The idea of Meraki was born when Ansruta had just finished a painting. As she was looking at her finished work, she realized that she could do this beautiful artwork because she had a great teacher, and parents who encouraged and supported her. But there were so many other children out there, who, due to unfortunate circumstances, never got the chance to experience the pleasures of creativity. So, she called on some of her friends to help her fix the problem.
The initiative is called MERAKI - this word essentially means passion. That is the aim of the initiative. We want to provide encouragement to underprivileged kids to pursue extracurriculars like art, dance, music, and theatre. Especially during COVID-19 time when everything seems dreary - this will be a mood-lifter plus will allow the kids to discover their talent.
Together with the friends and Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar, they identified a school called Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh (BGMS). They have about 300 children and this is located near the OLD-AIRPORT. Most of them have single parents or come from very poor families and 90% of them stay at BGMS (at the hostel).
These are the kind of students that will benefit from this initiative.
These students are very talented BUT do not have too many ways & means to express their creativity. Getting something as simple as an ART KIT is a pipe-dream for them. MERAKI will transform their lives as they will suddenly have the freedom to express themselves creatively. But it does not end with this - once COVID-19 restrictions are reduced we plan to also go and teach them about techniques, skills, and the science behind art and craft.
IT COSTS INR 1500 TO PROVIDE AN ART KIT TO ONE CHILD.
THE ART KIT
ABOUT ME
I am NISHANTH SENTHIL KUMAR, 15 years old & in Grade 10 at NPS, Bangalore
I love playing cricket and running. Around us, we see so much difficulty. Most of us feel sorry for them for that one second and forget about them the next. I want to make sure that they are not forgotten. They are also human like us and it is important that they also get the facilities that we all take for granted. Everyone needs to be heard. Everyone needs to have a chance.
With your support, I would like to help these children explore their creativity, there could be a Picasso in them that is waiting to have their first experience with colours & sketches.
COST SHEET
ABOUT BGMS
BGMS is located near the Old Airport in Bangalore. It's a school and home for children. Most of these children come from homes with single parents and some of them are orphans from in and around Bangalore. Most of these kids are in the 6-16 year age group and are studying in Grades 1 to 10. BGMS Shishukunj is an English Medium School. There are about 300 students in total, out of which 30 are day scholars. The balance students reside on the campus of which 80% are girls. Of the 250 + students who stay here, the government funds the stay & food for 300 students through a grant (These students still need to take care of their education and food/medical care, etc).
LOCATION MAP
ABOUT ROTARY BANGALORE INDIRANAGAR
Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar is part of RI District 3190.
It is a 140-member-club, with members from diverse communities and regions. It's engaged in various community service projects which include projects around health, infrastructure, water conservation, education. It's a model Rotary Club and we are very proud of the partners we have and the impact we have made. They have done massive relief work during COVID-19 and this initiative is one more being done during the pandemic period.
Some of their other initiatives include:
- Water Wheel initiative.
- Karunashraya - Hospice for advanced cancer patients.
- Pediatric Heart surgeries: We do over 300 annually.
- Eye Care Hospitals at Kolar & Tumkur: Over 5000 cataract surgeries done annually.
- We have 8 adopted schools.
- BGMS - We support the stay and school for 300 underprivileged children.
- Vocational Training on Computer course, Retail, and Banking to deserving candidates from financially poor homes.
- Pediatric Cancer Treatment at Kidwai Hospital.
- Vidya Daan - Scholarships to 500 needy students annually.
- Many Anganwadis restored.
- Lake revival schemes
TAX BENEFITS
Funding to this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar is registered & you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT Act. Foreign funding is accepted.
FEEDBACK THAT YOU GET
To ensure that there is complete transparency I shall get a report from Rotary ( this takes between 3 to 6 months usually after the funds are raised & transferred to them) telling me who benefitted from the funding. The details will then be posted on the UPDATES section of my campaign and will be in a format like the one below. As soon as I post an update, the platform will send an EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e to you. Click on the link on the email and you can read about how your funds were used.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of the child who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to ROTARY BANGALORE INDIRANAGAR. It will take from 30-60 days after that to get details of how the funds were utilized.. Once I get this information from the team at ROTARY, I shall upload this to the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert & can read details about the beneficiary.
When do I get the receipts?
It takes a week after the campaign is closed for the monies to be transferred. The receipts will start getting processed about 2 to 3 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept & is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream is a crowdfunding site and platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations & ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding. When you fund a charity it’s more like a donation & you get small innovative rewards like a shout-out on a FB page or a thank you email from the beneficiaries.
