State pens history by writing notebooks for flood-hit kids
On August 14, a team from Incubation, a Calicut-based education NGO, was discussing plans to celebrate Independence Day at Al Ansar orphanage in Areekode, Malappuram, when children suggested that instead of celebrating, they should do something for those suffering in the flood-affected areas of Kerala. They came up with an idea to write notebooks for school-going children.
The team spread the message on social media. In no time, it went viral and took the shape of a mass movement. There has been a silent revolution of letters in Kerala in the past couple of weeks. Notes of various subjects and classes were shared on social media in PDF format. The result has been overwhelming.
“...When we spread the message, it spread like wildfire and soon we got response from other districts, states and even
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
abroad,” says Nabeel Mohammed, head of education training department, Incubation.
The NGO has already distributed around 10,000 handwritten notebooks in various districts, through the camaign - Together We Can, he says.
Initially, there were queries from various quarters on why not photostat copies or printouts instead of handwritten notes. But Malayalis’ love for letters overcame all that .
“The idea is to make an individual buy a notebook and write notes of a particular subject for a student who is in some part of the state, traumatised by floods. Nothing can match the love and care that’s sent across in the form of a handwritten notebook,” says Elias John, activist and one of the coordinators of the initiative in Thiruvananthapuram.