On 10 June 2019, we proudly celebrated the first annual Ravi Bhandari Award for Good Citizenship and Volunteerism.

Set up by his family, the award is in honour of the late Ravi Bhandari, who was as an employee of Seva Mandir, serving as Finance Secretary and General Secretary. It is often the case that many of our colleagues here at Seva Mandir will go beyond the call of duty to help those in need, and this award enables us to recognise their selflessness.

Two awards were given to members of our staff:

Angela Jacob

Throughout her career at Seva Mandir, Angela has always gone out of her way to help those in need. This is reflected not just in her work but in her personal life, too. She helps staff from village locations who have problems in their day-to-day lives find solutions to their problems, for example by connecting them with government schemes. Angela has a strong belief in education, especially for young girls. She actively encourages families to send their children to school and provides financial assistance for those who cannot afford to do so. She also has an affection for stray animals and goes out of her way to care for them, especially those that have been abused or mistreated.

Residential Learning Camp Staff

The staff at our Residential Learning Camp are passionate about teaching young tribal children and giving them the best education possible. Each camp becomes like a big family, with everyone looking out for each other. This year, three of the children became sick with a contagious illness. The RLC staff put themselves at risk of catching the illness by caring for the children in the camp and taking them to the government hospital in Udaipur city, never leaving their side. The children recovered quickly, and the illness did not spread to any other child thanks to the staff's swift action.

The second round of Ravi Bhandari awards will be announced in June 2020.