Make A Difference to recruit volunteers

They are young, energetic and bubbling with enthusiasm. In their eagerness to make a difference in the lives of people less privileged than them, they chose to break away from the lot and floated ‘Make A Difference’ (MAD), a service organisation catering to the needs of schoolchildren in government-run schools.

Realising that incessant cribbing about lack of facilities, poverty-induced frustration and the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots will not serve any purpose, the 60-odd college students embarked on a unique educational drive which aims at equipping children in selected State-run schools with good English communication skills. The inmates of homes run by local NGOs like Child Aid Foundation at Patamata and Navajeevan Bal Bhavan at Pezzonipet have been the beneficiaries of their generous move in the last few years. The young volunteers of MAD plan to spread their wings by bringing under their fold three additional centres in the city. The recruitment of volunteers is a serious business wherein the new recruits undergo a well-chalked out training programme to be able to teach children. Spending at least two hours of their weekend, teaching a structured Cambridge University curriculum and conducting regular tests to keep track of the kids’ progress is mandatory. “All of us are committed to the cause we have taken up and the progress is there for everyone to see,” says Abhishek K, a volunteer of MAD. For Bhanu Potluri, another ‘Madster’ as the volunteers call themselves, it has been a learning experience. “In the process of teaching the kids, I have learnt so much. I was an introvert but participation in this drive has helped me open up, ” she says. The volunteers also raise funds to buy textbooks for kids. “We go beyond teaching. A recent event organised by us evoked good response, something I could not have done all alone,” says Nikki Sahni, a teaching volunteer at Navjeevan Bal Bhavan. The Vijayawada chapter of MAD is looking for enrolment of volunteers for the new academic year. The recruitment drive will take place at Powermech Infra beside Manya showroom on Mahatma Gandhi Road at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Students interested in enrolling names must visit or SMS IMAD space Name, Email, City to 09220092200. For further details call 8125750470.