Get ready to become a kid again!

Rotaract Club of UPG College organised 'Mauj-e-Manch', an event for underprivileged children, on Saturday, the 14th of January. Many NGOs were called in and about 600 children were expected to attend.

The event was held at Santokba Sanskar Sadan and the adjoining Jashoda Rang Mandir grounds. The competitions for the children were distributed over these two places.

The event was scheduled to begin by 10.30 am and go on till about 3.30 pm.

There was a variety of competitions and fun activities for the children at the event. Stalls were put up where they could get tattoos, get their hair braided, or even play with toys and games.

Toybanker- Haneeta, managing the stall at Mauj - E- Manch

 What stood out from the array of activities and informals stacked up for this young audience was the stall organised by Toybank.
It had over twenty games varying from Brainvita to fruit puzzles, It seemed like Fantasy land which had every thing a child could ask for. It was joy to see little hands pick up huge boxes with uncontained amusement. The children picked up the games and ran to their favorite volunteer to play them together. A lot of times, the volunteers had a tough time competing with these budding geniuses. Losing or winning, it was only fun to hang around with them!

It was an experience of a lifetime as we saw the kids claim their right to fun and play. There were toys which they probably had not seen or played before but they found much joy in discovering these new games and were seen lounging in this corner till their heart's content. It was certainly a time they will cherish as they huddled up in groups, made new friends, laughed and won, but they were only left asking for more.

It was a pleasure hosting this event, and seeing the smiles on the children's faces, it was well worth it!

Children enjoying at the Toybank Stall

We thank Toybank for associating with us for such an event. Every child has the right to play with toys. They have the right to enjoy and that is what, "Mauj - E- Manch" is all about. It was wonderful to have your support and it meant a lot not only for the kids but also for us too. We look forward to your support in future as well.

Check out the pictures here

Toybankers spend time with kids at Prerana!

Toybankers spread happiness among the children at Prerana NGO.

 A bunch of 12 volunteers from Toybank got together for sharing stories with the little children at Prerana.. Volunteers also taught the elder children how to make different type of caps! The children enjoyed making the caps and also sung some songs for us!

At the end Toybank volunteers distributed toys to all the children which brightened up their faces. All the children opened their toys after the event and immediately started play with their own toys :) 

Here's what our volunteer Purvi has to say about the event: 

'Let me start by first thanking all of you for letting me be a part of Toybank. It is truly a pleasure to be a part of this initiative. My first experience as a “Toybanker” has been phenomenal and soul satisfying. It was wonderful to see how a small action of our’s can bring wide smiles on the faces of those children who have may have been deprived of the basic happiness (toys). It was fun as well as a learning lesson for me while I spent my time with the kids. It teaches us how small things can make big differences in the lives of some. The good part was that as a Toybanker we did not differentiate between the kids on the grounds of intelligence, caste etc. Everyone was equally treated and played with. The kids also enjoyed our visit. They too took the initiative to say their poems, sing song aloud to us and even interacted with us. It was really nice to see the light in their eyes, when gifts were being distributed. They could not wait to open the toys and start playing with them. It was fun to see them play. Toybank made a difference in the lives of all these kids. It was a great experience and I look forward to many more of such experiences.'

Pictures... Coming soon!

Toybank celebrating the end of 2011....

Toybankers from N.L Dalmia (E-Cell) had a fantastic time with the kids at mobile creche at Mira Road.

Toybank volunteers Nidhi and Madhvi initiated a Toy Collection drive at Dalmia college for a while, and the students of Dalmia collected awesome toys for Toybank.

We then had an amazing event with the children at the Mumbai Mobile Creche in Mira Road, where we shared some kids stories and played games like organes are lemon and ringaringa roses, which we often played in our childhood. 

 The elder children were engaged in a set of fun filled games by our Toybankers. 

At the end, we distributed toys to every child at the centre.

Here's is the exprience shared by the Toybankers at Dalmia College:

"In the last week of 2011, just as the year was coming to a close.. a few of us from the Entrepreneurship Cell and N.L.Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research who had collaborated with Toybank paid a visit to a NGO in Mira Road. The NGO was for the children of the construction site workers who lived there. 

