Fulfill little desires of underprivileged children

Impact

Chandra is a poor young girl from Chennai who lives in an orphanage. The orphanage could not afford much for the children they sheltered and only looked after their basic necessities. **Although she didn't have much, Chandra never asked for anything more as she was aware of the tough reality of her situation.** Just like Chandra, all the children at the home knew that their wishes had to be limited. They did not even think of things apart from food, a few clothes, and a safe place to learn and stay. **They were all grateful for what they were given and had a mature understanding about their lives.** The organization Bhumi decided to surprise these children with a change in routine. They gave each child from the orphanage a card to scribble a secret wish on. Chandra wrote that she wanted a new school bag. Bhumi collected these cards and bought gifts for each of these children. A simple bag lit up Chandra's face as she'd never gotten a gift before. She now carries her books proudly in it and thinks of it as one of her most precious possessions.

About The Program

Bhumi runs an annual initiative called 'Joy to the World' where they visit children from underprivileged backgrounds living in orphanages and attempt to fulfill desires and wishes they may not have been very vocal about. These children are encouraged to jot down their unfulfilled wishes on Wish Cards. The team from Bhumi then collects these cards and communicates the wishes to their donors. The children are underprivileged and live in orphanages. Their most common wishes are for books, school bags, shoes, and games to play, either indoor or outdoor. Each child gets a minimum of Rs. 300 worth of gifts.

About The NGO

Three like-minded friends in the year 2006 related closely to the need for quality education and believed a solution that creates educationally empowered youth capable of active participation and development of the community they belong to will make them self-reliant, and self-sustainable. Thus, Bhumi – India’‘s largest independent youth volunteering organisation was established in the year 2006 with a vision to help build a more influential, equal and socially conscious society and a mission to drive social change by fostering an environment where young adults & children learn, lead and thrive. Bhumi as a platform enables over 20,000 volunteers in over 12 cities across India for causes like education, environment, animals and community welfare. With an aim to render quality education, Bhumi provides comprehensive educational support for over 25,000 underprivileged children across India to help them break the cycle of poverty. Bhumi bridges the gaps in formal education and opportunities by providing language and STEAM education, life-skills support and scholarships for higher education:- through volunteers at orphanages during weekends- at low-income (private and government) schools with development support for teachers- education at after-school community centres in urban slums Most of our volunteers are students or working professionals under the age of 30 and go through mandatory orientation and in return gain immensely through our Leadership programme. Through this platform, the volunteers progress to more leadership roles and responsibility where they switch to education sector from the experiences gained from Bhumi. While holistic education is imparted to the children, Bhumi’‘s young volunteers are also transformed into socially conscious leaders in the education sector.