It’s amazing to me how I could raise around Rs 6,85,000 in two weeks for the right cause. More than 150 kind supporters including my friends, family, friends’ families, parents’ friends and numerous anonymous donors came together to help the people in need and raise around Rs 7 lakh to help me purchase oxygen concentrators for the people of Kuchaman City, Rajasthan suffering from Covid-19.
I first wanted to target raising Rs 2,00,000 thinking that even that wouldn’t be easy, but my father motivated me to set a target to raise Rs 5,00,000 so that it’s meaningful and more people can benefit from it.
In the beginning of April, my family was infected with coronavirus. First my mother, my brother contracted the virus then my father and I. Fortunately, my family and I weren’t affected severely and I realised how hard it can be especially when people do not have enough support.
After we tested negative, I saw my dad multiple times speaking on the phone to arrange for oxygen cylinders, plasma, beds, and other vital essentials for people. A few days later, I read that 25 people who were infected with Covid had died in one day. The deaths though weren’t due to the virus but because of the lack of oxygen. I was shocked.
This inspired me to do something for the community and I decided to start a fundraiser for people in need to purchase oxygen concentrators and oximeters. Though Delhi and other metros were getting supplies already and had the best medical facilities, I realised the situation was much worse in smaller towns.
Starting my fundraiser
My father informed me about the situation in our hometown where my grandparents stay that the cases were increasing there every day and support was minimal.
Unlike in Delhi, there are no oxygen cylinder refilling facilities and there is only one government hospital. The only option for any patient whose oxygen levels dipped was to get admitted to the hospital since there were very few oxygen concentrators available in the town. I then started a fundraiser for my hometown Kuchaman City in Rajasthan. I started the fundraiser on milaap.org.
After getting the fundraiser up and running, I shared the link of the cause with my family, friends, teachers and others. I shared it on various social media platforms and requested everyone else also to share it with their families and friends.
At first the fundraiser wasn’t getting enough donations and I was a little worried about achieving the target. My parents supported me and asked me to follow through and share it with even more people. Multiple accounts retweeted my tweet of the fundraiser.
After the second day, the donations started coming in faster. I called my family members and friends and requested them to donate and share. My parents, relatives and friends also shared within their network. This is a screenshot taken on 30 May at 12:00 pm.
Nine oxygen concentrators have been handed over to multiple NGOs in Kuchaman City namely Lions Club, Kuchaman Vikas Samiti, Shri Jankalyan Seva Samiti, and Apna Aashram. They are now being used by those in need, free of cost.
I feel extremely happy that with the support of more than 150 generous donors, we were able to save few lives.
Thank you to all the donors, many of them anonymous for helping me in this. Thanks to all the motivational messages I have received from everyone. I am proud to support my hometown during the pandemic. I am thankful to my parents who have supported me at every step of this journey. I wish this pandemic gets over soon and life becomes normal for all of us.
About me
I am Dhruv Mantri, a Class 10 student from The Shri Ram School, Moulsari Avenue, Gurugram.
I live in New Delhi with my parents and my younger brother Krishiv. I love playing football and have represented school before Covid-19 hit. Being locked at home, I have recently started enjoying boxing.
My inspiration for this initiative were my grandparents (Shyam Sunder Mantri and Shobha Devi Mantri) and my parents (Kapil Mantri and Nisha Mantri). I have always seen them helping people whenever they can.
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