Kozhikode: When the days are dark and rainy, a swarm of fireflies can pool in light. In flood-ravaged Kerala, a socially committed collective has come to the rescue of their mates and juniors by mobilising and coordinating manpower to get the flood-affected kids back to school.
Several home-makers, students and non-resident Malayalis have pitched in with a helping hand to those children who lost their school books in the recent flood.
When the water rushed in and families fled for life, precious books and all the effort put in to make those extensive notes were irretrievably lost.
When all of Kerala readied to rebuild itself, a group of youngsters took it upon themselves to ensure the affected kids get back to school well in time.
Seeking help from those who have been looking for ways to contribute personally to the flood-hit, they kick-started the 'Notebook campaign.' Several people, from home and abroad, came forward to copy the notes in their own hand for the children.
'Team Incubation,' a Kozhikode-based NGO which launched the project, has set up collection centres in all 14 districts where such books can be deposited.
“Since writing in English was easier, notes in English were completed soon. Now we need notes in Malayalam for children studying in class 6-10 in schools following the Kerala state syllabus.
“All those who are interested, may please send a WhatsApp message to 9037030301, and you will be sent the notes in PDF format. Those who are interested can copy the notes by August 26.
“On Monday or Tuesday, drop these books at the collection camps or courier them directly to the camps. If you are not able to reach the collection camps, you can also hand over the copies to the volunteers, who will collect from you,” says Adhil Aboobacker, an engineering student at Kottayam who is also a coordinator of the programme.
The books are in high demand and any one can volunteer for any number of books, he said.
“Even if a person manages to complete one book, that would be great,” says Adhil. Some students, who are National Service Scheme volunteers in the Government Engineering college, Kannur, conducted mass writing camps at a government school at Peralassery. Here the PDF documents were displayed on large projection boards and were copied on to the notebooks by the volunteers.
Students and home-makers from Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi contributed hand-written notebooks in English.
After pooling at the respective camps, the books would be distributed in the relief camps according to the perceived requirement.
The team is also planning to liaison with government agencies in the distribution if need be.
“Many ask why can't we xerox the PDF pages or just provide extra notebooks. This campaign is the contribution made by those people who really wanted to contribute in a personal way. Many had constraints or were unavailable physically. This is a very earnest way they are contributing” said Adhil.
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