From helping people return to work to bringing about social change through WhatsApp – top social stories of the week

At a time when the world is still coping with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, several Samaritans are exuding positivity through their endeavours.  

This week, SocialStory documented some of their stories. 

With unemployment reaching a new peak, many individuals from economically weaker sections of the society are living hand-to-mouth. Delhi-based startup Rural Invest, founded by four students, is attempting to tackle just that through a robust digital wealth management solution. 

Two other salaried employees from the national capital came forward to help the ones struggling to earn a livelihood by starting an exclusive initiative to create awareness about job vacancies across the country. 

Here are more details about the above initiatives and the other top stories of the week.

This Delhi-based startup is promoting financial inclusion in rural India

Disparities in income, consumption, and the quality of life have created a big divide between rural and urban geographies in India. This is more so because of financial illiteracy, lack of employment opportunities, as well as inaccessibility to basic facilities like education and healthcare.

To reduce financial deprivation, Delhi-based startup Rural Invest kicked off a robust digital wealth management solution. Founded by four enthusiastic students in April 2020, it has developed a mobile application specifically for people residing in rural areas to invest in mutual funds through systematic investment plans (SIPs). 

Bootstrapped since inception, the startup is presently in the process of conducting a beta test of its app, for which it is gathering feedback from its target audience — daily wage workers, maids, and drivers in the neighbourhood.

How this 24-year-old activist is creating social change through her fashion blog 

A fashionista at heart, Aishwarya is an active blogger who pens down various elements about lifestyle, vogue, and other forms of expression. However, the aspect that sets her apart is her determination to give back to society. Aishwarya’s Instagram page ‘Figuramoda’ not only talks about looking good, but also about social change. 

Initially, the 24-year-old started posting pictures of her outfit of the day on the blog. After receiving a good response from people, she took to writing some snippets about the injustice meted out to women and other marginalised sections.

Over the last few years, Aishwarya has written about various issues, including body shaming, sexual harassment, and racial discrimination. She has also drawn the attention of more than 75,000 individuals through fashion activism. 

Meet the social warriors who are using WhatsApp for the betterment of the community 

Several NGOs, government agencies, social activists as well as entrepreneurs have been employing WhatsApp to create awareness about societal issues, events, and donation drives.

One of the most purposive features of the app – ‘broadcast lists’, enabled Afroz Shah to create a movement with over 70,000 adults and 60,000 students, all of whom readily rolled their sleeves to clear the litter on the beaches of Mumbai. On the other hand, Leena Kejriwal, the founder of the NGO Missing Link Trust, has been using WhatsApp to coordinate and spread the word about workshops and crowdfunding campaigns. 

The platform is enabling many such individuals and communities to unite for various social initiatives and reach out to the underprivileged.

How this duo is helping people get back to work during the pandemic

With the coronavirus pandemic weighing down on the economy, thousands of people have lost their jobs due to the lockdowns imposed to curb the health crisis.

However, despite the worsening situation, some companies are still hiring, especially in the domains of ecommerce, pharma, food companies, online education, and gaming.

A B2B growth manager at Bijnis (formerly ShoeKonnect), Suyash, along with his growth specialist colleague, Rajat Agarwal, started the social initiative COVID-19 Free Jobs Forum to help job seekers who were laid off in times of the pandemic.

As part of this, they managed to leverage Google Forms and LinkedIn profiles to connect the unemployed with various companies seeking new hires. 

Meet the Class VIII student from Bengaluru who creates homemade contactless water taps

Since the emergence of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Indian government has been encouraging safe hygiene practices and periodic washing of hands. However, one tends to touch the tap unnecessarily while doing this, resulting in the spread of infection.

To help lower the risk of infection while washing hands, Govardhan, a Class VIII student of the Government Higher Primary School in Channasandra, Bengaluru East, has created a contactless water tap called ‘Tippy Tap’, drawing inspiration from the internet.

Tippy Tap is a sanitiser dispenser-like solution where people can use a pedal to get water instead of touching the water tap.