It is hard to find people with humility and modesty. It was 2006 when a group of friends with a common vision and intense passion to work for the society laid the foundation of BHUMI. To inculcate a sustainable attitude and eco friendly approach among young minds, Bhumi started an Eco-Champs initiative BHUMI aims to build a bridge between the educated and uneducated, and provide youngsters with a platform to serve society.
The NGO also leans toward making India an eco-friendly country through its eco-champs program that is involved in educating our young to lead a more sustainable life. BHUMI NGO has scaled its journey from a few friends to 30,000 volunteers across the nation. Volunteers of BHUMI educate children from orphanages, slum community centres and government schools across the country to give them a better future, which will benefit them and our country.
Neha Singal, Communication Team, Bhumi said, “Bhumi also organises multiple training sessions and workshops by experts s, which help in developing skills and building the capacity of these children, with an ultimate vision to someday have them as its volunteers too. Before the pandemic hit us we invested in our eco-champs volunteers by engaging them in multiple field visits and training sessions. This allowed the volunteers to learn twice, once during these sessions and then again when they trained the children. Eco Champs aims at teaching both its children and volunteers a more eco friendly lifestyle, and to achieve this we teach them more about recycling, growing their own food, composting and more .”
Neha also mentioned that they teach students about the benefits of a greener and better future, She added that Bhumi believes that when we empower our next generation with the right knowledge, we are creating a better future together. “As a volunteer of Eco-champs Season 2, it gives me a fulfilling experience to mentor the class 7 students of Nehru High School, Velachery,” said Akash, a volunteer with BHUMI for the past 1 year.
He further said, “It is our own version of “Tuesdays for future” organized once a month. Though in an underdeveloped area of the city, the enthusiasm of the school correspondent and the coordinators in supporting this initiative is remarkable. We have had three interventions since August 2019. Within a couple of sessions, the students bonded well with us and eagerly look forward to new learning. In teaching these young children, we too have learned a lot, trying to first practice what we aim to teach! When those tender hands happily make seed balls, it gives us a lot of hope in seeing a greener future for generations to come. In these interventions, we see many budding “Ashoka, the great”!
More about Eco-Champs:
- The Program is designed to encourage students to connect with the environment through various activities.
- It aims at inducing behavioural changes that stress the need for environmental preservation through eco-friendly, sustainable practices.
- It aligns the program with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal, focusing on Global Goal.
- The Program having mentored 2700 students across 22 schools in Chennai is now growing roots in your city virtually- Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai. Patna & Pune.
Written By: Shaaigan Mahfooz