school. The volunteers of Group 9 cleared the lushly grown weeds around the school’s restroom. Group 5 and 6 had been involved in cleaning the hostel premises nearby.  The volunteers of Group 7 and 8 cleared the weeds around the school and disposed off the wastes collected.

Day 6/ 24.05.2018 – The art of painting:
All the 78 volunteers had been involved in renovating the school. From 9 AM to 12.30 PM, the volunteers as 10 groups painted the doors and windows and also black washed the boards of 13 classrooms.

Dedicated work of our  volunteers in renovating the school

The residual painting works continued from 2 PM. The volunteers also cleaned the classrooms and the corridors. The electrical works were also completed. These works got over by 5 PM.
There was a camp fire from 7 PM to 9 PM and all the volunteers enjoyed the must experience of a camp.

Day 7/ 25.05.2018 – Footprints that grow:
The 10 groups of 78 volunteers departed by 10 AM after planting 10 saplings each per group in the school. The sapling plantation lasted for 1 hour from 7.30 AM.

 Sapling plantation by various groups of volunteers

22.05.2018 – Post-camp visit:
3 Volunteers along with a program officer on 22nd June visited the GHSS, Chunnambedu to distribute 12 pair of spectacles to the village people who had their eye checkups during the eye camp on 20.05.2018.

Spectacles distributed by volunteers to the villagers