Five students of Grade 9 and 11 of Ekya School have raised over ₹2.2 lakh as part of a fundraiser campaign to provide dry ration and educational materials to the children from underprivileged sections of society.

“We realised that we were so lucky to have shelter, food and supplies to meet our daily needs. At the same time, there are thousands and thousands of children who did not have all these privileges as we have. So, we decided to do the least we can by helping them out," one of the students said.

The students who participated in the fund-raising were: Dia Sawlani, Anirudh Kudavelly, Richa Thyagarajan, Nandani Yadav and Govind P. Menon.

The students came up with a game plan and are leveraging the social media to mobilise support for their noble cause. They used Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to drive home the importance of helping the children in such challenging times, especially when the parents who are daily wage earners are out of the job. The students are also reaching out to people through WhatsApp appeals, a statement from the school said.

In addition, platform Ketto has been useful for the students in reaching philanthropists and donors. A message on Ketto states “the on-going nationwide the lockdown has severely affected the livelihoods of marginalized communities, most of whom are dependent on daily wages for survival.”

Within five days, the students were able to raise ₹1 lakh from the public. Encouraged by the response, the students have decided to intensify their campaign to raise more funds to ensure that a greater number of children from underprivileged sections of society are benefitted.

The students are currently interning with the CRY (Child Rights and You), the organization that works for the welfare of the children. This internship is further helping them to expand the scope of their initiative.

The students aim to raise ₹10 lakhs to reach out to 200 households and children with a one-month ration and educational kits for children.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW