13. Joy run to start giving

Jamshedpur, Sept. 26 (The Telegraph): The much-talked-about Joy of Giving Week whizzed off to a high-adrenaline start in the steel city, as XLRI director E. Abraham flagged off a bike rally to announce its launch.

But the bikers — all students of XLRI — not only created awareness about the Week, they also distributed clothes and sweets on the way, finally stopping at Nirmal Hriday, the old-age home at Baradwari.

The Joy of Giving Week aims to bring together Indians across the country and abroad through acts of giving — money, time, skills or resources. Launched in 2009 by Mumbai-based NGO GiveIndia, it involved corporate houses, schools, colleges, the media, celebrities and NGOs to engage in various activities to help people. In Jamshedpur, XLRI has taken the reins of the week the second consecutive time.

Apart from the bike rally, the inaugural day of the weeklong social responsibility programme saw a busy day. Rural women’s self-help groups were trained on basic accounting skills at city NGO Kalamandir.

XLRI students involved around 10 schools to take up social causes by participating in a Design for Change contest. The contest, which invites young minds to brainstorm on social problems and come up with innovative solutions, saw six schools under the Kerala Public Trust, DBMS School, Gulmohar High School, Valley High School and JH Tarapore School submitting 25 project proposals on social problems that the schoolchildren planned to tackle. A 19-member jury will judge these proposals and those that make it to the top 100 proposals across India will get funding from a sponsor to continue the project.

Last year, projects by Kerala Public School Mango, Gamharia and NML made it to the top 100 list.

“We are required to pick up a problem, design a solution, implement it and share it with others. The schools are working on a number of problems. The projects would be implemented preferably this week. Last year, we got Rs 15,000 to continue three of our projects,” said Vijayam Kartha, director, Kerala Public School Trust.

This year, KPS (NML) will recycle collected solid waste and plastic bottles. A few rag pickers will also be trained . Students from KPS Mango will motivate shopkeepers to keep their area free of waste, especially plastic, as part of their Clean Mango, Green Mango initiative.

Jusco School, South Park, will adopt and rejuvenate a nursery school to educate underprivileged children of Kadma’s Bagan Area.

In the pipeline are Vastra Samman and Ann-Daan, in which about 30 schools, Rotary Club, Tata Group companies and community organisations will participate.

The B-School has already conducted a health camp at the Dumri Tola basti, Haludowali, organised in association with the NGO, Suryodaya National Social Welfare and Educational Academy, and provided free check-up and basic medicines to about 220 people. A nukkad natak was also performed at the Beldih Club yesterday.