THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s a bank that serves the local community, but with a difference. The ‘Bakri Bank’, or goat bank, is an initiative of the National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers of the VHSE section of Government VHSS, Vithura near here, to provide a source of livelihood to the needy.
Through the ‘Bakri Bank’, two women from financially backward families are provided female goats, thereby creating two ‘accounts’ in the ‘bank’. The first female kids of these two goats are handed back to the school. These goats are then distributed to other needy families, creating two more accounts and the process continues.
The ‘Bakri Bank’ was the brainchild of Arun V P, NSS programme officer of the school. He had launched a similar project at GVHSS, Attingal, during his previous stint there and the initiative was well appreciated. A similar model was then replicated by the nearby GVHSS, Alamcode.
“Most of the students of GVHSS, Vithura, hail from humble backgrounds. They are very keen to join any initiative that provides help to the local community. When the idea was floated as a means to provide livelihood and also empower women, it was very well received,” he said.
The VHSE-NSS volunteers of the school have been in the news often for their novel initiatives. The volunteers raise funds for various innovative projects by conducting food fests, exhibitions and through sale of handmade products.
“The funds that remain with us after implementation of various projects are pooled in for initiatives like this. Two goats, from a high milk-producing breed, were sourced from a farm at Vithura,” Arun said.
The two beneficiaries were shortlisted after a thorough screening process. NSS volunteers said that the goats have been entrusted with the care of women who have prior experience in rearing them.
As ‘representatives’ of the ‘bank’, the volunteers have planned periodic house visits to ensure that the ‘accounts’ are being managed properly.
The NSS volunteers had earlier raised funds to set up a tailoring unit for a homemaker near the school. The unit had also produced over 1,000 cloth bags which were distributed among the local community ahead of Onam season as part of a project named ‘Plastic carry bag-free Onam in Vithura.’
An initiative by the NSS volunteers to provide two guppy fishes, that feed on mosquito larvae, to students who hand over 10 empty plastic drinking water bottles, had earned praise as a novel eco-conservation effort.
A source of Livelihood
* Through the ‘Bakri Bank’, two women from financially backward families are provided female goats, thereby creating two ‘accounts’ in the ‘bank’
* The first female kids of these two goats are handed back to the school
* These goats are then distributed to other needy families, creating two more accounts and the process continues