THE BACKGROUND:

School-going children in many government schools are greatly disadvantaged when they go to school. They walk long distances bare feet, they do not have a proper school bag, and they sit on the floor. All this leads to poor attendance, health issues and a lack of interest in studies (as their sitting posture itself is very uncomfortable).

THE SOLUTION:

The NGO- Greensole has developed a wonderful back-to-school kit that consists of:- 

1. Footwear (No more barefoot walking)

2. Cloth Mask(Protection against the pandemic)

3. Study Mat(Makes it comfortable to sit at school for long hours)

4. School Bags (Ergonomically designed and colourful)

In addition, all these items are made from recycled material. For example, old footwear (which would be burnt or thrown into a landfill) is turned into new footwear. That is environmentally friendly. Greensole also provides employment to women in their manufacturing unit.

Pic shows the items that will be included in the back-to-school kit.

The kit makes a BIG impact on rural students.

Pic shows students with the contents of the back-to-school kit.

The back-to-school kit contains a pair of recycled footwear, a soft study mat to sit comfortably on the bare ground and attend classes, a school bag to carry all their books and stationery and a cloth mask. This dramatically changed a student's attitude to school and studies. It improves attendance, focuses at school and helps them fall in love with education. It also eliminates both foot-related diseases and improves the child's posture, decreases strain on the eyes and reduces stress on the neck and back.

UPCYCLED ITEMS

Upcycling refers to using end-of-life materials to make a new product with added value. That is to say, we re-use a product that is no longer used, or that can no longer be used, and turn it into a useful product.

This type of recycling has a positive impact on the environment since it defers and reduces the amount of waste in a landfill. In addition, the material is not processed like in downcycling, instead, it is cut, folded, moulded, etc. into a new product. 

EACH BACK-TO-SCHOOL KIT COSTS JUST INR 900.

WHAT GOES INTO THE KIT

CASE STUDY

PREVIOUS DISTRIBUTION

Pic shows the distribution of Back-To-School kits in a school in rural Telangana with Greensole.

ABOUT ME

My name is KABIR BACHWANI. I am 15 years old and a Grade 10 student at Bombay Scottish School, Powai.

I have undertaken this campaign because I believe one's educational environment has a substantial effect on one's growth, and these school kits will improve these children's education while remaining climate-conscious.

This kit will greatly impact students in areas of rural Maharashtra, improving not only their lifestyle but also their health, attendance, and concentration at school. Each kit costs merely INR 900 and provides a student with a unique school bag to keep their books, a pair of footwear to walk to school, and a study mat to sit comfortably (all upcycled!) along with a cloth mask to keep them protected from the pandemic. A small donation from you will significantly improve the life of a student in rural Maharashtra. With just INR 4500 for example, you could transform the lives of 5 students!

Sitting on the floor for long periods of time leads to 9 in 10 students facing posture-related issues. It also indirectly impacts their eyesight and their ability to concentrate while studying. Lack of proper footwear or any footwear at all results in foot-related diseases and other health issues.

With the help of GreenSole, you can contribute to solving these problems while remaining environment-friendly. Instead of buying new supplies for the kits, they recycle materials from old shoes and clothes dumped in landfills. These items of clothing that would otherwise be harming the environment for decades to come are instead repurposed into completely different articles.

But above all, the kit gifts them joy and relief. These students will be over the moon to see the new, helpful things you have given them. I urge you to support my campaign so that together we can make a difference and share in the happiness of these fellow students.

OUR PARTNER

Greensole Origins :

As athletes, the founders of Greensole, Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami ran hundreds of kilometres every year. They also ran through at least 3 to 4 pairs of sports shoes every year. The soles were in good condition but the shoe sides tore within months. The duo always wondered if they could find some use for the intact soles of these quality sports shoes. A bit of research led to the idea of refurbishing them into trendy slippers. That brainwave eventually spawned an eco-friendly enterprise that reuses shoe soles and is appropriately named Greensole. Greensole used to previously only recycle shoes but now they also give back-to-school kits to rural students which include upcycled footwear, masks, study mats and school bags.

MAP SHOWING AREAS WHERE RURAL STUDENTS WILL BENEFIT:

The distribution will take place in schools across Maharashtra. Greensole is located in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

AREAS FOR DISTRIBUTION 

TAX BENEFITS:

Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as the NGO, Greensole is a registered trust and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Foreign funding is NOT accepted.

FEEDBACK THAT YOU GET

To ensure that there is complete transparency I shall get a report from the NGO (this takes between 1 to 3 months usually after the funds are raised and transferred to them) telling me who benefitted from the funding. The details will then be posted on the UPDATES section of my campaign. 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 who benefitted. That's transparent right.

The below image is an example of the FEEDBACK FORMAT that will be shared.