‘Little drops of water make a mighty ocean.’
Once upon a time..
Sukanya Narain – In the words of the Volunteer….
“I feel the above quote by which I live my life is enough to explain why I decided to volunteer my time & skills for an initiative like MyKartavya despite being based in Paris and, occupied with my professional & academic commitments. When NASSCOM Foundation reached out to me and explained to me the initiative, I think I was on board from the word go. It was just the perfect opportunity for someone like me who wants to contribute to the change happening at the grassroots level in my country in some way, but is unable to find a suitable platform that is accommodative of my busy schedule.
The MyKartavya Volunteering Program, that I am part of. is a platform that brings together nonprofits that need skilled volunteers, and professionals from across organizations, which are willing to contribute their skills and time. The objective is to build an inclusive India and help professionals sharpen their skills while gaining experience. Volunteers have the freedom and flexibility to choose the NGOs and the type of projects they want to work for and, to decide the time they can contribute per week.”
A Wish Comes true!
“Given my background as a lawyer and a CSR/Sustainability professional, I chose to work with 2 NGOs. The first Bengaluru-based NGO, Buzz India, works to combat poverty by equipping low-income women with financial, entrepreneurial & leadership skills. I worked in close coordination with the Founder & Chief Change maker to define the organization’s CSR strategy and to assist in drafting proposals. It has been an inspiring experience as it helped me learn more about the organization and what went into starting the organization.
The second NGO I worked for was the Institute of Sustainable Development (ISD), Chennai which is a multidisciplinary resource centre with experience in social development research, training and participatory community development. My scope of work included CSR strategy advisory and drafting of organizational policies (Prevention of sexual harassment, Child Protection & Anti-corruption). It was a pleasure working with a social scientist and the Member Secretary of ISD.”
And she lived happily ever after
For both assignments, I did not have to contribute more than 4 hours per week on an average which was the time I had committed beforehand. As I see it, there is a sense of personal satisfaction in being involved in a change-making process in whatever little capacity. These are small organizations which are trying to scale up to enlarge their impact on the ground and could use help with multiple varied tasks depending upon a volunteer’s field of expertise.
