Young and keen to help Delhi’s have-nots

NEW DELHI - They are mostly in their 20s and still in college, but building a career is not their only goal. Two initiatives started and funded entirely by youths have been working towards giving the have-nots of Delhi a better shot at life.

While the Come Together Foundation focusses on educating slum children, Neev - The Helping Hand is an NGO that aims to provide food to the homeless.

“Some 100 students, the majority of whom attend government schools, from kindergarten to Class 10, are being taught,” Murphy John, an English graduate who started the Come Together Foundation, told IANS.

It has been helping children living in the shanties around Connaught Place with their education for about two years - ever since he completed his own education. The volunteers focus on addressing the shortcomings of school lessons and for most of the students the tuitions are like an extended classroom session.

“You will find students of Class 6 or 7 who would not know how to multiply or divide. We teach such students,” is what John had to say about the kind of work his initiative is involved with.

Classes are held every evening in a slum area near the famous Bangla Sahib gurdwara. The instructors are mostly college students who wish to contribute something in their own little way to society.

“These people come and share their experiences and enlighten the children so they can have a better future,” John added.

The initiative has a core team of five, and some other youngsters who put in their efforts on a voluntary basis.

“Though there is no pay or incentive, we enjoy volunteering for such activities. It makes one feel responsible and of some worth for the country,” stated Jhanvi, a college student and a volunteer with the foundation.

Another such group is Neev - The Helping Hand, an NGO started by seven like-minded friends. It started functioning two months ago and has been working for the homeless near the Oberoi flyover in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi.

“We selected this area because it had a lot of homeless in concentrated numbers,” Justin Thomas, one of the seven initiators of the NGO, told IANS.

The group meets once a week - mostly on Sundays - to distribute food around the area. On an average, some 80 people are fed each Sunday, most of which are women and children.

Donations from the seven members pay for the food. “We pitch in with the money, but there is no assigned amount for anybody. The range could be anything from Rs.50 to Rs.500,” added Thomas.

A small food stall in the locality supports Neev by providing food for the needy.

The group looks at this activity as a stepping stone for building a rapport with people. “We want to rehabilitate them in the long run,” Thomas said about the goals of the organisation.

There are around 100,000 homeless who take refuge in 40 night shelters in Delhi. But there are many more who don’t even have the comfort of that.

“Such an activity makes one feel complete, and gives a sense of satisfaction that at least something is being done to help the underprivileged,” said Shantanu, a volunteer for Neev.

(Megha Mishra can be contacted at mishra.megha09@gmail.com)