BENGALURU: With non-governmental organisations sprouting in the city, the only thing needed are volunteers. A new Facebook page was formed in April for people to get together and volunteer in various NGOs of the city.
Siddarth Bhitrikoty, a 32-year-old bank manager, had penned down forming such a community in his personal diary two years ago. Realising that right time never comes; he started Manusatva, a virtual community for working people interested in social work.
Sick and tired of the pub culture in the city, he looked for an alternative and constructive ways of spending weekends. That is when he decided he would go out volunteering and helping in NGOs around town. This was established to be done once a month.
Last month, around ten people went to New Ark Mission NGO, home for the destitute and on last Sunday, 20 of the volunteers went to Maruthy Dog Shelter. The volunteers have no Whatsapp group or any other social media contact. It thrives solely on Facebook.
An event is created on the page and those who are interested or opt to go to the programme are sent personal message on Facebook. A temporary WhatsApp group is created for the event. After the episode, the group is dissolved and another event is focused on.
“Our main goal is to revive humanity in any form and secondly it is to nurture mother nature,” says Siddarth, who plans on conducting recycling workshop next month. “The response of the people has been overwhelming,” he says.
On Sunday Nisha, a Bengalurean, wanted to contribute to the community because she could not physically make it. Nisha insisted to donate money. The group is self-funded and donations are made in goods. “Nisha sent us `5000 and we bought medicines and pedigrees with the amount she sent,” says Siddharth. On the community’s first visit to destitute home, the volunteers bought groceries worth Rs 20,000 for destitute children.