A ‘sole’ stirring initiative
The exuberant laughter and the twinkle in the eyes of the little child made our day,” recalls U G Akshara, president of the Rotaract Club of SSS Shasun Jain College for Women, Chennai, RID 3233. She was speaking about a six-year-old child who jumped with joy after slipping on a brand-new pair of slippers — her first ever — gifted through the club’s Project Soles to Smiles.
The initiative, conceptualised by club secretary Nivitha Varshini, initially aimed to provide footwear to 500 underprivileged individuals. “We were thrilled to exceed our goal, eventually distributing slippers to 811 people, many of whom had never worn slippers in their lives,” says Akshara.
Nineteen other Rotaract clubs in the city supported the project. Volunteers fanned out across slum communities, collecting foot sizes and returning the next day with perfectly fitting slippers. “Local footwear retailers were generous with discounts once they heard about our mission,” she adds.
For the past two years, the club has also marked Pongal, Tamil Nadu’s harvest festival, by reaching out to underserved groups. This year, the team visited a transgender home, spending the day with 25 residents. “We gifted them sanitation kits they had requested, along with new saris to celebrate the festival,” says Akshara.
