Daan Utsav 2019: 10 Ways To Volunteer
Ready to Daan Your Time and experience the joy in giving? Here are 10 simple events you can volunteer in, this #DaanUtsav, across various locations in India.
Helpage India And iVolunteer
What: ‘Nostalgia - a 100 stories’ invites people across the country to spend three hours with an elderly person and document their happiest memories from their childhood, youth, school or college days. The elderly person can be someone in your neighbourhood, an elderly security guard, an alms seeker, someone in a senior centre or old age home. Volunteers are required to document the life of the elderly person but focus on memories that are joyous – best friends from school, favourite past time, first love, siblings, life in their home town, favourite movie, film star. These will be compiled and shared. A template is available for those interested.
When: Oct. 2-8
Where: Anywhere in India
How: E-mail aarti@ivolunteer.org.in
Abhyudaya
What: As part of #GivingTuesdayIndia, this DaanUtsav, volunteers can participate in Educational Charts Making Workshop at Konanakunte. Volunteers will prepare educational charts on various subjects, like history, physics, GK, culture, sports, etc. These charts will be distributed for free to 83 leaning centres across Bengaluru.
When: Oct. 8, 6-7 pm
Where: Bengaluru
How: Call Paneendra at 9880784082
Bakul Foundation
What: ‘Paint the City’ is mobilising the public including artists, writers, academics, civil servants, sportspersons, politicians, actors and celebrities to participate in painting a public wall in Bhubaneswar, between Forum Mall and Bakul Library, Satyanagar.
When: Oct. 2, 8 am to 5 pm
Where: Bhubaneswar
How: Call Sujit at 9937052417 or e-mail at sujit15@gmail.com
Achyutant Trust
What: A charity football tournament for women, followed by a cultural event at Lakshmisagar High School, Jharpada and distribution of toys, clothes and other materials. Volunteers to help co-ordinate on the event day.
When: Oct. 8, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: Bhubaneswar
How: Call Roma at 9861722268 or e-mail radevibes.roma@gmail.com
Books For All
What: Volunteers as individuals or teams participate in the BooksForAll DaanUtsav Challenge 2019 by volunteering at book donation stalls at Delhi Metro stations and/or fundraising stalls at Indian Oil Petrol Pumps. During the challenge, volunteers shall run the donation stall, answer queries of commuters, and encourage people to contribute for the cause. Requisite training, orientation and support material shall be provided.
When: Oct. 2-8
Where: Delhi
How: Call Sankalp at 8095931444
GEPC
What: Gandhi Environmental Peace Festival #GEPF2019 at Pul Prahladpur Phase 1 DDA Park will start with a peace march to observe the 150th birth anniversary of Mahamta Gandhi and close with a Safai Abhiyan of the park. Other activities like plantation, yoga, blood donation camp, eye checkup camp, painting competition, Gandhi walk and more are planned parallel. The aim of the programme is to spread messages of Gandhi of non-violence, self-dependence, truthfulness, kindness and cleanliness in an attempt to awaken the consciousness of the citizens and build an inclusive society where the whole planet can thrive peacefully.
When: Oct 2, 7-11 am
Where: Delhi
How: E-mail gepc2050@gmail.com
Akanksha Axom
What: Anna Daan (food donation drives) in different places of Guwahati
When: Oct. 3
Where: Guwahati
How: Call Arup at 7399548836 or e-mail akankshaaxom@gmail.com
Prithvi Innovations
What: Sustainability Week celebrations involving plantation and river clean up. 100 volunteers are needed for the event.
When: Oct. 3, 9-11.30 am
Where: Lucknow
How: Call Anuradha at 9415009158 or e-mail prithviinovations@gmail.com
Goodwill Initiative And Bhumi
What: Dharavi Clean up Drive + Nukkad natak at Kamraj School, 90 feet road, Dharavi.
When: Oct. 2, 11 am
Where: Mumbai
How: Call Rashmi at 9830704898
Bhumi
What: ‘Seva Sandwich’ - volunteers get together to make sandwiches and distribute them to those in need at MKSSS Sanstha, Karvenagar, Pune.
When: Oct. 6, 7 am
Where: Pune
How: Call Hitesh at 9511813559
10 More Ways To Daan Your Time
1. Get the domestic help, guards and others in your area registered for government benefits, using a platform like Haqdarshak.com. This will help you learn just how difficult it can be for them to get the documents and benefits that we take for granted in our lives.
2. Clean up or beautify a park or wall near your home or office. You’ll get a first-hand view of why India has not yet become ‘swachh’, and what it will take for us to get there.
3. Find an NGO near your preferred location at guidestarindia.org or IamHere.mobi, reach out to them and explore how you can help- it will give you a chance to know more about a specific cause or organisation.
4. Assist a public servant for a day (at a traffic light, police station, govt hospital, etc.) in delivering public services. You’ll learn how difficult their job is and also how difficult the public finds it to avail of the services that are their rights in these places.
5. Organise a small collection and distribute materials to those who need it. You’ll learn how easy or difficult it is to mobilise support, our attitudes towards giving and how the poor respond to doles.
6. Visit platforms like Connectfor.org, iVolunteer.in or iChangeMyCity.com to find hundreds of other opportunities to volunteer. You’ll get to pick something that excites you and no matter what you do, there’s always something you learn from it.
7. Pick any of the ideas from this Smile Deck and just do it. These simple ideas give you an opportunity to experience kindness and discover the good in yourself.
8. Make and distribute sandwiches or other food to the hungry. Talk to them before you hand over the food and you’ll learn a lot about the daily challenges of the homeless people.
9. Spend a day doing someone else’s job- on Oct 2 or over the weekend; take over the job of a fruit seller, paanwala, house help or security guard or rickshaw driver or a daily wage labourer and do their entire shift for them. You’ll get a clear sense of how easy or difficult their day is, and whether what they earn are ‘fair wages’ or not.
10. Create and run a crowdfunding campaign for a cause you care about deeply. You’ll learn to get out of your comfort zone and do something most of us hate - ask others for money.
Venkat N Krishnan is principal trustee at the India Welfare Trust.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of BloombergQuint or its editorial team.