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Pune-based NGOs help drought-hit victims overcome adversity
The students have had to face issues ranging from food, shelter , shelter and protection and education
Many city-based philanthropy groups have taken taken upon themselves to help students, especially children, from drought-affected parts of the state.
The students have had to face issues ranging from food, shelter , shelter and protection and education.
Realising the need to nourish such children, Ashok and Archana Deshwane started Snehwan, a home for children of marginalised and drought-affected farmers based in Bhosari. The husband wife duo are taking complete responsibility for 52 children whose parents (farmers) committed suicide due to drought and related reasons.
“I was working as an IT professional. I left the job and founded Snehwan, a non-governmental organisation in 2015. My aim is to educate the children of drought affected farmers,” said Ashok Deshmane.
Archana reveals that the 52 kids are between the age group of 6 and 17 years. “ Most of the kids have never been to school. A few have been to school just for the free midday meal,” said Archana.
Ashok and his team have been working hard to teach the children everything, starting from basic things. After four years, the students can now use computers, paint and practice yoga.They are also learning music, said Ashok.
“Seeing our work to reach out to deprives students, Dr Ravindra Kulkarni from Pimpri-Chinchwad donated two acres of land in Alandi to our organisation,” said Ashok.
Another such group is the Students Helping Hand, a students’ group, formed in 2018 which is providing two free meals to at least 600 students in the city from drought-affected parts of the state like Marathwada and Vidarbha. They are also providing hostel facilities at affordable rates.
In a bid to spread awareness about drought and related issues, Angholichi Goli – Bath Pill, a city-based youth group have been spreading awareness through paintings and dramatics.
“Water is one of the fundamental needs of all living beings. Though we have enough water on the planet, various factors have led to its scarcity, which inturn is leading to fatalities. To combat such circumstances, we need to develop a sense of responsibility towards the usage of water.We have been requesting people to skip a bath, if possible and use minimum water while bathing,” said Madhav Patil, founder of the group.
Recently, the group created awareness about the drought-affected areas by organising 50 exhibitions on the theme.
Tahaan (Thirst) is another non-governmental organisation, which is extending help to drought-affected villages.
“The groundwater level in many villages has gone down drastically, leaving the families with no water for even basic needs. So, many families are forced to migrate. We, on our part, supply free water tankers to affected villages. Till date, we have supplied 600 tankers. Now, we are involved in installing rain water harvesting unit at village level,” Ravina More, founder of Tahaan.