Congratulations to Anushrut Shah (L6), who has been collecting old sports clothing and sports kit to take to a charity in India, who provide relief for flood victims. Over the last year and a half, I have been working with Leafbird Foundation, a charity aimed at providing relief to the victims of the devastating 2013 floods in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. In particular, I have been working as part of the ECHO (Education for Conservation and Healing Outcomes) project, which focuses on the education and upbringing of children in the affected and vulnerable areas of Uttarakhand.
As this is my home state, I feel a close connection to the people and the events that transpire in the state.
During the Easter holidays, I will be holding a series of sports workshops and educational classes with children in Sarni Junior High School and Khati Intercollege, two schools in the remote Pindari Glacier Valley in Uttarakhand. For this purpose, I have been collecting second-hand sports equipment and kit over the course of this term to take over to India.
This past Saturday, I held a collection at the school second hand shop, with the help of Mrs. Marza, the shop coordinator. The collection was a huge success with hundreds of second hand equipment ranging from hockey sticks to football boots being donated by very generous parents and students.
Overall, the items collected include over 50 football t-shirts, 40 pairs of shorts, 6 footballs, 8 hockey sticks, and 40 pairs of football boots, to name a few. I am delighted at the positive response from the Sevenoaks School community towards this cause, and I am sure these donations will go a long way in helping the ECHO project and the children of Uttarakhand.
Anushrut Shah
