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Stephanians initiate fundraiser to help fellow DU students beat financial distress
Some students of St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, have initiated a funding campaign to support existing as well as new students in the varsity, who are reportedly facing financial crunch to pursue virtual education in the pandemic era.
Recently when Aishwarya Reddy, a student of Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), died by suicide due to financial crisis, and the news reached a group of students from St Stephen’s College, it shook them like most others. But, the young guns decided to not let another fellow student fall prey to the many difficulties that they have been facing since the pandemic challenged their education and future prospects. Wanting to help peers who may be facing a similar crunch of resources, 25-30 students of St Stephen’s have initiated a fundraiser to support old as well as new students in the university, with their fees, mobile data packs, essential technological devices and study material.
Evita Rodrigues, a final year student pursuing BA, who is one of the organisers of the fundraiser, says, “Shortly after we heard of Aishwarya’s death, a few of us started collecting funds. We came to learn that most of the smaller colleges have almost no support mechanism, be it for concessions or scholarships. And in absence of a significant alumni base, no funds are being raised either. We then expanded the team to bring in more students from our college, and put out an online form to collect details of students (beneficiaries) and potential donors. Some students have come forward to support their peers with internet data pack requests, but we certainly need more help.”
“My father is a security guard, with an income of ₹9,000 per month. I needed around ₹13,000 for my college fee, which I received from the donors after I filled the form. I’m extremely thankful to the students at St Stephen’s who helped me else I might not have been able to continue my studies,” says Khemchand, a final year student at Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, is one of the students who received financial aid through this initiative.
Through the form, available on internet, the collected money goes straight from the donor to the beneficiary via bank details provided directly to the donors. The students carefully whet the background of all who are seeking help, through their college ID cards, fee receipts and income certificates. And it’s through this initiative that devices such as laptops and smartphones are also being arranged for students who need them. “The need is quite urgent, especially since DU exams happen next month, and it’s quite challenging to attempt practicals, arrange readings etc on a small smartphone. We have requests from visually impaired students as well, which we are keeping on priority. It is hard to access online classes on outdated phones, so we are trying to arrange for donations of devices,” says Susan Maria Mathew, a second year student at St Stephen’s.
This group has so far managed to provide necessary devices to about 20 DU students. Prachi Jain, a resident of Aligarh, who recently got admission in Shyam Lal College, says she didn’t have a smartphone until the students who are part of this initiative helped her get one. “We had one phone in the house, and my sister also needed it for her classes. So I put in a request for a phone, simply because I need to pursue my classes. I also need a laptop to give my exams, but for now I’m happy that I won’t miss out on my studies,” says Jain, adding that she is grateful for this help from her peers.
Author tweets @bhagat_mallika
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