KOCHI: “We are just bringing in a few ‘strands’,” says Jofin Joseph. The floods annihilated the life savings of countless, razing everything on its tortuous path. For those trying to rebuild their homes, what remains is the mere framework. As they try to rebuild their lives, strand by strand, a group of youngsters has mobilised a campaign - ‘Koodorukkam’ - to help their efforts by offering a few ‘strands’.
Started by a few youngsters, ‘Koodorukkam’ aims at sourcing the small household articles lying unused in our homes and supply it to the needy. “There is nothing to fall back on for most families. The people have lost everything. In most places, all they have left is the basic structure of their homes. And as they try to rebuild from the scratch, we are bringing in a few articles that can get them going,” says Jofin.
It was the highly dilapidated state of the homes in the flood-hit areas that spurred the group to start the initiative. The team of eight who pioneered the initiative were active volunteers during the flood relief operations. “It was when we went to these flood-hit areas that we understood the magnitude of the disaster,” he says. The initiative aims to address the small appliances and utensils segment.
“We all have spare articles in our homes that lie unused. Good quality articles, although sparingly used, can be donated,” says Jofin. So a group of working professionals who were volunteering in the activities joined together to start the Koodorukkam initiative. “We intend to give the articles as gifts, not as donations,” he adds.
All one needs to do to ‘gift’ the articles is to visit the website of ‘Koodorukkam’ and then just submit the details of the articles. The group has put up a list of essentials and one can easily pledge one’s items. Articles ranging from mixer grinder to emergency lights are being sourced. Toys for kids, induction stove, chair/stool, crockery/glass set, reading lamp, table fan, and emergency lamp are some of the articles. One also gets to donate articles that are not on the list. More than 1200 items have been pledged till now. The target is to give 10,000 articles in three months.
Collection points will be opened in all the districts and will function starting this weekend. The public can drop off the articles at the collection points or the group will pick it up in regions where they have volunteers. The needy are being identified. “Their database is being made and will be complete in two weeks,” says Jofin. The group hopes to distribute the articles in three to four weeks.
In the second phase, the group hopes to target large household appliances like fridge, TV, furniture. “More participation can have a larger impact, and so if any associations or apartment complexes join in the initiative, we can mobilise huge quantities of articles. Moreover, we need more volunteers as this is a purely volunteer-driven activity,” Jofin adds.
“It was during the flood relief operations that we learned of the power of a crowd. When a group of people come together in a decentralised manner, much can happen,” says Jofin who hopes to create the same magic of relief operations in the rebuilding process as well.
Collection point at all districts
Collection points will be opened in all the districts and will function starting this weekend. The public can drop off the articles at the collection points or the group will pick it up in regions where they have volunteers. The needy are being identified. Their database is being made and will be complete in two weeks