KOTTAYAM: With COVID-19 forcing the nation to go into lockdown mode, many families, especially those of daily wage earners, are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Realising this, a group of Class XII students of Pallikoodam School in Kottayam and The Tiny Seed, an NGO, have come together to help around 800 families of daily wage labourers who have been left jobless by the pandemic.
The Class XII students – Malaika Mammen Mathew, Ajar Ajay Srivastava, Janani Anna Babu, P Gauri Menon, Dhanya Sony, Reba Phillip, Aditya Kurien Chacko and Punnoose Punnen – connected with good samaritans from across the country and raised around Rs 4 lakh. The NGO helped them collect the funds and connect with the deserving families.
“I was thinking of ways to help people who were not as fortunate as many of us during this time. It was then that I and my friends decided to concentrate on helping families of schoolchildren who are affected by the lockdown,” said Malaika Mammen Mathew.
“We raised money for families of students in three schools in Kumarakom, Olassa and Chengalam in Kottayam,” she said. The group of students, along with the NGO, bought essential items and prepared kits for around 800 families whose kids are studying in government schools in these places.
They ensured that oil, salt, spices, lentils, soap, washing powder and other essential items which are not available via ration shops or government schemes were included in the kits.
Reba Phillip, one of the students, said, "The families told us about the difficulties they had to face following the lockdown. It was an eye-opener for all of us." The students have decided to continue their initiative so that they can help more families.
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.