- Alpana and Ram Sarangapani, Houston, Texas
During one of our trips to Assam, our young son, felt very distraught when he noticedrickshaw-wallas and poor children without any footwear. He was saddened & surprisedthat there were people who could not afford some of the very basic necessities.
The Utopian ideals of our son who was then 11, have today encouraged us to see the world through his eyes and take the first step in fulfilling his cherished dream. We believe, our son taught us to look at the world with a different perspective, to be more compassionate and to try and make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than us.
The First Step toward Fulfilling the Dream: Footwear is one of the basic necessities of modern life and many international organizations in the western world and Africa have launched successful projects to address this need. However, shoes or sandals are a very low priority for many of Assam's poor. We now know that lack of footwear can often lead to diseases and illnesses in developing countries. Further, young children may be exposed to injuries that could lead to serious complications like tetanus. Proper footwear often helps in preventing diseases that become pronounced in later years.
The Action Plan: It is with this in mind, we launched "Soles For Tots, a footwear project for the children of Assam, one step at a time" project in early January, 2010. Towards this end, we earnestly sought the generosity and involvement of the Assamese residents in and outside Assam. The key ingredients for the success of such operations have always depended on the sincere participation of civic associations, businesses, and individuals.
Our Partners: We fervently appealed to the softer, benevolent side of the Assamese heart. These are our children, and we bear huge societal responsibilities. No amount is too small, and every bit helps us to purchase additional pairs. In this we were helped by some outstanding people in Assam and Delhi. Mr. Kaushik Das of Atma Nirbhar - Ek Challenge facilitated the fund transfer.
We started off by contributing $1,000 from our personal funds. AFNA USA was kind enough to match around $500 to the project. We thank Mr. Ankur Bora for taking the initiative and all the members who contributed.
ASA Foundation USA also contributed to the project and we thank Dr. Jugal Kalita for taking the initiative and all members who contributed. A few of our friends from Guwahati and Delhi also donated for the cause. We were able to buy 766 pairs of brand new shoes, from a wholesaler at Guwahati who was also kind enough to contribute socks for every pair of shoes we purchased.
The Distribution: The bulk of the distribution took place at Parijat Academy. The teachers and the administrators of Parijat Academy, Buljit Buragohain, Jugal Kalita, Shashanka Dutta, Ankur Bora, and a few friends from Guwahati helped us in the distribution. Many of the young children came from places as far as Garbhanga Many of them walked for hours early in the morning, and for many of them these were the first pair of footwear they ever got. In addition to children, we were also able to buy sandals for some adults who work at Atma Nirbhar - Ek Challenge, as well as some rickshaw/ thela wallas we happened to come across. While it is always heart rending to see so many children not being able to afford any footwear, the most precious gifts were the smiles on their innocent faces. We know, this is but a very tiny step, but we are glad we took it. The experience taught us many life lessons.
