Greenwood High students conduct crowdfunding to support daily wage workers during the COVID-19 crisis
Bangalore: The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a vast impact on the people of this country and in such times, few of the most valued commodities become food and medication. In order to help those who are suffering during this crisis, Grade 11 students of Greenwood High IB have launched their own crowdfunding initiative. This initiative aims to collect funds for Habitat for Humanity, a NGO that is determined to provide essential kits to daily wage workers in this time of need. Moreover, they hope to explain the benefits of crowdfunding to everyone who would like to make a small contribution in this time of need.
Daily wage workers in India have been majorly affected by this crisis, Most of them unemployed now do not have access to proper sanitation and food, and the situation is only getting worse. Habitat for Humanity an NGO is providing essential kits to help support these unemployed workers. All the funds collected by the students will help them make more kits to help those in need.
“On hearing about the survival challenges being faced by minimum wage workers during this lockdown, I knew I had to do something. When I heard about a crowd-funding opportunity through school I took it up. Few things I learnt are that a cause close to one’s heart may not be so for others, so it takes a lot of perseverance and follow-up to get people to contribute. Also, it’s important to articulate why I feel so strongly about the cause otherwise why should someone support me?” said Aarush Bedi, a student involved in this initiative.
“Sitting at home all day during the lockdown I felt the need to contribute to society. I read about how the daily wage workers don’t have access to food, proper sanitation and medical equipment and when I was presented with an opportunity to help them, I knew I had to take it up. Crowdfunding allowed me to utilise my time at home to bring awareness about the crisis faced by these workers and help them in a small way. This experience enabled me to do my part regardless of how small it may be in helping those who need it.” ,said another Greenwood High student Rishi Shah.
“During this crisis, the utmost impact is upon the blue collar workers and the unemployed people. When I was introduced to this opportunity to raise funds for the daily wage workers, I agreed instantly and knew that this was the one way I would be able to make an impact and be of aid in such a situation. Through this crowdfunding experience, I understood how to truly persuade someone and make them believe in my cause. I tried to convey to all my donors the importance of this crowdfunding and the cause that I was working towards. Any small step closer to my goal was one large step towards the impact I wanted to make upon society” said Ira S Rasam, who was also involved in this initiative.
Ms. Niru Agarwal, Trustee, Greenwood High International School said: “I appreciate the students for taking up this initiative in this difficult period that we are all going through. This initiative will give an opportunity to lot of students to keep themselves meaningfully occupied during this phase and contribute to society.
Till date, the students have collectively raised more than 6.5 lakhs and aim to expand their campaigns further. Through the use of the popular crowdfunding platform, Ketto, the students aim to raise a much greater amount in the remaining time of their campaigns. The students have learned that crowdfunding is only a tool that can be used, but the main aspect of importance is having perseverance. Crowdfunding as a tool provides a chance to reach a wide audience in a short time as well as to easily assimilate gathered funds, but the key to raising funds is follow-ups and persuasion. The students of Greenwood High hope to encourage more young people to use this lockdown as an opportunity to make such differences in their communities.