About Me
I am Shahzad Barodawala - Entrepreneur, Independent Web & Graphic Design Professional, Environmentalist & Philanthropist.
I am supporting Goonj.. (a voice, an effort) St. Jude's Child Care Centres (a place of hope for children undergoing treatment for cancer) & Seva Sahyog Foundation (celebrating humanity).
All 3 of the selected participating NGOs are working for causes very close to my heart. They are doing good work and they have my wholehearted support as always.
"Doing good is a collective responsibility and we all truly want to live in a better world" ~ Anshu Gupta, Founder Goonj..
Appeal
The key issue with the education sector of India is the enormous inequality in the quality of learning environments which results in massive inequality of opportunities. Scores of children leave schools for unimaginable reasons like lack of notebook, pencil, water bottle or inability of parents to pay the recurring expense of stationery which are abundantly available in urban schools. There is also a major disconnect amongst city kids in understanding rural India and its problems which results in them discarding a lot of under-utilized learning material. The children in these 2 years of COVID-19 have also experienced severe disruption in their education. Moreover, the economic backwardness leading from recurring natural disasters in the last 2-3 years has compounded their problems. The communities by the time they stand up on their feet, are hit by the next disaster. Post-disaster the entire focus is on the relief of the families while long-term rehabilitation issues of education along with livelihood remain ignored. The children belonging to families who are reeling under acute material poverty have immense material gaps in terms of need-based stationery, bags, etc. Similarly, the formal and informal centres of learning such as schools, Anganwadi, etc. need infrastructural support such as fencing, kitchen gardens, ground levelling, clean toilets, etc.
For the past 25 years, GOONJ has been working to build dignified-sustainable relationships between cities and villages using urban surplus material. We believe that cloth and dignity represent deeper human needs that are often ignored. Cities have plenty of resources, while rural communities offer wisdom, hard work, and potential. Together, these can be used to solve big challenges.
We’ve set up a barter system where surplus materials from cities and the knowledge of rural communities are exchanged like currencies. This enables us to tackle different issues with a dignity-driven approach. Our work encourages people to give mindfully and share responsibility for solving societal challenges as equal partners.
Through the initiative, school supplies are packaged into School Kits, which include items like school bags, water bottle covers, and sitting mats—handmade from old, unusable materials like oversized jeans. Additional items like stationery, notebooks, water bottles, and lunch boxes are added based on availability. These kits are given to students as rewards for participating in activities such as creating kitchen gardens, improving sanitation, and engaging in other social projects. These efforts inspire young minds to take charge and create positive change in their schools and communities.
How You Can Help
We are raising funds to dispatch 5,000 school kits, with each kit estimated around Rs. 500/- including logistics to deliver them to remote rural schools. Our goal is to raise Rs. 25 lakhs to make this happen.
Your support goes beyond just monetary contribution— it’s a step toward a more sustainable, equitable future. Together, we can bridge the learning gap and make a lasting difference for children in rural India.
Join us in making a difference—one school kit, one step at a time..
Goonj.. : Goonj`s award-winning School to School initiative is addressing the educational needs of thousands of remote and resource-starved village/slum schools by channelizing under-utilised material of the city`s affluent schools not as material to distribute but as a tool to bring about comprehensive behaviour change in both the recipients as well as the contributors. School to School builds a relationship of empathy and dignity between urban and rural children, on two opposite sides of a big divide of resources and opportunities. Urban children learn to value their abundant resources as they become more aware of another India. Rural children learn about achievement as Goonj's school material brings together all stakeholders; teachers, parents and the village community.
St. Jude's ChildCare Centres:
I am inspired by the work at St. Jude India ChildCare Centres and deeply involved with St. Judes for more than a year now. St. Jude India ChildCare Centres is a "home-away-from-home" for needy families with children under treatment for cancer. St. Jude's™ mission is to provide clean, safe and free-of-cost accommodation to children (and their accompanying parents) who are undergoing treatment for chronic diseases like cancer in Mumbai and other cities and facilitate their recovery. The beneficiaries are young cancer afflicted children from lower-income communities and middle-income communities coming from remote villages and towns. Poor farmers, unskilled laborers, daily wagers with meager earnings form a major part of the beneficiaries.
Seva Sahayog Foundation:
At the fore, Seva Sahayog Foundation has been predominantly working on Education, Empowerment, and Environment sectors at individual, Institutional, and Community levels. Their mission is to build a network of socially conscious people within India and around the world which will be a pool of resources with financial strength, knowledge, commitment and an aim to impact 3 million lives by 2030. Today they have an outreach of 600 thousand plus beneficiaries spread across 27 districts of Maharashtra with a strong engagement in 700 schools, and 190 communities.
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