TEACHERS from the Lautoka School for Special Education visited the Golden Age Home on December 19 to deliver personalised pre-Christmas gifts to its residents.
The group was representing the Fiji Council of Special Education.
The visit was a component of Tower 2025, an initiative following the group’s annual general meeting that brought together teachers from 17 special schools for an inclusion celebration and community service.
Project lead and Lautoka School for Special Education teacher Nandita Nandini Sharma said the presentation was originally scheduled for December 11 but was delayed due to weather conditions.
”We are here today to present the gifts to the residents with the Ministry of Education,” she said.
“Lautoka School of Special Education teachers, they have been taking this step of giving out the gifts as part of our Tower community service.”
The group took a unique approach to the donation by consulting the residents on their specific needs prior to the visit.
”Before preparing the gifts, actually we visited the residents and we asked individually what they are expecting or what they want from us.
”They listed gifts such as T-shirts, shorts, dresses for ladies and then they had mirrors, shoes, cardigans, so those are all the packs that we made for them, and it was personalised according to what they wanted.”
In addition to the clothing and personal items residents were given snacks, Christmas cakes, and juice.
Ms Sharma said the initiative is rooted in the professional values of the educators involved.
”They were very happy and that is our main purpose to include them and just to show them love.
“Since we believe in inclusion ourselves as special education teachers, this initiative reflects our belief of care, kindness and inclusion of the elderly in our community.”
Project lead and Lautoka School for Special Education teacher, Nandita Nandini Sharma (second from left) and her colleagues with staff of the Golden Age Home in Lautoka are pictured with the box of gifts on December 19.
Picture: SALOTE QALUBAU
