by Brother Agnel James
MUMBAI, JUNE 14, 2018: The boys and staff of Shelter Don Bosco celebrated Ocean Day by undertaking a cleanlieness drive at Shivaji Park Beach in central Mumbai on June 8.
The boys of Shelter Don Bosco first had an interactive session with Liza, a volunteer from Germany, who used videos on the five oceans of the world to stress on the importance of protecting our oceans. Impassioned by the session, the boys along with the staff went to the Shivai Park beach, Dadar West to do their bit for the oceans.
Though it was high tide, the police granted special permission to the senior boys to conduct the drive. The boys were all given medical hand gloves for the job. After clearing the beach in about thirty minutes, the gathering noticed the huge difference on how picturisque a clean beach actually looked.
"Though while picking the garbage I was feeling awkward, but looking at the clean beach in the end I felt like I have achieved something," a Shelter boy, said.
Ocean Day was first celebrated by International Centre for Ocean Development, Canada in 1992. The Ocean Project, partnering with many leading organisations of the world, including zoos and aquariums, started promoting this event with research and studies from 2002. The UN finally recognised the issues and problems in the ocean and officially declared the World Ocean Day in late 2008.