The Cover Project is distributing free umbrellas this monsoon to children living on Mumbai streets
Started by Vimal Cherangattu in 2018, around 2,000 free umbrellas were distributed among street children in Mumbai as part of The Cover Project. In addition, free health check-ups are also being organised in collaboration with Switch India.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you someone says, 'Mumbai'? Its reputation as the financial capital of India or the city of dreams? Well, the city is also known for its terrible monsoon period.
It’s the time when the entire city is flooded with rainwater - roads, and houses are often submerged, the coast and beaches see constant high tides. While many may enjoy the season, people living in the slums get affected by the lashing winds and heavy rain.
According to a census study conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and a group of NGOs, 36,154 children live on the streets in Mumbai with no shelter, and this is really a matter of concern. Addressing this issue in its own way, a social initiative called The Cover Project has been providing these children with free umbrellas since 2018.
(Image: Efforts For Good)
A post on the project’s Facebook page grabbed the attention of people across the world who then donated their old umbrellas. Till 2018, through The Cover Project, a total of 2,000 umbrellas have been given away to the street children of Mumbai.
It all started when 27-year-old IT professional Vimal Cherangattu witnessed a small girl selling roses while carrying her baby brother in her arms in the heavy rain. She asked Vimal to buy some.
Speaking about the incident with Effort For Good, he said,
“Suddenly, she made an unusual request. She begged me to give her my umbrella. As soon as I handed over my old umbrella to her, she ran to one side and called her friends. Immediately, four other kids popped up from here and there and rushed together under that one umbrella, with broad grins brightening up their faces as well as my day.”
Soon after this incident, he wrote a Facebook post asking people to donate their old umbrellas. Little did Vimal know that the post would go viral, and within 10 days, Vimal crossed the target of collecting Rs 10,000 and 100 umbrellas, reports The Indian Feed.
Vimal Cherangattu (Image: The Indian Feed)
Giving an umbrella to the needy is one part of the initiative. Now, after witnessing its success, Vimal started free health check-ups for the poor by medical students.
He added,
“During our distribution drives, I noticed how a lot of infectious diseases affect these children during the monsoon. When I shared my concern about this problem, around 15 medical students working with Switch India volunteered to collaborate with us. They now accompany us in every drive and do free health check-ups for these kids”, he told Efforts For Good.
Under the project, around 1,700 umbrellas have been distributed this year alone, and enough funds were also raised through an umbrella painting workshop. The funds will now be used to buy more umbrellas to distribute among the poor. Vimal said, “We are hoping to reach the 3,000 mark soon.”
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
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