Third term holiday is always very exciting to you given the fact that it is the longest holiday in the year. It is a period of blissful moments with your parents, siblings, relatives and friends.

Amid all the fun that you are going to enjoy, you can also do some community service to develop your life skills and transform the lives of other people in the society. You can carry out community service in the following places.OrphanagesYou may visit orphanages once in a while and interact closely with the young fellows who live there. Make friends with them by telling them interesting stories and sharing your experiences, observations and challenges. Help them to develop self-esteem by showing them that challenges are part of our lives and that trouble is indiscriminate. You will realize that the more you interact with them, the better they become in coping with life situations.Show that you are more than just a friend to them by chatting freely with them. Let them perceive you as their brother or sister. If possible, you can donate to them some basic items to show that you care about them. This will give them a sense of belonging.Teach them literacy skills by reading for them interesting stories and guiding them on how to read and write. Identify interesting story books that they may enjoy reading.Play some games with them. You may consider games like football, volleyball, basketball depending on the facilities that may be available. HospitalsYou can render service in hospitals by giving comfort to the sick and their attendants. Talk to some patients as long as the medical personnel allow you to do so. If it is not appropriate, you may interact with their attendants. Give them a ray of hope and pray with them. This may go a long way in creating a sense of optimism in the minds of the sick and those who attend to them.Visiting hospitals will help you to take a critical look at the other side of life which is challenging and absurd and you will be able to develop a spirit of compassion towards humanity.Homes of the elderlyVisit the elderly and help them cope with old age. When people grow very old, they experience lots of difficulties and they need help and company from those who are still stronger. It is advisable that you visit them in a group. Share ideas and experiences with them. Society considers the old people as the custodians of wisdom. Therefore, there is a lot that you learn from them most especially issues related to culture.Some old people lack basic facilities in their homes like racks for utensils, bathrooms and kitchens. As a group, you may improvise and put in place such facilities for them.Places of worshipWhen you go for the weekly prayer services, you can participate in ushering which involves arranging the church, guiding the members of the congregation on where to sit and attending to those who may be sick.You may also help with the Sunday school by teaching the word of God to the children, praising and worshiping with them.What are the likely benefits?As an individual, community service will help you to develop a spirit of compassion, a sense of creativity, interpersonal skills, communication and leadership skills.At community level, many people’s lives will be transformed by your helping hand. Hope will be restored to many people who might be depressed as result of hardships. You will also stand out as a model of society for others to emulate.Remember that the main purpose of life is service to our society. Therefore, if you offer community service during this holiday, you will impact positively on the society.The writer is a teacher at Riviera High School