PROJECT SPARKLE | EPISODE 01
Our mega project is based on the two areas i.e. Education & Environment. In our very first circle’s meeting (Amal Circle 02, Batch 127) we all members shared ideas and then looked for the loopholes in every idea. Our main focus was to choose a sustainable and impactful project. So, we all agreed upon a project in which we have planned to create solar lamps from waste plastic bottles. We decided to donate these lamps in the organizations which are working to provide education in slums of Faisalabad e.g. Rotaract Club of Faisalabad, Umeed Schools, etc. As these slums lack electricity and other basic facilities, it will be a sustainable source for the kids in the slums to study in evening/night and also they can use the lamps for domestic purposes. In this way, our project will have an impact on education and literacy as well as the environment.
After the selection of project we made an action plan for the building of financial capital for the project, creation of lamps and distribution of lamps.
— Building Financial Capital:
We decided to conduct a fundraising cultural event and to approach the PepsiCo for sponsorship.
- Cultural Event:
For the cultural event, we collaborated with “Umeed Schools” and “Rotaract Club of Faisalabad”. They are providing us full support and team for the event and project. For the cultural event, we divided the tasks within the group as follow:
1. Hosting & Decor — Ayesha Ehsan & Kausar Razaq
2. Printing & Stalls Management — Naveed Anjum
3. Hall Management — Sarfraz Aslam
4. Venue Selection & Performances — Ebadat-ur-Rehman Babar
With these tasks, all circle members are selling tickets in their circles and acquaintances. Our event is scheduled for 20th December 2019 at Quaid-e-Azam Hall, District Bar Association, Faisalabad with the name of RUNG.
Rehearsals for the event have been started and we are done with the 80 percent of work for the event.
- Social Media Promotion:
The posters of the event are being posted on the Facebook pages and Instagram accounts of the Rotaract Club of Faisalabad & Umeed Schools. We have also created an event on Facebook with the name of “RUNG — A Fundraising Cultural Event”.
We have “Eventocracy — The Events’ Bureau” as the event partner and “My Earth My Oikos” as the promotional partner for this event & project. Both are promoting our event on their social media accounts.
— Challenges:
We faced and even facing many challenges. Like,
- We approached the PepsiCo for sponsorship, as we were planning to use their plastic waste bottles for our project. But they refused to give us sponsorship by saying that the year is ending and our sponsorship is closed till February 2020.
- Secondly, we gave the proposal for our fundraising event to the different companies and they also refused us by saying the same.
- Third and one of the most challenging situations was the venue selection. We visited many halls and auditoriums. We felt very disappointed by their response and attitude. No one was ready to support a noble cause. They were only thinking about their business. But after continuous struggle and effort, we booked a hall and divided the fee within the circle.
- Another moment of disappointment was when we went to Amal Batch 128 for the event’s announcement and asked them to listen for a minute. But except 3 to 4 persons, all of them ignored us and didn’t listen to our announcement.
— Post-Event’s Plan:
- Creation of lamps:
After the event, we will initiate our project, as we have already got the rates from the market and we will create the lamps with the help of the team Rotaract Club of Faisalabad. We have pre-planned it and divided the tasks:
1. Purchasing the solar plates — Ebadat-ur-Rehman Babar & Sarfraz Aslam
2. Arranging the waste bottles — Ayesha Ehsan
3. Purchasing wires, batteries & bulbs — Naveed Anjum
4. The decor on the lamps — Kausar Razaq
Each circle member will be accompanied by 2–3 members of the Rotaract Club of Faisalabad for efficient working. Then we will create solar lamps together.
- Distribution of lamps:
Lamps will be distributed among the kids of Gosha-e-Ilm & Umeed Schools.
- Workshop for lamps creation:
We’ll also conduct workshops for the kids in which we’ll teach them:
· How to create these solar lamps?
· How to repair these solar lamps?
