CHENNAI: Aimed at reaching out to the underprivileged with an opportunity to discover their talent, PledgeEdu, an NGO that hopes to provide education to every child, is organising a talent hunt for the students of St Antony’s Higher Secondary School in Velachery on November 30. The event is a brainchild of Kannan Periyanayagam, assistant professor at Loyola College, Namakkal.
“Eight per cent students in this school are half-orphans and come from the slums of Velachery. We are conducting competitions ranging from vegetable carving to painting,” says Kannan. Around 1,000 students are expected to be a part of this festival. The organisers of the event estimate that it would cost around `50,000 to organise the one-day event. They are seeking donations in kind where one can opt to provide sheets for the children to draw and paint on or provide food and refreshments for the participants.
“While one is welcome to make monetary donations, we would appreciate people to also help us buy papers, provide food and print certificates for students. Since we are a new NGO, registered in July this year, we are just readying our PAN cards to link with our bank accounts,” he says. Kannan and few of his friends have raised Rs 3,000 so far for the event.
While the NGO has been registered only recently, Kannan and his friends have been working with school children by providing them books to read, volunteering to teach children and conduct ing medical camps among others. For all their events, they have been mobilising funds through social media campaigns. Those who wish to donate can contact PledgeEdu through their website pledgeedu.org