A little about me...
I was born in India and raised in Mumbai the city that never sleeps. I’m the eldest son in my family and I have a younger brother Russel. I was brought up in a Roman Catholic Family and I am very close to my family. In India I use to love to spend time with the tribal and poor people and take part in singing in the church choir. I love helping people and I am a Eucharistic minister in the church in Peterborough. I came to U.K in 2009. I did my hospitality and catering course for a year because I love to cook and I like listening to different types of music.
Why Vincentian Volunteers ...
I selected VV because I want to become a priest and my vocational director suggested me to do one year of volunteer work. So then my parish priest Fr Michael Collis told me to try the VV because he was one of them. He even told me how the Vincentian worked and what they did and his experience about it which he said it was great. So after hearing all this about the VV I decided to go for it and I started to apply for the VV. I was very happy because I knew that by joining VV I would get a chance to help the poor and the needy and have a great experience by staying in the community.
My Projects ...
I work at Mary and Joseph House for three days a week Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. Mary and Joseph house is a residential place where they have men with alcohol and dementia based problems. My work over here is to chat with the men’s and have different types of activities for them so that they get involved in it. We have different types of activities like pool, painting, drawing, playing cards, wii - sports, chess, dog walk, cycle ride and many other activities. My other placement is at Cornerstone. Cornerstone is a day centre for homeless and jobless people. It’s a really very busy place and it’s really full from the start of the day to the end of it. Cornerstone has facilities like shower, clothing, free telephone service, computer room, shop, laundry room, food counter etc. Over here you can meet people from different parts of the world from one continent to another. I love to speak with them. The main aim of cornerstone is to meet the needs of homeless, disadvantaged and isolated adults by providing a service which enhances their quality of life.
My Highlights ...
I get that inner joy by helping and working with the poor. Every day is like a new experience. The residents want to know when will I come next so that they can meet me and play pool with me which really makes me happy.It’s a good learning year for me especially about community living. It’s a great time to figure out what’s the right path for my future.