These youngsters believe that a contribution of `5 could metamorphose an individual’s lifestyle. In four years, a concept conceived by three Bangalore students has become popular among youngsters and corporate houses in the city. Aptly titled Mission 5, this charity organisation helps the needy and differently abled by collecting `5 from the youth. “Youngsters have a certain responsibility towards the society and we thought this would be the best way for a youth to pitch in. These days students are concerned about doing well in academics and later getting a good job but they need to realise the importance of helping the socially deprived in the city they live in,” says a feisty Vijaya Nagpure, co-founder of Mission 5.
An incident involving an old woman during their days as students at Garden City College, Bangalore, brought the core team together and got them thinking of serving mankind.
The beginning
Ninety-year-old Muniyamma, who was abandoned by her family, took shelter near Garden City College. “We would pass by her every day, and were moved by the state in which she was in, helpless and alone,” recalls Shailesh Kumar, who is a city-based mediaperson. The students used to regularly feed and bathe her. “Many joined us. Around 20 of us would buy her tea. Sometimes the hostelites used to save up food during their meals at the mess,” he adds. The students also built a temporary shelter for Muniyamma.
When she fell ill, they went from pillar to post trying to get a doctor. They purchased saline bottles from a local chemist. Finally they admitted her to hospital. But 25 days after the students met her, she died.
Post Muniyamma’s death, the founding members of Mission 5 — Nagpure, a patient counselling assistant at G7 tech solutions, Bangalore; Kumar and Ashok Shah, who is pursuing MA Social Sciences at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, decided to do something for the society. “We asked our caretaker for orphanages/old age homes near our college,” says 25-year-old Nagpure. They selected Jeevitha Ananth Ashram that then had 32 orphans under its care. “We collected `5 from our classmates and friends. In the first month we raised `2,000 and in the second month it was twice as much,” says Nagpure. With that money, Mission 5 purchased shoes and slippers for the children, as most of them didn’t possess one.
The success of this project emboldened the youngsters. “We went on a door to door campaign in areas near our colleges like TC Palya, Kittagunur, Parvathinagar, Jyotinagar and Anantpur, to find out the number of educated children and till which year has a child studied,” says Nagpure. The 20 volunteers discovered that the kids did not attend school due to lack of funds.
The Mission 5 team got cracking immediately. They launched the ‘3help 1child’ initiative, wherein three students of Garden City College contributed `50 each for 10 months to fund a child’s education. Consequently, 16 children were admitted into a Kannada medium school for the 2007-2008 academic year. The campaign also inspired St Anthony’s School, St Gasper School and Munnishwara School to offer fee concessions for underprivileged students. Till date, Mission 5 has enrolled 30 children, both in Kannada and English medium schools. “We at Mission 5 believe in bringing a small change with something as nominal as `5. The students’ team at Mission 5 has exhibited that it only takes passion and courage to bring social change. I would say, we are on a mission to prove ‘Youth is a great force’,” says 25-year-old Ashok Shah. “If youngsters can spend some time for the society, they can bring about a big difference in the lives of others. Mission 5 is an example. We want to inspire more students and youngsters. There should be Mission 5 in each and every college of the country,” adds 25-year-old Kumar.
Journey till now
Apart from Jeevitha Ananth Ashram, they also started contributing to Kannada Adarsha Mahila Makkala Samsthe, an orphange; two old age homes and Sri Rakum School for the blind. “We donate old clothes, sweaters, shoes and slippers from the money raised for the orphanages. We provide Braille sheets to the blind school every month. For the old age home, we donate 100kg rice, fruits and juice monthly. We also organise regular glucose level check-ups at the old age homes,” says Nagpure.
Through the Ahar Project, they donate four litres of milk and fruits to two orphanages. Under Prayas, they organise rangoli/mehendi competitions, lantern and greeting card making and lamp painting and regular trips to the National Park for orphans. Unnati, a recent project, seeks to make the children computer literate — the kids are taught at Nagpure’s home in the late evenings. “It’s a great experience working for someone totally unrelated to us. After spending time with orphans and the elderly, I feel suffering is something that exists everywhere in the society,” says Kumar.
Mission 5’s latest challenge is to renovate Kannada Adarsha Mahila Makkala Samsthe, an orphanage. Titled Gharonda Project, they plan to construct two dormitories — one for boys and the other for girls, a study room, toilets, store room, dining room and an assembly room. The foundation stone was laid on April 4. “This project will cost us `8 lakh, and we are looking for sponsors. The orphanage currently houses 24 children,” says Kumar.
Impact
Mission 5’s popularity has spread to other colleges in the city like Kristu Jayanti College, CMR College, Central College and Tata Institute of Social Sciences. “Colleges have been very cooperative and have always encouraged students right from the beginning,” says Kumar. Since Shah is at TISS, he has been actively promoting Mission 5’s cause on campus.
They currently have 30 active volunteers across India, including Pune, Mumbai and Rajasthan. Volunteer and 20-year-old Shika Singh of CMR College says, “I got to know about Mission 5 through word of mouth and found this to be an excellent platform to do something for the society.”
Twenty-three-year-old Prem Shankar Singh, a student of Garden City College, takes Hindi tuitions for children who come under the Mission 5 educational project, for two hours daily after college. “I saw the living conditions of the children and wanted to contribute in some way. I figured this would be the best manner in which I could help them,” he says. Volunteers from CIPLA, G7 Tech Solutions, ST Ericsson, Sasken and Motorola also contribute to Mission 5’s campaigns.
The interested can surely take heart from Nagpure’s following statement — “I don’t ask youngsters to leave their studies and jobs, and join social service. I just want to tell them that in spite of being busy, they can find out some time for our brothers and sisters, who are deprived of basic amenities and facilities like food, medicine, house etc. Let’s work for their betterment.”
The interested need to provide ID and address proof. For details, email mission5.blr@gmail.com or visit www.mission5.blogspot.com.
— tasneem@newindianexpress.com
