Every time I travel in a car in India, I see people, especially children, who are cold, hungry and without smiles. This motivated me to think about how we could bring happiness into some of their lives.
We all have the same needs – the need to be happy, healthy and loved. That is what brings a smile to our faces. And then there are things we want – the fancy dresses, games and gadgets. Working through our badge project, we were told to balance our needs and wants. When we see the kids on the streets, we can see that they do not have their needs met. But everybody deserves to feel happy and not only just smile but laugh out loud. That is why I decided to do what I could to bring laughter and joy into the lives of some children every year through my birthdays.
When I was seven, I decided to not take gifts on my birthday. Instead, I requested my loved ones to support my charity of choice. I have since had six such birthday requests of my family and friends, and over the years, I have been able to make a difference through my charities working with the underserved communities.
Out of all the charities I’ve supported, our favourite is Smile Train because it does exactly what we want – put a smile (literally!) onto the faces of the children.
Last year, our mother and I were researching causes we could support and came across Smile Train. We read more about the challenges and quality of life that children born with clefts live, and with every story we were deeply moved. We learnt that even though cleft was a physical deformity, it led to deep psychological impact. Children did not make friends or get to study- two basic rights which make any child’s childhood. To imagine a childhood like this was very scary. Reading about Smile Train’s programs and discovering that just ₹19,000 could change the lives of these kids forever, was more reassuring.
For my fundraisers, I have never had to really convince my friends as it is a very personal decision, but I have always received encouraging responses. I continue to share experiences with my friends and write articles for the school journal. I have also spoken in the assemblies on this. One impact that I can see already is that my younger sister Samya (who is eight-years-old) got inspired by my actions when she was only five and decided to do the same on her birthdays. I had started donating when I was seven, but Samya caught on much earlier. She has also supported Smile Train amongst other charities across the country.
Between the two of us, we have had 10 no-gifts birthdays where we have collected approximately ₹40,000 – ₹60,000 per birthday. Our efforts have helped people live a transformed life – by supporting them to overcome their disabilities, have access to more books in their libraries and new stationery to use; rebuild their homes and receive life transforming cleft surgeries.
I am also a part of an entrepreneurship program that will help me create a platform that enables people to donate to NGOs more efficiently. There will be options to narrow down your search of an organisation, as well as opportunities to put and read other reviews and ratings. There will also be a way to track who the money you have donated helped, and there may be opportunities to interact with them as well. I plan to call the name it ‘Project HELP’ (Hopeful Efforts by Little People).
On our previous birthdays, people would ask us what we wanted, and we would give them our long wish lists. So many gifts would pile up in our rooms waiting for us to open them. When we started celebrating no-gifts birthdays, the first few years, we felt sad after our birthday parties because there were no wrapped gifts to open. But, for sure, the morning after our birthdays, we felt elated to find envelopes filled with money and checks. Each envelope had a part of somebody’s smile. With this money, someone could walk, read, get fed and most importantly, smile. Our mother was also very happy because there was no wrapping paper scattered everywhere and no extra gifts to put away!
April 7 was World Health Day. The World Health Organisation is encouraging health for all. Everyone has the right to live a healthy life, no matter which city or to which family they were born. Through this article, I hope we can encourage some of you to donate your special days such as birthdays in raising funds for charities who are working to provide healthcare in the most remote areas of India. Crowdfunding is very simple and can transform lives of children for a lifetime. The thrill of being able to make a difference cannot be explained in words, and we hope more of young children like us come forward to transform lives.
About Myra: Myra is a student of the American Embassy School in New Delhi. She is in Grade 7 and loves writing, debating and art. Her career aspiration is to be a lawyer one day and fight for the rights of children. She lives with her three dogs, sister, mom, dad and extended family in Delhi. When she is not doing homework, she is either busy making slime or doing other kitchen experiments.