As part of the week, we also thought of
giving back to our environment by planting
trees. We got the kids of Zari to plant
close to 40 saplings, so that they also cultivate a sense of environmental protection
and take such initiatives themselves in
future. Mr. Imran, a senior member of the
maintenance unit on campus, and Mrs
Alka Damle, member of the Jagrut Nagrik
Manch and a noted social activist, based in
Vasco, helped us in arranging for saplings,
mud, bricks and labour in order to carry
out a successful tree plantation.
Another initiative was taken to involve the community with us and our work. We got the people together and painted a wall inside the
temple complex in Zari. It proved to be a very successful way of working with the community to achieve something constructive. We
also wrote slogans on the finished wall, emphasising the importance of education and cleanliness. The kids of Zari were all excited to get
atop the ladders, splash the paint on the wall, and were the happiest of the lot when the wall was finished. It was a very colourful experience.
A massive Cloth Collection Drive was conducted by
Nirmaan Organization — Goa chapter, across the
state of Goa. Clothes in usable condition
were collected from the campus residents and from
various schools and corporates across Goa.
An
impressive
total
of
3.5
tonnes
of cloth was collected through this initiative. 7
schools and 3 corporates also supported this initiative and collected a total of 1.5 tonnes of clothes.
SESA Goa, the travel sponsors for the event, also collected and donated around 1 tonne of clothing.
In our campus, cartons were placed in the common
rooms of all 14 hostels throughout the week where
students could donat e their old clothes and books.
Even the faculty members enthusiastically participated in the drive and donated various items such as
stationery and toys, so that they could go to those
who are in need of these things. Clothes collected for
children were sent to Goa Welfare Charitable Trust
and the rest of the proceeds were given to GOONJ
Organisation, which has expertise in processing and
distributing the clothing through its universally appreciated
"Cloth
for
Work"
programme.
It was a highly successful event well managed by all
the volunteers. Even the faculty members appreciated the exemplary job done by the organizing team.
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