An 11-year-old in India could no longer bear seeing the poor suffer amidst the lockdown due to coronavirus in the country, so she decided to raise money. So far, the sixth grader has collected over Rs 940,000 (Dh 45,119).
Identified by her first name, Ridhi, raised money from various sources and belongs to Hyderabad in southern India's Telangana state.
According to a report by Asian News International (ANI), she used Milaap, an online crowdfunding platform, to support the poor affected by the lockdown.
The Milaap page she started is titled ‘Help the Underprivileged - COVID 19 crisis’ and she called the initiative ‘Care-ona’.
“Hi, my name is Ridhi. Last week I came up with a small initiative, which I called, Project: ’Care-ona’. This project helps daily wage workers who lost their jobs during the 21-day lockdown and do not have money to buy basic essentials they need.
So I raised money to buy 200 basic kits, but there are so many more out there without supplies. I have been getting more support from my friends and family and NGO TEA Cares Foundation [charitable organisation], so I would like to continue raising funds to support more people in need,’ a post she made on the website reads.
She also thanked the local police in her post and wrote: “A big thank you to the Cyberabad police for helping us identify people who are really in need and also helping us distribute the kits. I’m really glad that Project: ‘Care-ona’ is making a positive difference for the needy in this crisis. Thank you for your support.”
Reportedly, on April 2, the student donated 200 essential kits to the downtrodden with the help of Cyberabad Police.
According to ANI, Ridhi’s mother, Shilpa, explained what these kits include: “She first donated her pocket money and later distributed 200 kits to the poor which included - five kg of rice, one kg of dal, one kg of salt, packets of chili powder and turmeric powder, one kg of cooking oil and two soap bars.”
TEA Cares Foundation came forward to help her raise funds, procure supplies and help in packing, according to Telangana Today, an English newspaper in India.
Talking about how Ridhi decided to start the initiative, Shilpa told ANI: “When the lockdown was announced, my daughter was worried about fulfilling her own needs for the coming days. But, after watching the news about the sufferings of the poor, she was moved. Later, she thought of supplying basic essential kits to the poor.”
The youngster has distributed 725 kits to the people of Hyderabad and she plans to distribute 1,000 more kits in the coming days, ANI reported.
People have appreciated Ridhi for her efforts online. India’s vice president, M Venkaiah Naidu, @VPSecretariat, took to Twitter to praise her: “Happy to learn that a 11-year-old Hyderabad girl, Ms. Ridhi has raised 6. 2 lakhs through crowd funding to provide food to the needy and less fortunate during the lockdown. Her action is laudable and symbolises India’s core philosophy of share and care.”
Tweep @GovindarajanV10 wrote: Please join me in clapping for this little girl. Humanity lives in India.”
