Vinod, a KSRTC bus conductor, was driven by a deep desire to help the lesser fortunate sections of society. In 2011, he decided to harness the power of social media to bring about lasting social change in his home-state of Kerala.
With this in mind, Vinod started the Facebook page ‘We Help.’ He began to use the platform to organise people to help the homeless and the poor. With time, the group began to attract more like-minded members.
As the network grew, so did the group’s ability to connect those who needed blood to willing blood donors. Today, blood donation is the group’s primary activity. They even go by the name ‘Blood Donors Kerala (BDK).’
Image source: Flickr, Facebook
Youngsters like telecom engineer Jishnu Raj, businessman Aneesh Ashraf, lawyer Aruna and students Akshay and Sreejith have even helped the group get on Whatsapp, by creating region specific Whatsapp groups for places like Angamaly, Aluva, Kolancherry, Ernakulam, Edappally and Perumbavoor.
Its extensive network of willing donors has made the group the go-to point for all blood donation needs in the state. People contact the group through social media and the members organise willing donors based on the geographic location of the recipient.
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Such is the dedication of the group’s members that when Joby, a member, got married, he organised a blood donation drive at the wedding venue and even donated blood himself.
The Hindu reports that in the last one year alone, the group has conducted more than 60 blood donation drives and awareness camps. It has also helped facilitate the donation of thousands of units of blood.
Besides blood donation, the group also sponsors the education of poor students and supplies food to orphanages and old age homes.
Featured image source: Flickr, Facebook
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