Dubai
In contemporary society, young people are too often dismissed as uncaring or unaware of their immediate surroundings. General discourse tends to brand the youth as oblivious to the suffering of others - a generation obsessed with taking ‘selfies’ and struggling to keep up with the ever-growing Kardashian clan. However, consistent philanthropic endeavours of young people aged 18 to 24 living in the UAE continue to disprove this unfair stereotype of the Millenial generation.
One UAE resident has done just that. Mohammad Mustafa, 25, established the charity Drikshya last year along with 10 other co-founders, all of whom are aged 18 to 24. Based in Dubai, Drikshya works with underprivileged youth in India, the majority of whom are orphans.
Amidst the Information Revolution, knowledge of current affairs has become increasingly inescapable. In the past, if we felt overwhelmed by the constant headlines saturated with death, war and suffering, we could simply change the channel on the television, put down the newspaper or turn off the radio.
However, now, even a simple scroll through Facebook or Twitter could reveal a graphic image of a war victim, or an appeal to end poverty in Third-world countries. A routine Google search might expose a news story on a current epidemic in the world that is claiming thousands of victims. Email inboxes are overflowing with online petitions to enforce various human rights around the world.
In essence, before the explosion of social media, we were able to successfully bury our heads in the sand. If ignorance is bliss, bliss used to be a realistic, attainable virtue; this is no longer the case. In the 21st century, our consciences are challenged relentlessly.
As a result of this inexorable exposure through a medium that they own, the Millenials are far more inclined to offer aid and support than previous generations. Increasing numbers of young people are volunteering their services for charity. Some are even establishing their own charities to combat the specific issues that they deem problematic.
“We aim to support them [orphans] in every aspect possible, from their education to health care to building their self-worth and confidence,” Mustafa said.
Drikshya, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘vision’ or ‘direction’, places children in schools in India that are reputable and have strong teaching facilities.
One of the primary initiatives of Drikshya is the ‘Together we Teach’ program. Mustafa explained: “Our ‘Together we Teach’ program is a 12-year-long endeavour.” It offers donors the opportunity to sponsor a child’s education in India for the price of Dh1,750 to 2,200 each year. This cost includes the child’s “tuition, books, stationery, uniforms, transportation and other basic needs”.
As a cheaper alternative to the ‘Together we Teach’ program, Dhriksya also offers the ‘Surprise for Smiles’ scheme. Through ‘Surprise for Smiles’, a donor can give a small gift for a child in India; it can be anything ranging from a schoolbag to a toy. Drikshya then buys the item in India and surprises the child with the gift.
A third opportunity for donors is the ‘Feed a Friend’ option, in which donors can buy food packages for orphans. The Drikshya team usually visit an orphanage a day or two in advance to ask what the children would like to eat. “The general requests are for fruit or biryani,” said Mustafa.
The Drikshya team currently consists of around 900 members, the majority of which are university students. However, due to issues such as funding and procedure, “developments have slowed down”, Mustafa informed Gulf News.
— The writer is an intern with the International Section at Gulf News.