This is my monthly scheduled meetup to improve rural villages through Google maps. You can check my previous meetups here.
Taking technology towards rural areas is not that much easier, and I have taken this as a challenge and I have been doing this for the last four months. In all my other themes, I get a lot of people joining, but for this, I see people being a bit reluctant. But I never gave up on this mission which I initiated. Yes, I love helping people who are in the real need of knowing new technologies. You will really get the feeling of flying over the moon when you see them putting a little smile on their faces after your knowledge sharing session.
This time I targeted a rural village orphanage where small children live. I heard this orphanage through one of my friends and I decided to visit with my family on my meet-up day. Yes, my wife and baby joined me. When I reached the place there was a small girl who welcomed us, I was wondering how old she would be, and got to know she was just 8! Being saddened by her fate at this little age, we stepped in.
Then I slowly fixed all my gears and laptop in the hall to do a presentation for them. More than 50 kids participated in this session and I was asking many questions about technology to them and no one answered and I gave them confidence that I was also born without any knowledge about these and I will teach them all about these.
I slowly started to enter the session. I was explaining what is Google and what they are doing and what we all can do with Google tools and etc. As a first step, I explained the Google map and one girl asked who made this map, I told them this was made by map makers and top of that we all made with this satellite images earlier to draw roads, then explained the satellite technology and types of satellite and how they sense images and etc. Then a little bit of GPS too.
I took them virtually to many places through VR cardboard and daydream. One girl wanted to see the Great Wall of China and when they saw that closer to their eyes, they got amazed and then asked to show some more places. Yes, I did without getting tired. I have taught them many new technologies and finally started to show the Google street view and explained how this works. They were shocked by seeing those images and asked a lot of questions and again without tired, I explained to them.
When we started from our home town, we took a box of biscuits for them and I distributed them while learning. They enjoyed the session and finally when I heard their feedback I was amused!! “we all have been here for many years but no one came and taught such new things”. Also, they requested us to come every month and talk to them about new things rising in the world. That made my day!!! Yes, this is the real happiness, I promised them that we will be repeating the visit 
Before this session, they didn’t know anything about Google or maps and now they know what is Google map, Streetview and VR etc. Also, I did a demo with my google home, Google Assistant to them
I promised them that next month we will do a 360 mapping of their roads.
My wife @KrithikaA , who is always coming behind me and appreciates and encourages my works to the community, was with behind me with the baby at this session too. These two also had a nice time with kids.
I had a heartfelt story to tell you all. My wife started talking to the girls once my session was over. Out of all those kids, one girl was there and she had the saddest story, she is only 6 years old. We got to know that she has lost her mother and father and nobody knows where she was from. Seems almost all the girls are going home during school vacations. Even though some of them didn’t have both parents, they had some relatives who took care of them during vacations. But this girl has been in the orphanage continuously since the day she was brought there. Yes, it was when she was three.
This girl has been so active throughout the session and is really awesome. She even answered many questions I asked on maps, I hardly compromised my heart to leave from that place after hearing this.
How many of you really like to do these kinds of sessions to people who are really in need? Their smiles will bring you contentment in life. Also, you will realize the meaning of life when you start helping others come up in life
** @TraciC ,**** @DeniGu , @Aruni , @KarenVChin this how my meetup went with those little kids :)**
More photos please check this album
