From helping betel nut farmers to engaging students with fun learning: the top Social Stories of the week
This week, SocialStory witnessed the stories of individuals and organisations across India, whose thoughtful actions are positively impacting society.
Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
This week, SocialStory witnessed the contributions of TB survivor Arup Sengupta and 15-year-old Neha Bhatt, whose small, yet thoughtful actions are positively impacting society.
Here are the top Social Stories of the week:
Helping betel nut farmers save more through an automatic agri sprayer
Thousands of farmers in Kerala, Assam, and Karnataka have been immersed in cultivating the Areca nut (betel nut), which has a great deal of commercial value attached to it.
However, from the non-availability of fungicides, lack of labour resources, to difficulty in containing pests, these supari farmers are struggling to get a good yield annually.
Fifteen-year-old Neha Bhatt from Puttur in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka took it upon herself to find a solution for these ailing farmers. After three years of conducting research, experimenting, and interacting with many farmers, Neha developed an automatic agri-sprayer for them.
The 14-year-old who designed a sanitiser kit for sterilising vegetables
The COVID-19 outbreak changed the way we lived. From maintaining social distancing, washing our hands constantly, to stocking up on hand sanitisers and disinfecting wipes, we have all become vigilant about hygiene and staying away from germs.
In line with this thought, Aditya Pachpande, a Class 11 student of Indus International School in Pune, has designed and developed a 'Suraksha Kit' that resolves one of the most daunting challenges that households face presently – of decontaminating vegetables.
This 70-year-old TB survivor is helping street children in Kolkata
Seventy-year-old Kolkata-based social worker Arup Sengupta was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) at the age of 16. He was told he had only seven months to live. He not only survived the dreaded disease, but worked towards helping the street children in Kolkata, after getting inspired by his caretaker Mother Teresa.
Arup still struggles with a host of health issues; he suffers from a sleep disorder and acute COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and carries an oxygen cylinder with him at all times.
Despite these and braving the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Arup has been relentless in his efforts to help the needy through his NGO Notun Jibon, meaning ‘new life.’
Therapize provides credible mental health support at the click of a button
According to NIMHANS, the lack of qualified mental health professionals, inadequacy in awareness levels, as well as the inherent stigma surrounding the idea of undergoing therapy are some of the reasons why Indians tend to not seek mental health support.
Mumbai residents Anushka Kelkar and Aviva Bhansali are redefining the process of seeking mental healthcare services in the country. Through their platform, ‘Therapize,’ the duo is attempting to connect people suffering from mental health problems with clinical psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists.
How Khan Academy’s LearnStorm initiative engages students in fun learning at home
Earlier this month, Khan Academy, a not-for-profit learning platform, launched its third edition of LearnStorm — a global learning programme to rekindle the joy of learning among kids.
“LearnStorm will be seeing the third edition in India this year. The idea behind this initiative is to get students and teachers excited about learning, more importantly, now, with the lockdown,” says Sandeep Bapna, Managing Director of Khan Academy India.
This year, the programme started on October 1 and will continue till December 24. Moreover, this edition will see classes getting conducted in the Hindi and Gujarati languages for the first time.
Edited by Suman Singh