“Growing up, history was my favourite subject amongst everything else. It instilled in me a sense of purpose and it made me a patriot early on in life. So I was nursing a burning feeling to get into volunteering early on in life so the very next day after my 12th exams, I looked up NGOs where in I could volunteer.
The very first entry in my search list was Chennai Social Service (CSS) and I enrolled there. What followed were some good years of volunteering where in I was made to learn social work on the job and also hold and conduct many unique campaigns like ‘SMS A SAPLING’.
Owing to certain interventions from life I took a break from active volunteering and was lured back in 2016. It was from a facebook post from the NGO Goonj that helped me make a foray once again. I enrolled in the Chennai office of Goonj and started actively volunteering there for collecting materials from different sources.
Goonj has an incredible story and their journey has been quite phenomenal over the years. Seeing the impact they have created on ground has been incredible to say the least. Being an active coordinator for Goonj Chennai office has helped me get a clear understanding of how our work impact villages and people fat removed from the urban landscape.
Earlier I used to collect materials from different sources and transport them in my car. But with time, word spread around and everyone started to approach me for donating materials. So we slowly moved to a Lynk truck and started sourcing materials for distribution. So far I have collected anywhere between 21,000 garments including 2100 sarees, footwear and many others. It’s amazing to know that people now associate me closely with this and I have made many others come forward to donate and make a difference here.
Making a difference in this world doesn’t need anything but a mindset to give back. Posting about this actively on different social platforms has helped people understand the importance of donating and in turn has spread awareness and also made a lot of people to come forward. I’m proud to be associated with this amazing NGO and I hope to continue this for many more years to come.”
#Service #Humanity