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

1. Footwear (No more barefoot walking)

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

3. School Bag (Ergonomically designed and colourful)

These elements are made from recycled material. For example, the sole from old footwear (which would be burnt or thrown into a landfill) is turned into new footwear. Old clothes are used to make the bags and mats. This is very environmentally friendly. Greensole also provides employment to women at 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 and a school bag to carry all their books and stationery. 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 Yaashres Seal. I am 14 years old and in Grade 9A at the DPS International School, Gurgaon.

I have undertaken this campaign because I was overwhelmed to realize how privileged I am to be studying in a school like DPSI, with all the facilities needed to ensure that I have a proper education. From basic infrastructure like tables & chairs, to having the ability to wear the appropriate uniform and shoes to school & having the means to have my own school bag to carry all the books to school. At the same time, I was astonished and saddened to know that there are thousands of students in Haryana, from low-income households, who go to school without most of what we have easy access to.

The lack of these facilities can potentially result in multiple health issues in these students like posture-related problems, poor eyesight, foot related diseases etc. This also impacts these students' ability to concentrate and study.

The school kit that consists of a pair of recycled footwear, recycled study mat and a recycled school bag is minimally priced at INR 900, which is a very small amount to impact the quality of a student's study life. For example, a fund of INR 4500 for example and transform the lives of 5 students.

Please help contribute & support my campaign and let us together impact & curb the issues of health, school attendance, and grades of these fellow students. A small contribution can bring a huge smile on a child's face and can help boost their confidence. At the same time, this will help us contribute to the society at large.

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:

$

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.