Amidst the pandemic, FLAME University’s S.A.C.T. (Support A Cause Team), a student-led initiative concluded a crowdfunding campaign to raise over INR 14 lakhs in support for education of rural underprivileged children in Parli, one of the most backward tribal belts inRaigad District of Maharashtra. Due to the closure of schools during the pandemic, young children in the region are beingmade to work in neighbouring breweries. The situation of girlsthere is unfortunate as their education is largely neglected and they are married off at a very young age.
The students of FLAME University came forward to support Shree Raj Educational Centre, an NGO working towards children’s education to organise a crowdfunding campaign along with Fueladream, a crowdfunding platform to raise funds for children. The campaign lasted for 25 days and had 40 participants. The team had a goal of raising INR 10,80,000 and concluded by raising INR 14,42,208. The funds collected through this campaign will be used towards providing meals, education, uniforms, stationery, transport, e-learning, computer training, sports, health check-ups, etc. for the underprivileged students.
Dishan Kamdar, Vice Chancellor, FLAME University, said “We are proud that our students have displayed exemplary social responsiveness and an entrepreneurial spirit to make a difference to the lives of the underprivileged children from Parli, which will really support them in these challenging times. FLAME University emphasizes on creating opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom. Our students work on several community engagement initiatives that give them a close understanding and exposure to the social and economic reality of the country. Our aspiration and goal is to groom them into responsible and empathetic citizens who will contribute to the larger good in the future.’’
Aahana Nair, a student at FLAME University and a member of S.A.C.T. said, “I think that every child deserves an education and a better life. It has been very fulfilling to have been able to successfully crowdfund finances that will go towards over 1,000 children in their educational journey.”
Arun Ravi, a student at FLAME University and a member of S.A.C.T added,“This campaign has taught me a lot and I am glad to have been a part of this initiative. I thank FLAME University and my team members for giving me this opportunity to help students to study further.”
Last year S.A.C.T. raised INR 15.8 lakhs to support 632 rural women by providing ‘Water Wheels’, a modern and convenient counterpart to earthen pots, almost a small 45 litre tank on wheels. This was a highly impactful initiative that allowed them to carry a large volume of water with minimal effort which helped in saving time, energy and was a total game-changer in rural areas.
S.A.C.T.’s core mission is to undertake large scale social activities that help impact the masses.
