Mangaluru: On the occasion of Children’s Day on November 14, I- Care, the social wing of Incident, NITK Suratkal took another step to cheer up the lives of under privileged kids. I-care distributed solar lamps to poor kids around NITK, to aid them in studies when there’s no power.

With very little rains this year, the coastal regions will definitely face power outages in the summer. This is not a problem for households having inverters/generators. But the poor families residing in the city and Udupi will face lots of problems due to these outages. The problem is even severe for the kids of these families who have exams in the month of March/April. With no power it is very likely that these kids will not concentrate on studies during their exam. This in turn will result in lots of children not attending classes and subsequently not performing well in their exams.

The I- Care volunteers discussed this problem with the principal of NITK Kannada Medium School and decided that distribution of solar lamps to these poor children would be best the solution to this problem. When I-Care shared the details of this programme with the NITK students, students turned up in large numbers to donate towards this social cause. I-Care collected a total of Rs 9,200 from the first year BTech students of NITK and with this amount distributed 13 lamps to the deserving children during the Children’s Day programme at the school. The million dollar smile on the faces of the little ones was worth watching, glowing even brighter than a 100 Watt bulb when they received the lamps. The lamps lit up not just their houses but also their lives. I-Care believes that while every student receives education, it is equally important to have a conducive atmosphere at home which allows them to study and help them in their overall growth.

This programme was Phase 1 of I-Care’s agenda to promote child education. The success and support received for I-Care’s initiatives so far, has motivated I-Care to take up more such initiatives this year. A part of Phase-2 of I-Care, they will distribute solar lamps to all the students of Standare 10 at NITK Kannada Medium School. These students will be writing their SSSLC examination in March and it is this exam that will shape their future. Students doing well in this exam will naturally be interested in taking up the next level of education and those who do not do well, discontinue their studies. I-Care wants to make sure that these students have all the resources required to excel in their exams, and hence their decision to give lamps to all students of class 10 at NITK Kannada Medium School. For the primary school children of NITK, they will distribute study materials like books, pencils and scales. I-Care plans to hold this programme during the school day of NITK Kannada Medium School, in December. I-Care will also target the Panchayat School at Marigudi as part of Phase 2. I-Care will take the responsibility of purchasing prizes that will be distributed during the School Day of the Panchayat School. The amount will primarily be collected from the students and faculty of NITK Suratkal. We will also try to explore options of crowd funding platforms, where interested individuals or organizations can donate for this cause.

These days everyone is busy making a career, fulfilling their needs, desires and earning their daily bread. The burning desire of NITKians to make a difference and brighten up the lives of the deserving kids is the main reason for success of I-Care’s initiatives so far. What do these technocrats get in return would be the doubt most of us would have, as we live in the highly calculative world. The countless blessings and prayers from the kids, and their near and dear ones is something that is invaluable and which cannot be bought from any millionaire. I-Care is confident that their blessings and the support of NITKians will help them in all their future endeavors. I-Care and NITK Suratkal define the Indian youth of the 21st century in the best possible way.