The start of the academic year is difficult for less-privileged children whose parents struggle to provide them with the required materials for school, such as books, stationery, bags, uniforms, and even fees. BREADS’ campaign “Santoshadindha Shalege”, meaning “happily to school”, was a means to mobilise funds and study materials for such children.
The National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of GITAM University came forward to associate with BREADS during this campaign with their own method of contribution. The NSS student volunteers collected both used and new notebooks, and stationery from their campus, and upscaled the used notebooks for children to use for rough notes.
On 8 June 2022, together with the staff of BREADS and its partner Lovedale Foundation, the student volunteers distributed 800 notebooks to more than 100 children living under poor conditions near the quarry areas in Bangalore. The students also engaged in various meaningful activities and games with the children. It was not just a joyful moment but also a platform for the more privileged children to learn first-hand about the struggles many children had to face to attain their right to education.
BREADS sincerely thanks the NSS unit and management of GITAM University, Lovedale Foundation, and all the other individual donors who generously contributed to ensuring that some children in need were supported to go to school in the new academic year.