The experience was in one word .. 'Wonderful'

The enthusiasm the children showed while playing games, singing songs and dancing was unforgettable..At the end of it all... we wanted more time to see their smiling excited faces. 

Distributing the toys and hearing about their ambitions was touching to say the least.

We had a great afternoon with the kids and continue to wonder how much we take for granted.

Thank you Toybank for such a fulfilling experience!"

 Check out the fun here!

The Joy of being a Toybanker...

Toybank held a seminar “The Joy of being a Toybanker” in association with the students of Juhu based colleges: NMIMS, Mithibai College, Mukesh Patel School of Technology, Management & Engineering (MPSTME) and Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management .

Eminent television personality Mr. Purab Kohli came to encourage students for the Nobel initiative and spoke at length about the heart warming experiences he has had with Toybank. He said, “I have been a part of Toybank since its birth. It is not only about internal satisfaction obtained by giving happiness to poor kids, but also about giving back to the society what you have gained.” He also added that “Toybank is not just helping the poor kids, but also provides a channel to the young and privileged people to attain internal satisfaction.” 

Mr. Purab Kohli also appreciated the tremendous results Ms. Shweta Gopalachari’s hard work has brought about. Ms. Shweta who is the founder of “Toybank” is a pass out of D.J. Sanghivi College of Engineering, Mumbai, who along with some of her friends started this NGO around 7 years back. Now, Toybank has its branch in a number of cities of India. 

The seminar concluded with the Mr. Purab Kohli inspiring everyone to be a Toybanker. The participating volunteers were really very enthusiastic and keen to participate in the collection drives and were eager to be a part of Toybank. One of the participants, on the spot called her school principal and arranged for the collection drive in her school. 

After the seminar, all the students were provided with details how the toy collection drive would be carried out and where the collected toys have to be submitted. 

This seminar formed a founding stone for carrying out various Toybank events where all the SVKM colleges put their efforts together to emerge a better life for all the lesser-privileged children. 

For more pics click here

Toybank spends time with the kids at Vatsalya Foundation...

Toybank conducted a fun event for the kiddos at Vatsalya foundation in November. 

Our Toybank volunteer Jyoti Devjani had organized the whole event with a range of games and quizzes, the event ended with the volunteers distributing toys that were collected at the Rotract Club of Lala College(RCLC)

Toybankers at Rotaract Club of Lala Lajpat Rai College also volunteered in the Toy distribution event at Vatsalya foundation

Here’s what the volunteers at the RCLC had to say about the event:

“The interactive session we had with these children of Vatsalya made us realize how talented these kids are. They learn things easily by seeing and doing with fun. Basically fun and interactive learning is the simplest way to make kids learn. Moreover it makes us feel great that we are being the cause of someone's happiness. All the RCLC members had a great experience with the kids!
After going there we had entertainment sessions with them like first we had singing, acting or mimicry and then dance where the kids showed their talent. Then we made them play quizzes and games like spoon-lemon, relay races. After playing games and interactive sessions with the kids we distributed some toys. That made them all happy.
It was just a small effort on our part to bring happiness to these children and this surely wil give each and every child their right to childhood. 
All the children were so excited to receive their toy that they immediately got busy in playing with the toys within themselves.”

Toybank would like to thank Jyoti Devjani for hosting the event, and Manju Devjani, Tanisha, Raunak and Praachi for organizing the event so beautifully!

Also a BIG Thank You to the RCLC members for collecting and gift wrapping the toys for this event!

Click here to check out some pics of the event!

Toybank gang reaches out to children in Turbhe!

Toybankers all set on a Tuesday morning to spend time with the little ones at Sathi in Turbhe!

Sathi is a non-profit organisation that runs 6 balwadi centre near Turbhe in Navi Mumbai. They also have other health projects for the children in that area. Sathi reaches out to 160 children from the lesser privileged families in Navi Mumbai.

Children from the Balwadis at Sathi were brought together on the 15th of November for a fun filled storytelling and interactive session! Being the first day of school the teachers expected only 40-50 children to show up. But when the teachers spread the news that the Toybank wagon is going to conduct a fun-filled event for the kiddos and give toys, there were 110 children at the centre who enjoyed the interaction with our volunteers!

