The pen is mighty, but it needs paper!

A group of students from Chennai is helping poor students learn better by providing them with recycled books.

What started off as just an idea to bring about a small change in the community went on to create a bigger impact, resulting in corporates, colleges and schools flooding in with blank paper to support those in need of them.

It was thus that Kora Kagaz came into being. The idea was born in 2011 when Shreya, then a high school student in Chennai, presented this project at the Teen of the Year competition held in Mumbai. It was selected from among 120 entries and gave her a funding start to initiate the program. With the help of her friends, Shreya and six other school students from Chinmaya Vidyalaya began collecting books. They segregated them, bound them and gave it to the children in need. The school helped them by organising ‘interact clubs’ to help them collect books, providing cartons and segregating the material for the students.

“We initially lacked volunteers but then we got help from our school. They linked us to many other schools in the locality and that gave us a shot in the arm.” says Shilpa Suresh.

With the founding team away for college or work, their juniors, who religiously carry out their passionate vision, take the idea forward.

The team is hoping to set up chapters in different cities. More than 9,000 books have been given to 2,160 students, which the highest achievement Kora Kagaz has recorded. Kora Kagaz aims to bring down our carbon footprint and pave the way for sustainable methods of development.