Empowering children through financial literacy, celebrating young talent from Dharavi—our top stories of the week
In our Catalysts of Hope series, we bring you uplifting, inspiring and impactful stories of change.
Saniya M (18) and Ayush aka Kavikaar (19) have become the first duo, out of the 150+ kids and young adults in The Dharavi Dream Project, to release an EP (a small collection of music).
Baccha Kisko Bol Raha Hai has been produced by Tiger Baby Records—a joint venture by music composer Ankur Tewari and filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. It became available on YouTube and other streaming platforms on February 2.
Saniya derives her inspiration from her poetry, while Kavikaar grew up watching his brother, also a rapper, and admired the work of popular artists such as DIVINE, Naezy, and Emiway Bantai.
Ten years ago, the now-deceased Samir Bangara and Dolly Rateshwar collaborated with two hip-hop crews from Mumbai to establish a community centre known as The Dharavi Dream Project. Today, it has grown into a full-fledged movement of young poets, songwriters, and artists.
Read more about the Dharavi teens' debut here.
Empowering children through financial literacy
Every month, Suhas, a government higher primary school student in Aradeshanahalli, goes to the bank to deposit his pocket money. So far, he has saved Rs 2,000 and wishes to continue doing so until he can buy a new bicycle.
He is among the 47 students in the sixth standard at the government school who are learning financial literacy through a programme organised by the Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF)—the CSR arm of Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL).
The pilot programme, which began last July and ended earlier this month, was supported by the Australian Consulate General. It consisted of 30 concepts, including an understanding of currency, the difference between need and want, savings, interest, loans, credit, and more. Each session was 40 minutes to one hour long.
Taking sanitation awareness to 95 villages
SATO, the social business of LIXIL, launched an awareness campaign called SATO Toilet Express—Swachata Ka Sandesh Gaon Gaon Mein—which aims to raise awareness about the importance of using toilets in rural and semi-urban areas across Bihar and Maharashtra.
The campaign used a mobile van showcasing various SATO products like SATO tap, SATO stool, and more. The team used an LCD screen inside the van to showcase all SATO products' installation processes and unique selling points (USPs). They also conducted quizzes, addressed sanitation-related topics and provided detailed explanations about SATO products to further enhance understanding and awareness among the audience.
The van covered 60 villages in Bihar and 35 villages in Maharashtra over 30 days.
In other positive news…
Efforts towards positive change
A team comprising seven women—all over the age of 75 residing in Sainikpuri and Vayupuri in Hyderabad—organised the 8th ‘Charity Jumble Sale’ on February 4, 2024, at the Vayupuri Recreation Centre to sell donated goods to support charitable organisations.
Items like used footwear, golf clubs, large refrigerators, and more were sold at discounted prices, and the funds generated were donated to a variety of charitable institutions, including orphanages, schools for the blind, old age homes, and other organisations, reported The New Indian Express.
Edited by Suman Singh