Issue 132 - July 14, 2019
Inspirational Note...
In 2016 one of the Satsangs held in the divine presence at London. In this meeting held for all Gurus , a Guru asked what techniques must schools implement to manage behaviour in children.

And here is what Swami said:

What is the classroom? The classroom is not a place with four walls, chairs and tables, a blackboard, children and teachers. The classroom is the space which helps children learn something. Many children do not like the confinements of the classroom, so they want freedom – a little different way of looking at things. They are spontaneous and cannot be restrained or contained in small spaces. That is one reason why most children are not happy in the classroom. Leave them in the playground and see how happy they are! They will be running around, playing. No one needs to monitor them; they will behave themselves.

You must think differently. In the olden days in India, the ancient Gurus never had a confined classroom. Nature was their classroom and everything was taught with examples from nature. The children could see it for themselves; the theory and the practical would both be happening simultaneously. You must find ways of keeping children interested in the class. The only way is to take them where they are happy to learn. Yes, once in a while, inside the classroom, and once in a while outside or outdoors.

You must think like this. What does Swami do? He first does what you like Him to do, so that you will do what He likes you to do. So, first you must see that you take the children into confidence, by telling them that you are here to keep them happy and entertained. Slowly, when they develop confidence, once in a while, you can start making these things. Truth be told, in the forty minutes of class that one teaches, the children do not learn beyond ten to fifteen minutes; the rest is only a waste. So why waste your time and their time? Instead, use the rest of the time to teach them in different ways, and use those ten or fifteen minutes of their attention-span to give them the core of the lesson. That way, they will not feel burdened and you will also not feel exhausted. That is how you should design the class. You must think differently.
Service Updates
Helping a Girl Child Resume Her Education
Here is an inspiring story of Shivani, a school going girl from the breakfast centre of Vinayaknagar in rural Bangalore, where Annapoorna serves nutritious breakfast daily. Two years ago, due to financial problems at home, Shivani dropped out from school and started to work in a garments factory.

Upon hearing about this, Annapoorna volunteers sprang into action and helped Shivani resume her education. She studied up to class ninth in Kannada medium and moved to Maharashtra State where she has now completed her 10th grade in Marathi medium!

Annapoorna is very happy to share that Shivani has successfully completed her 10th grade with 67% marks and championships!
Transformation of the Neighbor
Annapoorna started its first breakfast service in 2012 at Doddabele village, located off Mysore road near Bengaluru. As Annapoorna's morning nutrition programme fast spread its wings across 15 states and more than 2,600 centres, one heart-warming pattern started showing up in some centres - 'transformation of the neighbor', where villagers get inspired by the service rendered!

One such incident happened recently, where a family from Doddabele village, inspired by the love of the volunteers, came forward and donated notebooks and slates for the students of Doddabele Breakfast Seva Centre. The family lives across from Doddabele Breakfast Centre and sees selfless Annapoorna volunteers coming daily from various parts of Bengaluru City and serving the students of their village.

The family expressed happiness in joining hands with Annapoorna family for serving the village children! 
Schools in Rajanna Sircilla to
Receive Annapoorna Breakfast
It is the start of the academic year, and about 2,000 more children are going to be a part of the Annapoorna Family. Annapoorna has added 15 schools from the Rajanna Sircilla district in Telangana where around 2,000 needy school going children will receive healthy breakfast!
Collaborating for a Science Laboratory
A team of volunteers from the Multi National Corporation, Oracle and volunteers from Annapoorna came together for yet another CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) event which was held in Chikkaballapur district, close to Bengaluru.

The team visited the Prashanthi Bal Mandir School where the Oracle team of volunteers distributed Notebooks, Stationery pouches, Pencils, Erasers and Sharpeners to 145 students.

Further, the team went on to visit Sri Sathya Sai School in Vatadahosahalli where the 450 students studying in the school benefited from a unique collaboration between Annapoorna volunteers, Oracle volunteers and the Oracle CSR team. The teams came together and contributed for a science laboratory for the school! Also, the Oracle team took this opportunity to distribute stationery for the students.
Annapoorna is There for Every Needy Child
It does not matter how many children get benefited; on the contrary, if there is even a single child out there without access to a breakfast meal, Annapoorna is there for that child!

A couple of days ago, on June 22, 2019, Annapoorna launched the free breakfast programme for 250 more children in three schools of Anthargam in Telangana. The launch took place in the presence of the local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Dr. Sanjay Kumar.

A panchayat member from the nearby 'Voddera Colony' attended the launch and requested a similar programme for their needy school as well. Annapoorna team in consultation with the MLA instantly agreed to launch the breakfast programme in the proposed school. The Annapoorna team immediately met the school children and the Head Master (HM) on the same day, and ensured to start the programme the very next day!

The regular attendance in the said school is generally said to be between six and eleven, and never had budged ahead in spite of the HM's push in the past. However, with the launch of the programme, close to 26 children have started attending school now, leaving the school in a pleasant surprise!
Middle East Service Activity
The group, as usual, had their regular Seva at four different locations of the Middle East Region.

On all weekends, construction workers were provided with laban (buttermilk), a variety of snacks and biscuits along with some fruits and raw vegetables.
Special Eid Seva
Eid holidays in the region were celebrated in a special way, with Youth members meeting up at a Common park engaging themselves in various Games and Sports activities. This helped the group to enhance the bond between one another and to stay united for more responsibilities put forward to them.
Seva in Sri Lanka - June 2019
Donations from the Heart

Nestled in the suburbs of Colombo, the Maharagama Cancer Hospital is ever busy, as hundreds of patients stream in and out daily. The treated, vary from newborn babies snuggled against their mothers’ bosoms to old men and women surrounded by family. Under a steady stream of work, the hospital struggles to bear the cost of medicines for its heavy inpour of patients, as well as lacking the finances to run the wards. The youth took charge to help ease the burden with a generous donation that would fund both the medicines and the daily needs of several in-patients. The gratitude extended by the staff and the families warmed the hearts of the youth and they pledged to help again soon! 
Service to Those Who Serve
The weekly food distribution commenced again after a brief break, as the youth gathered to distribute parcels of food to the destitute and needy. The parcels were filled with hot rice and an assortment of traditional Sri Lankan curries ranging from mild lentil curry to mouthwatering spicy soya broths and were partnered with cups of flavoured yoghurt and water. Alongside this, the youth also took to giving refreshments to the garbage disposal workers, who come house to house twice a week. They brave blazing heat under the sun or heavy rains to complete their duties and are delighted to receive this small offering of warm tea, refreshingly cool juices and a variety of snacks!
Nurturing the Future
The youth had the blessed opportunity to work with Mythri Children’s Home located in Borella which houses over 20 young girls from ages six to nineteen. The team was able to sponsor an afternoon meal for the children recently, to help lessen the financial burden while also promising to sponsor more in the coming months. Alongside the meal, the youth donated a few children’s storybooks for leisure reading which was received with much enthusiasm. This opportunity and interaction left the youth feeling humbled at their chance to serve the children, as well as moved by their words of gratitude!
Breakfast Seva in Nigeria
The youth offer their most humble Pranaams at the Divine Lotus Feet of their beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. They, hereby, present the Breakfast Seva activities that were successfully carried out by Swami’s Special Grace for the month of June 2019.
 
Ereko Methodist Primary School Lagos

In addition to regular primary students, this school also caters for Children with Special Needs such as Learning Disabled, Hearing Impaired and Intellectually Challenged students.
 
The total strength of the students there is 259 (Regular – 200 and Special Needs – 59).  
Royal Dove Creche And Nursery 
in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
The Breakfast Seva at the Royal Dove Creche and Nursery in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria feeds 120 children two times a week (and three times on special occasions), every Monday and Friday. The youth distribute packets that contain Bread, Fruits and an Egg as these foods are both nutritious and rich in energy. 

These children belong to the local community around the locality of Lekki, Lagos and usually cannot afford more than one meal a day. They look forward to the service and accept the volunteers’ love with utmost gratitude. The youth are thankful to the Lord for providing them with this opportunity!
Transformation
Self-Love 
Sairam, my name is Vinuri Udawatta and I am from Sri Lanka. I humbly offer my Pranams at His Lotus Feet. I can still recall the immense energy I felt, the very first time I sat down and focused solely on Swami and basked in His Divine Presence. In all honesty, as the energy washed over me I began to feel afraid. It was as if slowly, the Divine Mother brought to light...
I say this is very important brothers and sisters because, it is only when you truly love yourself that you are able to engage in true selfless Seva . I hope and pray that, just as Swami transformed me through this experience of ‘Self Love’, my words and my experience can be of any guidance to those who need it and may it transform you to love yourself a little more too!