Jamshedpur, Dec. 12: Since its inception, XLRI one of the premier, private management institute in India, has been a strong proponent of working towards the �Greater Good�. The concept of considering not just one�s own interests, but also looking at the holistic interests of the society has been given utmost importance in the institute. Keeping up with this motto and with the spirit of giving, a group of 10 first year students from the Human Resource Management program came together with a vision of contributing towards the development of children with special learning needs in conjunction with an NGO called Jeevika.
Jeevika is a Jamshedpur based NGO for intellectually challenged people. This is the only NGO in India that rehabilitates such people through joyful and competitive sports.
They started by consistently visiting Jeevika located at Sonari in order to interact with the kids and find out the needs of the NGO from the staff members as well as the founder – Avtar Singh. In association with SIGMA, the social initiative group of XLRI, the students developed a multi-fold strategy in order to support the organization. Through their planning, persistence and perseverance, these students raised a sum of Rs 1,11,111 to support Jeevika in its operations for the upcoming year.
‘The funds raised will be used for buying sports shoes and equipment for the children, basic furniture for the school and the raw materials required for a year in order to make diyas, paper and cloth bags for organizational sustenance’, said a student of the group.
Apart from raising funds, the students also facilitated the setting up a stall for the sale of these eco-friendly items at XLRI during Ensemble-Valhalla, the flagship fest of XLRI. To aid Jeevika�s rehabilitation efforts, the group also organized a session for the kids with a Psychology graduate who taught them special exercises aimed at stimulation of the nervous system.
In the words of Neha Jagannath, one of the members of the group, �Spending time with these children was a transforming experience for each one of us � a learning that no formal curriculum could ever have substituted. The least we could do, is attempt to better their lives in whatever little way we could�. The students wish to continue their association with Jeevika and persistently support it in all its future endeavours.