SOS Children’s Villages of India and CII celebrate India at 75

New Delhi: SOS Children’s Villages of India (SOS India) collaborates with CII in a grassroots and path-breaking effort ‘India@75’. The aim is to make the country cleaner and healthier by 2022. India completes 75 years of independence by 2022 and to mark the occasion, SOS India is celebrating a week-long drive from January 18 to 24, 2020, across 76 locations in 20 States including New Delhi, Punjab, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad, Latur, Pune, Bhopal, Jaipur, Maharashtra, Bihar and Kolkata. The campaign involves working with children, women and local communities in and around SOS Children’s Villages in creating awareness about the surrounding environments and to respect it by keeping it clean and green. The idea is to promote volunteerism amongst 3983 participants (including children) with several activities (fun, games, rallies etc) for four hours every day and nurturing the values of responsible citizenship. 
 
Expressing his views on the drive and collaboration, Sudarshan Suchi, Secretary-General, SOS Children's Villages of India, said, “It is immensely gratifying to see a large number of children, their mothers and other community members to participate in such an important initiative India@75 with Confederation of Indian Industry. It is a moment of pride and hope for tomorrow, especially when building responsible citizens is the need of the hour. There is a direct correlation between the environment, our economic well-being and the future for our children. At SOS India, we believe in giving children under our care, the freedom to live and a clean environment is an important part of this belief. And thus, we joined hands with CII to save the environment, adding to our ongoing efforts of tree plantation, organic farming and environment workshops”.
 
Undertaking activities such as - drawing, debate, slogan writing, musical chair, tongue twister and quiz, the volunteers created awareness about the importance of cleanliness. Laxmi Digi, one of the volunteers who is also a member of Self Help Group in Bhubaneswar said, "This event has helped many of us to understand the significance of cleanliness and how we can contribute towards it. We will continue spreading the message to make a Clean India by 2020 because we want to leave a cleaner and healthier planet for our children.”