BHARATI PAWASKAR
Believing in the principle that no act of kindness , no matter how small, is ever wasted, the YWCA of Goa religiously continues to do silent act of charity year after year, thereby providing needy school children with stationary, shoes and bags. The current call from YWCA is to drop used or new school bags at Little’s Primary School, Fatorda in Margao or handover to any YWCA of Goa member between May 2 to May 14.
Why is there need to collect and then donate to the economically weaker section of the society? “This is our effort for a fair and equal distribution of useful school material from ‘haves’ to ‘have-nots’ so that no one remains deprived,” says social activist Anjali Shinde who has been associated with various YWCA projects. Apart from participating in such collection drives, Anjali, an entrepreneur who runs her own business, also offers free remedial classes in orphanages in her free time.
The YWCA of Goa is the coming together of women to make a difference. We have been engaged in social initiatives in Goa since 2011. “One of our initiatives - donating used school bags - which we took up in October 2016 had a great response and made a difference to young lives. We collected 100+ school bags and handed them over to the students of Loyola Open School,” shares Althea Fernandes, president, YWCA of Goa.
“Fast forward to three years since, the need for school bags has once again emerged, which is why we are accepting old / new school bags between in the first half of May, this year. This donation drive protects our environment by ‘reusing’ and at the same time helps someone in need,” quips Althea.
The response is overwhelming, admits Anjali who recalls that last year after their appeal to donate old or new school bags went viral on social media, the collection went up to almost 500 bags. Albeit, most of them were pre-used, there were few brand new too. The team segregates the bags and after discarding very old or torn ones, the usable ones are distributed among needy schools in South Goa.
The YWCA team members are busy sorting out crayons, pencil colours, water colours, sketch pens, A4 size papers, chart paper, sketch books, paint brushes, pencils, pens, rulers, erasers, glue etc which were dropped either at 1st floor, Pereira Plaza, opposite Hospicio in Margao or people just called YWCA team members to handover their items in person. Whatever remains, is given to families from slums who cannot afford to cater to the recurring needs of their children or who do not have the purchasing power.
Not stopping at school bags or stationary, the YWCA Goa welcomes used but ‘still-in-good-condition’ shoes, especially those who have good soles. “One may wonder, who will wear used shoes, but we have a practical and logical solution. We collect these shoes from Goa during Diwali and Christmas time when people usually buy new pairs. This collection is dispatched to Greensole in Navi Mumbai where the discarded shoes are recycled into comfortable footwear.
Greensole also retails upcycled footwear towards building a self-sustaining social venture. We are happy to be a part of this social web. By paying a little amount we get our lot recycled, and the end result is super - receiving fresh, brand new shoes which are ready to be gifted to some needy feet so that they can walk an extra mile,” smiles Anjali.
Althea spells YWCA’s motives, “One is to be of some help to a needy and the second is to decrease or lessen the burden on landfills. The used shoes, bags and other material goes to landfills, which is detrimental to the planet, as it takes decades to destroy these unfriendly, and ‘not biodegradable’ products.”
She mentions about her upcoming project too. “Our next project to save our wildlife and our environment will be ‘Say no to plastic straws’ and YWCA plans to approach vendors, citizens and youth with this appeal and keep some options before them. YWCA’s community projects and awareness drives are numerous and each one is dedicated towards the betterment of human lives - be it gifting silk sarees to rural women on the occasion of Diwali festival or gifting new pairs of sandals to taxi drivers. These gestures may look like a drop in the ocean but they do make a difference in the lives of people whom they touch.
Summer vacations offer a break from the busy school time-table as it’s time to play, read, and introspect. Utilising this time for doing some charity is the best thing that can happen in a student’s life. YWCA of Goa’s appeal to donate old or new stationery, school bags and shoes is one such gesture that will surely bring a smile on the face of some needy child in Goa. So while one buys a whole new set of school stuff for the new academic year, donating the used set would be the best thing to do this summer. It’s not about donating a discarded bag or a shoe, but its all about gifting a bright smile to some unknown face.
