Rising up in Kerala’s Thrissur district, Neenu Rathin was once the definition of a stereotypical “excellent lady”. A shiny and devoted scholar, what she lacked, in her personal phrases, was once “pastime”.
The seek for her pastime in lifestyles took her to a number of puts sooner than she discovered it in serving to others. Recently, she is the founding father of Social The city, a non-profit organisation that allows and empowers changemakers and NGOs with connections, alternatives and information fostering social building.
“Bring to mind it as a social media platform for changemakers and aspiring social staff. The organisation is helping you hook up with different changemakers and is helping you in finding the suitable sources. It additionally is helping you lift price range and get volunteers in your initiative,” Neenu stocks in a dialog with The Higher India.
This is her adventure from searching for her pastime to turning into a social entrepreneur who has helped over 6,000 stakeholders together with changemakers, NGOs and corporates, convey social exchange via elevating price range, securing the suitable connections and attaining the individuals who want lend a hand.
Opting for the street much less taken
Raised in Kerala, Neenu was once no longer positive what she sought after to do, so she determined to move for a certified stage. “At the moment, I used to be no longer positive what to take in in faculty, so I went forward with engineering. I even went directly to get a masters in the similar box,” she says.
As soon as Neenu was once amongst her friends who had been engineering, she realised that she was once a misfit within the crew.
“I realised how I used to be no longer right here as a result of my pastime however only for a point. The disaster of no longer figuring out what I sought after to do with my lifestyles kicked in,” she says.
“I even were given positioned at an MNC within the 3rd yr of my faculty,” she provides.
“But it surely was once a duration of recession, and the corporate postponed my becoming a member of date. So, I began my profession as a lecturer in a small engineering faculty. Once I started operating there, I temporarily realised that the scholars had been extraordinarily engineering. Those had been one of the crucial brightest minds in Kerala, with nice rankings and a willing hobby in era,” she says.
“Alternatively, I felt insufficient as a result of I lacked skilled revel in past my stage,” she recollects.
It turned into transparent to her that instructing wasn’t her true pastime.
She says, “I determined that proceeding in that process wasn’t the suitable trail for me. Like in another family, my oldsters advised that I am getting married since I had finished my training. I thought to be their conventional choice and agreed.”
After marriage, she spent some extra years searching for a course. In 2013, she began volunteering with the Artwork Of Residing Basis and it modified her lifestyles for excellent.
Discovering pastime in social paintings
“They have got each non secular and social affect programmes, and I used to be specifically within the latter. I proposed and organised a number of programmes for them, certainly one of which was once my first volunteering venture,” she stocks.
Neenu advised a programme which turned into the basis of maximum of her paintings to come back. “My plan was once to talk over with 10 colleges, plant 5 timber at every, and train the scholars at the significance of tree planting and environmental conservation. I meant to take in about 45 mins to an hour in their time, specializing in environmental consciousness,” she says.
The Basis agreed to her proposal because it required no further sources.
“My kid was once very small on the time, so 10 colleges gave the impression manageable. The reaction from those colleges was once overwhelmingly sure, and shortly extra requests began pouring in. Inside of 3 months, I controlled to hide 30 colleges, which was once my most capability.”
This a hit venture turned into her motivation to adopt extra social affect projects.
Neenu additionally began to develop her circle and began volunteering and designing extra programmes for various organisations.
“In 2018, I needed to transfer to Kochi. Once I arrived, I didn’t have any contacts in social paintings so I joined some volunteer teams. Those teams had been very energetic in serving to with blood donations and different minor requests, accumulating make stronger for quite a lot of reasons. That very same yr, Kerala skilled one of the devastating floods in its historical past. I got here in contact with an overly outstanding individual by way of social media who was once carrying out reduction efforts,” she recollects.
The collective efforts of 1000’s of folks helped supply reduction to many within the affected spaces.
“This revel in made me realise the facility of collective motion. Again in 2013, I had already sought after to create a platform for folks like me who had been social exchange. Despite the fact that I used to be operating with the Artwork of Residing Basis, I had restricted connections with different social affect organisations,” she says.
“Nobody in my circle of relatives have been all for social paintings, so this was once my first advent to such initiatives,” she provides.
Right through the 2019 floods additionally, Neenu actively participated within the rehabilitation of folks suffering from the crisis, specifically specializing in tribal settlements in Attapadi, Nilambur, and Wayanad.
“All of the motivation that got here from serving to folks in want saved me going,” she says.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Neenu realised that it was once vital for her to paintings on her concept.
“In my middle, it was once extra like a venture for me and I had by no means idea of turning into a social entrepreneur. After it was once incubated at NSRCEL (Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Finding out), Indian Institute of Control, Bengaluru, I realised this initiative had a lot more doable,” she says.
Basis for Social The city
The non-profit organisation was once began with 500 folks and has engaged greater than 6,000 folks in social paintings.
“We first of all used WhatsApp teams and emails for interactions. We used the platforms to fritter away vital details about coverage adjustments, incubation programmes, and extra with the contributors of the crowd,” he says.
The organisation does no longer price any charge for club and is open for any person who needs to convey social exchange. “It’s extra like a neighborhood of folks with a an identical college of idea who wish to convey some roughly exchange within the society,” she explains.
Explaining how the organisation works, she says, “For example, if there’s a changemaker in Kerala who needs to lend a hand a death college and desires to offer them laptop methods however is undecided of which firms to method and the best way to lift the price range, then this is the place Social The city steps in. We attempt to attach them with the suitable folks and lend a hand them lift sources.”
Akber Ali, a social employee who works with the tribals of Wayanad, issues out the significance of projects like Social The city. “I’ve labored with the organisation again and again now. First when there was once a flood again in 2019, then right through a landslide and however right through the COVID-19 pandemic. While you paintings in far off tribal spaces, it turns into very tough for us to succeed in out to folks in towns and get lend a hand.”
He continues, “Neenu, right through the COVID-19 pandemic, was once the primary individual I contacted to lend a hand us. Within the hills, it was once very tough to get elementary hand sanitisers, she was once the one that raised the cash, amassed the desired facilities, and despatched it to us. As soon as, it was once recognized to different folks that we would have liked lend a hand, many got here to our rescue nevertheless it was once the preliminary first step to connect to the suitable folks that the organisation helped us with.”
Moreover, she additionally is helping volunteers hook up with the suitable organisations to kickstart their social paintings adventure.
Reflecting on her social paintings adventure, she says, “Regardless of who you’re — a scholar, homemaker, physician, or architect — you’ll be able to create a vital affect on society. It begins with the will to make a distinction and take step one. Mom Teresa mentioned that we would really feel like only a drop within the ocean, however with out that drop, the sea could be much less.”
She provides, “From my revel in as a volunteer to beginning impactful initiatives, I’ve noticed how small movements can create giant waves. Volunteer, paintings in combination, and be that an important drop within the ocean—as a result of in combination, we will be able to create never-ending probabilities.”
If you’re a changemaker searching for make stronger or wish to volunteer, you’ll be able to succeed in out to Neenu right here.
(Edited via Padmashree Pande; All Photos Credit score: Social The city)