The Ashoka Tree Blog

The heat is on! And not in a good way. Summer seems to have started with a bang, and rather early, here in South India, but we've still got children spending the day without fans - it's 35 degrees Centigrade in the shade with not a cloud in sight today. The mere idea of 'not' sitting under a fan is impossible. Imagine not having a fan to sit under instead.  Get in touch with us if you'd like to contribute wall/ceiling fans.  # care # heatwave   # kerala https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/240319/kerala-heat-wave-to-continue.html

It doesn't take much to care. It certainly doesn't take much to share. So much of what we do everyday is about ourselves, how we feel or what we want - it doesn't take much to think of someone else for a change, what they need, how they feel and how we can help. The Ashoka Tree is proud to work with  Seetha Kingston House Matriculation Higher Secondary School  in our anganwadis in Chennai as part of their Centenary of DRBCC Charities work. ​Thank you to all the staff and children who took time off to spend time with our children, spreading more smiles!

It's easy to forget how wonderful it is to have windows open in summer when you're not worried about mosquito-borne diseases.  Nearly 140 children in Shoranur are ready to leave their windows open to welcome fresh breeze in thanks to our sponsors' efficient mosquito-proofing.  Get in touch with us if you'd like to contribute to our 'mosquito-proofing' project in unaided play schools across South India. ​Let the sunshine in!  #care

Wet, lather, scrub, rinse and dry! Here's something we don't know - Just 1 in 5 people actually wash their hands and a mere 30% use soap when they do. The good thing is, we're no longer in a time when soap is something new and scary.  It's never too late to teach little children the value of clean hands and that's what we're doing with our children in unaided play-schools in  Chennai, India . ​It's great to work with like-minded people! A HUGE shout out to  Madras School of Social Work  &  Philips India

“Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,  Whispering 'it will be happier'...”  ―  Alfred Lord Tennyson

It's not how much time you spend, but what you actually do that makes a difference. Life today is all about what "I" am doing today and what "I" want or plan to do tomorrow. Maybe it's time to pause for just a minute and do something to brighten somebody else's day just a little. For all you know, spreading those smiles can just get you smiling a little bigger yourself. Every second you spend thinking of someone else, is a second well spent - and that's exactly what our team at Chennai is all about . #volunteer   #Chennai