Our volunteer Vishakha had got some awesome pictured story book of a caterpillar and a rat and various other stories. She narrated the stories one by one as the kiddos listened to her recitation  attentively  and repeated few actions and sounds after her!

Later the kids sang sweet songs and rhymes for us, like ‘Jack n Jill’, Chubby Cheeks, etc… in chorus!

At the end of the session a 5year old stood up to thank us to have come there and spent time with them.

All the children went back home with a precious gift – their toy! We also left loads of toys for the kiddos who couldn’t make it to the event.

Thank you Vishakha and Edgar for being a part of this event!

And a BIG THANKS to Vaishali and Meena teacher from Sathi to coordinate this event :)

Click here to catch some pics of the event!

A real tribute to Chacha Nehru!

Toybankers team up to visit Asha Kiran to celebrate Children’s Day with the little ones there and to gift them toys!

Asha Kiran is a Charitable Trust which brings a ray of hope in the lives of lesser-privileged children to help them grow up to be self reliant , responsible and contribute to the society. 

Volunteer speaks...

Shruti Gaddamwar:

Saturday, the 12 of November 2011 marked a real tribute to Pandit Nehru. Two days prior to his 122nd birthday, around 200 kids at the Asha Kiran NGO made the ubiquitous and indispensable ‘Gandhi topi ‘, proudly displayed it and gleefully smiled when the ‘didi’s and the ‘bhaiiya’s asked them to put it on their heads. Another ‘type’ of topi, the cricketer cap, too drew in a huge applause, especially from the boys. After they donned the caps they had just made, the volunteers complimented them for looking like Tendulkar or Yuvraj Singh. The triumph they had on their faces is just beyond words.

The event began at 8am, with the kids being segregated according to their age. Kids below the age of 5 years, were grouped together, volunteers read them stories from the colorful story book and taught them a few rhymes. The volunteer singing the rhyme and the kids saying it after her, complete with actions and expressions was definitely a sight to watch! The kids aged 8 to 13 years, i.e. the ‘elder kids’ were further divided into two groups. While the first group learnt Gandhi topi, the other learnt the cricket cap, and vice-a-versa. Every time the volunteer taught them a step of the craft, they diligently followed it and what more! The kids wanted to practice each step till they were sure they got it right. That meant, should the paper tear, re-start with a new sheet, then if the new sheet too gets dirty, so what? Re-start again! ... the process goes on! The never say die spirit! At the end of the event, the place looked as if it were carpeted with newspapers!

The event ended at 10, with the prize distribution, wherein each child received a toy for participating. Looking at these smart and ambitious little future ‘netas’ , I’m sure Chacha Nehru must be super happy UP there!

Darayus:

It gives me immense pleasure to visit an event conducted by Toybank for the kids of Asha Kiran—an organization that has been established for the education and welfare of children. I would like to convey a special thanks to Farnaza for efficiently managing the event and for leading from all fronts. To celebrate Children’s Day, Toybank had organized an origami cum storytelling event in that children were taught how to make two types of caps and were told fun stories.

I was amazed to see the enthusiasm of these kids. Although I was a volunteer and was asked to assist the children in preparing paper caps, I was not able to keep up with the speed at which the children handcrafted their masterpieces!

In the end, all children were handed over a special toy and I was amazed to see the joy thriving on the smile of their faces.

Once again, I thank Toybank for providing me the opportunity to serve the society in a very fun way. I look forward to be a part of various such events.

Abhilasha Gajria:
Generally waking up on a Saturday morning comes in my NOT-To-Do list. But an initiative like Toybank is something I would gladly wake up for on a Saturday or even Sunday morning. Seeing the priceless smile on the faces of the kids when we taught them how to make ‘Chacha Nehru Topi’ and cricketers hat, was worth all the lost sleep. The kids were given toys too as a part of the 14th November children’s day celebration. Its things like these that give us something to look forward to in an otherwise monotonous life and allow us to spread little happiness and smiles in the life of the kids, as much as in our capacity.

Looking forward to many more such days with kids and as a Toybanker.

