MADURAI: With Deepavali fast approaching, Padikattugal, a Madurai-based NGO is all set to lighten up the faces of children infected with HIV, leprosy and haemophilia, again.
The NGO has placed a large cardboard box, wrapped in gift paper, at a leading clothing store in the West Masi Street. A volunteer standing beside it tells the shoppers that they could choose a child from the list of HIV/haemophilia/leprosy patients and buy a dress according to their age and gender, and drop it into the cardboard box as Deepavali gifts.
Managing Trustee of Padikattugal, S Malaisamy (42), said, “Since the inception of Padikattugal in 2012, barring last year, the gift boxes are placed at a clothing store for collecting Deepavali clothes for children from willing donors.”
Explaining the initiative, Malaisamy added, “Every year, a fresh list of children affected by HIV/haemophilia/leprosy is collected. The list containing names, gender, and age of the children is pasted on the giftbox that is placed at the shop. Relating to names with the children in their families, shoppers come forward to buy clothes for a specific child to gift for Deepavali.”
Box with names marked
According to Malaisamy, the name of the beneficiary child is marked on the gift pack before dropping it into the box. The initiative began on Friday, and will end a couple of days before Deepavali