A small campaign to provide notebooks to orphans and underprivileged students of various government schools in Karimnagar town, the ‘back to school bucket challenge’ is gaining popularity among philanthropists, with several of them coming forward to contribute to the noble cause.
Munipally Phanitha, president of Sri Seva Margh, a voluntary organisation, got the idea of providing notebooks and other stationery to underprivileged children after she visited an orphanage in Karimnagar town recently, where the children said the State government was supplying textbooks to the school but not notebooks.
Seeking inspiration
Inspired by the ‘rice bucket challenge’ launched a few years ago to help the poor by providing a bucket full of rice, Ms. Phanitha started the ‘back to school bucket challenge’ and invited her Facebook and WhatsApp friends to come forward by donating books and stationery to government school students.
There was overwhelming response to the campaign, and Ms. Phanitha collected two buckets full of pens, pencils, covers, crayons, erasers, and sharpeners, and donated the same to the residents of Neo Helping Hands orphanage in the town.
As the campaign spread and reached Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha, she was called to meet the MP in Hyderabad and discuss how to intensify the campaign through Telangana Jagruthi. After the meeting, Ms. Phanitha decided to provide such kits under the name of the Ms. Kavitha in June when schools reopen.
Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, Ms. Phanitha said that her campaign evoked good response with a cross section of people coming forward to donate the material. Karimnagar legislator G. Kamalakar had also come forward and assured to donate notebooks to underprivileged students of government schools.
Children join in too
She said her two children studying in Irish World School in Karimnagar town launched the campaign in their school and collected notebooks and stationery to be distributed to government school students. “My aim is to see that orphans and poor children study without any difficulties,” she said.
