Helping Hands of Kolkata (HHoK) – a social impact group setup by individuals from the ‘City of Joy’ – are organizing a “Store of Happiness” at Sonajhuri village in Sundarbans. The Sundarbans have always played a role of a shield for the rest of Bengal when it comes to cyclones, same was the case in Amphun too which lashed the state earlier this year, but this also takes a toll on the lives of the people from the region. With the ongoing pandemic and the lockdown that has been imposed because of it has impacted the lives of the people of Sundarbans in a major way. Through the “Store of Happiness” HHoK would like to bring in some joy in the lives of the 150+ people living in this village.
Many of us are privileged to be able to purchase what we want and when we want it. But same is not the case for the underprivileged sections of the society. Through HHoK’s “Store of Happiness” we would like to take all our rarely used and unused items, which are in perfectly good condition, and make them available for the people of Sundarbans. We started collecting items from the network of our patrons, contributors, friends and family, and have received items weighing over 500 kg. The collected items include clothing, footwear, stationary, books, utensils, gadgets and other household items. We will be setting up a mall-like store in the middle of Sundarbans, maintaining all social distancing norms and precautions, for the people to come and pick up an item they want from what is available.
As mentioned earlier, the people of Sundarbans face a lot of hardships through the years. The pandemic has just multiplied that, so HHoK decided to bring some happiness to their lives first. Moreover, HHoK has conducted some ration distribution drives in Sundarbans earlier and sponsored the education of two girls from the region. So, it is one of the first regions that HHoK has picked to spread some happiness. The social impact group also has plans to take the “Store of Happiness” to other regions soon.
HHoK is a foundation incepted by a group of individuals from the ‘City of Joy’, who have embarked upon a mission to join their helping hands to bring joy to those who have been deprived of it. The Kolkata-based foundation has been involved in social impact projects since 2012, which embrace the old who has been forsaken by her family, the young whose dreams needs to be inoculated, the less-fortunate who also deserves economic independence and self-sustenance, the specially-abled who only needs unconditional love, the less-fortunate who requires food and medical care, and mother earth without whom our existence is implausible.
