Shishukunj – Garden of Children

Back in 2003 I ran the London marathon for a charity that I’m really passionate about – “Shishukunj” which means Garden of Children. Although it was some 8 years ago that I took part in the marathon, it seems appropriate, given the recent events in London and other major cities, to mention it now.

Shishukunj is an Institute dedicated to the welfare and cultural development of children. Their aim is to provide an environment rich in positive values, which will allow the hidden potential within each child to flourish. What I really love about this charity, which by the way my own children attended, is the principal that older children in the school are responsible for the younger children with adults being in the background.

All their activities are run by the teenagers the results are amazing – you see children taking on responsibility, becoming independent, planning indoor sports tournaments for 250 kids, and the whole school is like one big family where they regard each other as brothers and sisters. This relationship of helping each other continues throughout their lives so that they are always at the end of a phone for each other. I wish I had a setup like that when I was growing up – I can assure you I would be a different person with a network of experts at hand.

I just wanted to share this, to show that there are young people, parents, and organizations that do care. They care about their communities and want to make a difference.

Dipak Patel, Technical Director