“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” with this moto in their heads the students of UWSB headed to their second Social Excursion and Learning Trip to Jeevan Tirth NGO at Ranip, Ahmedabad on 13th March, 2023. With enthusiasm the students left the campus around 9.15 am and reached the location by 10:20 am. They were addressed by Mr. Raju who is the founder of the JeevanTirth-NGO, he is known for his contributions towards the society and he truly defines what a Social Entrepreneur is. In their operational office at Rama-pir-na-tekro,Raju Sir was accompanied by his team on and they elaborated their operations to the students to our. They were also felicitated by Prof. Pabitra Ranjan and Student coordinator with a Memento and a Token of Gratitude.
After this the students were taken to meet the slum kids there. Our students and slum kids enjoyed each other’s company so much that they already decided a future date to meet up. The kids were given a stationary kit which included pencil, eraser, ruler, sharpener, crayons, and a drawing paper. The kids were divided into groups and each group was attended by two to three students as a mentor and they drew a picture of their choice, the students also drew with the kids. They enjoyed their little moment together while enjoying snacks and refreshments distributed by the students. After drawing for a while everybody clicked videos and photos together while dancing and singing with the kids. With that the time flew by and it was time for the kids to leave for their afternoon school. We also distributed sweets to the kids see off them with a smile on their faces. But the learning didn’t stop here, the students divided themselves into group of 10 and explored the initiatives started by Jeevan Tirth for the women of the slum area.
Out of 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals Jeevan Tirth works on 5SDG’s-related to health,employment,poverty alleviation, wellbeing etc. They have their own banks which works similarly as a normal banking system. The women are given loans at lower interest rates like 1% to 2%, and Principal amount up to 1 lakh. They are encouraged to save Rs. 200 every month as a saving. They are given passbooks wherein they have columns of grocery they are buying from the unit. The grocery sold here are Rs. 100 less than the MRP. Jeevan Tirth has collaborated with companies which provides them with grocery at a discounted rate. They have also started with a unit called Saheli pads which is run by the women as well. They have a machine which helps them make these sanitary pads and they only cost Rs. 5 per pad. The students were also given the opportunity to try make the pads in the machine. The third part was a pottery unit where one of the oldest members of the village prepares pots as per the orders received. He can make upto 30 pots in an hour. The students also tried to make pots some succeeded some failed and also got to take their creation home.
Though the duration seemed small but the learning and the experience of how some of the people are deprived of so many facilities yet they live in the happiest moments of their life is something we all should learn. It isn’t a bad idea to spend some time in understanding the hidden miseries these people face, this only makes you learn the importance of the things you get and they don’t. Not everyone has everything yet people with least possessions seem to live a better life than the one who has all the materialistic needs. This Excursion trip will always be a memorable one it only brought smiles to everyone’s faces. Overall, it was successful in teaching good values, respecting those who actually contribute for the society and sharing beautiful moments of joy.
