Jwala gives them a new ray of hope

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When Radha, a middle-aged woman suffering from brittle bone disease, enquired if she could earn a living and lead a decent life, Aswathy Nair, founder of the city-based NGO Jwala Foundation, was stunned for a moment. Radha was among the hundreds of destitutes in the city who were being regularly fed by Jwala Foundation's noon meal scheme.
Radha's desire to stand on her own feet prompted Aswathy to think different and launch a project 'Bhagya Theruvu' on International Hunger Day. The project aims to help those who are hapless but want to earn a living on their own.
On Thursday, 30 destitutes in the city were given lottery tickets worth Rs 1,000 each by Jwala Foundation and thus initiated to a new life. Initial capital for the scheme was met by the foundation. Those who got the tickets can sell them and invest part of the earnings for purchasing tickets for next weeks. The sellers will also be eligible for part of the commission for prizes to the tickets they sell.
"They are not a category to be neglected. They are not beggars by birth; their situations made them so. Apart from buying a lottery of the state government to test your luck, if one buys a ticket from them, then they are helping the needy to fight hunger, which is a holy act," Aswathy said.
The foundation which works for the rehabilitation of the destitute launched 'Bhagya Theruvu' as a first phase of a drive to ensure an income generating scheme for those abandoned lives on streets.
"The project sets an example by providing support for the needy to find a living. Let the project eliminate beggars from the society," Sreekanteswaram ward councillor Rajendran Nair, who inaugurated the project in front of Sreekanteswaram temple, said. The foundation also organized a seminar on the topic 'Theruvil Vazhi Adanjavar' at Bank Employees Hall, Pulimoodu, at 5pm on Thursday.