Description of the Project: Our team worked on a project with The Leonard Cheshire Home Mauritius (Tamarin). This home was set up by an Act of Parliament in December 1965 to promote the well-being of persons with disabilities and aged who are needy.

The aim of our project was to bring our contribution to society by caring for others and sensitizing our youngsters about the need to care for elder and disabled people. We focused on UN goal number 2 Reduced inequalities.

UN Goal no 2

Reduced inequalities. By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

Participants were on site every day from 30th May to 2nd June. We have

1. created a vegetable garden which will provide fine herbs and some vegetables to the residents and allow those who can do some gardening, to do so as a therapeutic activity.

2. painted the residents' lounge to make sure they have a clean and cosy place to get together.

3. provided care for the residents through grooming, playing board games, art and craft, DIY and other activities. Furthermore, we spent quality time with them listening to their stories and getting to know them better. Some of the stories were transcribed in an e-book.

4. prepared snacks and lunch for the residents.

5. raised funds and collected items (games, toiletries, blanket, DIY, stationery etc)

Participants reflections

Students' reflections

• 'When I went to the Cheshire home I introduced myself to the residents there, I talked with them, I asked them about their lives, where they are from, what they do all day. I also played dominoes with three of the residents there. I had so much fun spending time with them and they were really good at dominoes so I only won sometimes. It felt good to see a big smile on their faces as no one came to visit them and I was there for them. I felt sad that no one came to visit them and that most of them didn’t have a family. They seemed so grateful and thankful that my group and I gave them the attention that they needed. I loved spending time with the residents. I also painted the lounge with some of my friends, made lunch for them, did grooming, gardening, painted on canvases with the residents. I was very sad when I was leaving the Cheshire home on Thursday as it was going to be the last day that I was going to see them. We sang songs for them and two of the ladies sang some songs for us too. Overall I had an amazing time there and miss them very much. I had an amazing experience there. I learned new skills and techniques for doing many different things. The people there were all amazing, they were kind, gentle, generous, welcoming and loved our company. I hope that I can visit them again because I loved every single part that I spent with them.

• 'The Cheshire home was a very nice and welcoming place where everyone was very friendly. The fact that I didn’t really speak much French and creole made it a little harder, but with the help of others I was able to communicate with the residents. I enjoyed doing the activities with them! When we were leaving I felt really bad because they don’t get many visitors and I know for a week we gave them some company. It was also a little emotional when we were leaving. For me it was a very good experience, I got to learn more skills and I got to meet some wonderful people too.'

• 'The Cheshire home is a very charming place and all the residents are kind hearted and welcoming. At first they weren’t very talkative and I was doubtful of what to talk to them about, but eventually I started asking small questions relating to their hobbies and lifestyle and they opened up to me. I was mainly talking to a man who I met on the first day called Ned or Uncle Ned. I learnt a few things about him and learnt to develop my communication skills and be more open minded as well. I learnt more about the struggle of constructors when they have to paint walls as when I tried to, I found it quite tedious. The staff and caretakers were all extremely polite and welcoming to us since the first day and we all enjoyed each other’s presence. By the third day, we were all acclimated with each other and had no trouble talking and playing together. I had a great time at the Cheshire home and I made a lot of new memories and met new people and I also developed my skills and had new experiences. I would definitely go back to the place as it was very eye opening for me and I really enjoyed it. '

• 'Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the Cheshire home. It was really fun, despite all the troubles the painting team went through. While I did not get to spend much time with the residents, in the few moments I spent with them I could see they were all so full of life and nice. I felt sad when we left as I know they don't receive many visitors and because I live quite far away I would not get to visit much. If we were to do another activity like this in the future, I would make sure I got to spend more time with the residents of the home and get to talk to them more.'

• 'These four days spent at the home were really enjoyable and memorable. When we first met the residents we aimed at helping them feel better and giving them company to make them forget their loneliness. We gave them opportunities to express themselves through the various activities we did. At first they seemed a bit hesitant to talk but after some time they became really friendly and seemed to be very pleased with the quality time we all spent together. All of this brought some warmth to their home. Talking to the residents and listening to their stories was really interesting as I got to know how their life experience was. On the last day of our visit I felt sad to leave them as we had just got used to them. However I was really happy to see how they were singing with enthusiasm when we left telling us that we should come back.'

• 'I really enjoyed spending this week with the residents at the Cheshire Home. Sadly they don’t get that many visitors due to Covid so they were very happy to have our group visiting them for the LBImpactS Week. As I am used to visiting the home, I noticed that the residents were happy to see me back and they all enjoyed participating in the activities. I was also happy to see the changes that we were making at the home such as painting the lounge, organizing the cupboards, making a vegetable garden, etc. This experience also gave me a chance to work on my French and Creole skills as the residents don’t speak much English. Towards the end of this experience I noticed that the residents had become very comfortable with our group, engaging in various conversations and activities. I am glad that I chose this experience for the Impacts week and I will definitely continue to visit them.'

Supervisor's reflection:

• 'The Cheshire Home project was a very powerful and inspiring one. It was a privilege to help supervise this activity. I enjoyed each second of it. The time spent with students, colleagues and parent planning our visit was very enriching. I felt so proud of our students. It was a great opportunity for me to discover all of them in different roles. I have seen leaders, artists (including singers), cooks, gardeners, excellent team players and above all, an amazing group of compassionate young people, ready to make a difference in the world. The whole team showed a great sense of respect towards the residents, the workers, carers, teachers and peers. It was good to see the camaraderie that developed over this week. What impressed me the most was how reliable students have been. We could easily trust them and delegate responsibilities. I have only been a facilitator and students ran the whole project.

The time spent at the Home was magical. The residents had so much to share. Our aim was to bring them some warmth but they warmed our hearts too. This exchange between human beings of all age groups and each with different abilities was a reflection of the real world. We may be very young, middle aged, elderly we are all differently abled and each one of us has hidden talents; but above all the power to change someone else's day! Remember a smile and a kind word can bring sunshine to someone's rainy day.

Future plans:

The whole group has decided to organise fundraising activities during the year, in order to buy equipment to furnish the home's new building. We shall organise another visit in Term 3.