Saurabh: 

I had a great time at Toy distribution event at Ashakiran. It was after a long time that I played with so many kids. Teaching them origami, and interacting with them made feel immensely happy. I felt as if I am contributing in my own small way to bring a smile to their faces. I am Iooking forward for future Toybank activities as they give me a chance to contribute to the society and make it enjoyable at the same time. Kudos to Toybank for that.

Indranil:  

"Toy Distribution"- the very name of the activity was so inspiring that it didn't make me to hesitate waking up early morning on a Saturday and travel all the way to andheri. Like the other play centers of Toybank, I tried to locate the four walls of Asha Kiran, but to my surprise, there were none...sharp on time there were kids gathering near the bus stand and started spreading the mattresses on the bare footpath. The teacher arrived and the humming good morning wishes reminded me my childhood. After a short breifing from the teachers and introduction of Toybank to the kids, we got the chance to play with the entire team. Separate volunteers were appointed for a small gangs of three or four to assist the children with origami. It was just a couple of days before Children's day, we taught them how to make Nehru caps using newspaper. The kids loved the session, and with great enthusiasm, they followed the steps for making their caps. Then we taught them to make cricket caps which were a bit tough than the first one, but the kids were smart enough, and they even decorated the cricket paper caps with their favorite cricket star paper cuttings.
Then, all the kids were gifted toys for participating in the session. The joy that was shown in their eyes, I have no words to explain. I feel happy and thank Toybank for giving me such a wonderful experience.

Click here to view more pics!

The smile on their faces—Makes us Happy indeed

On the 25th of October, the kids at Salaam Baalak Trust enjoyed a lot with Toybankers. We conducted fun activities for the children and also distributed toys to 100 children there!

Volunteer Speaks:

Shruti: The volunteers of Toybank had organized a ’Best from Waste’ activity for the kids - and lo! – We were in for a surprise! Not only did the kids amaze us with their superb craft skills; but compelled us to introspect. It does not take more than a second for us to throw away the junk/ scrap as trash. And here are these kids, little genius people making wonders out of them! Wall hangings, photo-frames, sofa-TV set, pen stands… the list was endless. What astounded me the most was the fact that a discarded piece of netted cloth, sequined and laced could actually be turned into a cake! To say that the kids were super imaginative would be an understatement- they were incredible!

The three hours we spent with them were up in no time! Snap and gone! The activity ended with gifting ceremony, wherein every child was given a gift – a precious toy! It was indeed the happiest moment for the kiddos- the smiles on the kids faces vouched for it.

And like all good things should come to an end, the event too ended with a vote of thanks from one of our Toybanker – Shruti Shetty and the coordinator at Salaam Baalak Trust, Ms. Agnes!

Kalyani Khona: I relived my childhood by redefining creativity!!! It was super-amazing experience :)

Shruti Oza: It was really wonderful experience for me to guide the kids to make creative items out of waste. The children are really smart and filled with bright ideas. Toybank is doing great work by conducting such events which trigger the creativity within the kids!

Trishna – Counsellor at Salaam Baalak:

"The event on 25th of October was a success organized by the Toybank. We had divided the children into two groups of junior and senior children.

Toybank had planned two activities for both the groups.

The juniors had the activity of making a collage out of magazine sheets. The kids were divided into groups of three and it was a fun activity as every step they completed they were more excited. The younger kids were given soft toys after the activities and they were really overjoyed as it was something they love to play with. Also as it was gift wrapped, they felt quiet special after receiving it.

The seniors had to make something creative out of waste and scrap materials. Toybank had provided all the material for the entire workshop. One volunteer accompanied each group and they came up with wonderful creations. The amount of excitement filled in the kids was at a high level as the activity was very interesting and also needed them to stress their brains and do something new. It created an excitement in them as few of them interested in art and craft were able to show their talent and creativity. One of the important aims I found of this activity was group building and team working. They had to work hand in hand with each other to reach the next level and complete their creation.

The senior children received different toys and games according to their age levels and they really were overjoyed.

All the children are playing with the new toys during their holidays now.. They used the skipping ropes the maximum. It was really nice to associate with Toybank for this event. We wish to continue working with you.”

Check out more pics here!