Lucknow, India—The Religious Youth Service (RYS) of India held its 2016 service project in Lucknow city, where participants built a wall and helped restore parts of a local primary school.
The project, whose theme was “Building Peace through Service and Love,” took place from November 23 to 27, 2016. Of the 30 participants, 15 were international—from Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
In addition to engaging in community service, the volunteers visited religious and historic sites in the multicultural city in Uttar Pradesh state, which is bordered by Nepal to the north.
The project was covered by a local television station, who interviewed Mr. Krishna Adhikari, the secretary general of UPF-India.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony included an inaugural address by Mr. Nityanand Sharma, a minister of the government of Uttar Pradesh, and a presentation on the UPF founders’ vision for peace, which was given by Mr. Adhikari.
Mrs. Meenakshi Sharma, director of the Vishwa International Academy, a secondary school in Delhi, as well as representatives of UPF-India, RYS-India and RYS-Nepal also spoke during the opening ceremony.
Service Activities
The councillor of Lucknow inaugurated the service project itself by plastering a section of a wall of the Khurram Nagar Primary School.
In addition to building a wall and painting parts of the school, the volunteers cleared garbage around the project site and served food and distributed chocolates to the students.
Interfaith Activities & Visits
As part of the five-day program, the participants visited various religious and historic places, including the Bara Imambara Shia Muslim shrine, a Hindu temple and Ambedkar Memorial Park, as well as the Women Power Line 1090, a local helpline that provides immediate assistance to women suffering from harassment.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony included a keynote address by the deputy registrar of Lucknow High Court and the distribution of certificates to all the participants.