In 2023, we met Mohammad Sarfaraz, a resident of the Shastri Nagar slum area. He had admitted his daughter to a private school under the RTE Act, but was shocked when the school asked him to pay ₹2,500 for books the following year. “I think I will have to withdraw my daughter from the school, as I cannot afford such expenses,” said Sarfaraz, who earned ₹6,000 a month working at a store. His situation deeply moved us. In response, my seniors and I started the Page of Hope Foundation to support children like his and ensure that financial barriers don’t come in the way of their education.
Our innovation is an initiative that promotes educational equity by collecting, recycling, and redistributing used books and notebooks free of cost. Main motive of our innovation is to engage community donors, reduce waste, and support learners who lack access to essential resources.
In practice, it works through a four-step approach:
1. Raise a Query: Donors visit our website and submit a request with basic details.
2. Prepare the Books: Once the request is accepted, The donor pack and label books by subject and grade. This further facilitates quick sorting and distribution of resources.
3. Pickup: A team member or potter collects the materials, ensuring hassle-free participation.
4. Redistribution: Sorted materials are freely distributed to impoverished students and schools.
It not only ensures that learning materials are reused meaningfully but also promotes a culture of giving and environmental responsibility. Donors receive a sense of satisfaction from knowing their contribution directly supports education and promotes literacy. Through this initiative, we are building a network of aware citizens, empowering both givers and receivers, and creating a ripple effect of positive change.
The initiative has been spreading primarily through two powerful channels: social media and school assemblies. By common social media platforms like Instagram, and Facebook, we’ve been able to reach a wider number of people. Also we’ve been conducting interactive assemblies in various schools to create direct awareness and to encourage participation. These assemblies provide a personal touch, allowing us to connect more deeply with students and educators, while social media helps us keep things active and reach more people.
1. Raise a query: Raise a query by visiting our website(pageofhope.com) and fill in all the necessary information. We will reach out to you as soon as possible
Note: We are currently facing some issues with our website and are working to resolve them. We hope to have it fixed shortly.
2. Get your books ready: Once accepted, pack and label your books and notebooks with subject and grade level labelled clearly.
3. Send out Your books :Hand over your packed books and notebooks to our pick-up person
4. FEEL GOOD: Feel good about helping others in need and promoting literacy and education.
