Kottayam: Unforeseen heroes emerge in extraordinary situations. As COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, wreaks havoc across the globe, killing lakhs and devastating the livelihood of millions, some unusual heroes have emerged from Kottayam too.
A bunch of Class XII students of Pallikoodam School in Kerala's Kottayam district decided to marshal all their resources to provide succour to daily-wage workers, migrant labourers and the jobless – a section worst affected by the nationwide lockdown.
These selfless students – Malaika Mammen Mathew, Ajar Ajay Srivastava, Janani Anna Babu, P Gauri Menon, Dhanya Sony, Reba Phillip, Aditya Kurien Chacko and Punnoose Punnen – tapped the empathy of good samaritans and raised Rs 3.5 lakh through crowdfunding with the help of The Tiny Seed, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
"I was thinking of ways to help people who were not as fortunate as many of us, during this time. Later, we decided to concentrate on helping families of schoolchildren who are affected by the lockdown," says Malaika.
They figured out that the daily-wage labourers were struggling to buy essential items.
"With the help of The Tiny Seed, we were able to set up a fund. We raised money for students in three schools in Kumarakom, Olassa and Chengalam," she said.
The Tiny Seed helped the Class XII children collect money and buy kits for the families of kids studying in government schools.
The kit includes oil, salt, spices, lentils, soap, washing powder and other essential items.
Most of these items are not available via ration shops or government schemes.
"As the families came in to collect their kits, I saw the happiness on their faces and I was happy that we did our part to help them out. We also heard difficulties many families had faced during the lockdown. That was an eye-opener for all of us," says Reba Phillip.
The group of schoolchildren is not resting. They intend to collect more funds to help families hit by the prolonged lockdown.
The Tiny Seed supports schools that cater to those who cannot afford private school education. It operates as a donation platform, channelling funds and resources from donors for the specific requirements of needy and deserving schools.
Those interested can donate an essential kit by paying Rs 400 at https://pages.razorpay.com/pl_EdAFwJqWJlUNTy/view
