PAWS’ rakhis to help our furry friends

On the occasion of Rakshabandhan this August, Mumbaikars have a chance to buy rakhis for their families and simultaneously do their bit for the cause of blind girl children and helpless animals.

The Plants and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) has started a fund-raising event to coincide with the festival, during which they will be selling eco-friendly rakhis and other merchandise.

The funds generated by this event will be divided equally between PAWS and the National Association for the Blind.

“This is an opportunity for an NGO like us to help out another NGO. Apart from spreading awareness about our cause, we will also be selling eco-friendly articles and recyclable products. The rakhis that we plan to sell at this fund-raising event are all handmade. They have been painstakingly created by some of the talented underprivileged youngsters working with us, said Nilesh Bhanage, founder of PAWS.

All the rakhis are priced at Rs10, and PAWS plans to utilise its half to improve its infrastructure. “We have already shipped around 150 rakhis to our supporters. On weekends, we will be setting up small stalls on the roads and will sell to the public,” he said.

The National Association for the Blind (NAB), which PAWS is planning to help out with this event, is one of the oldest and largest organisations working in the field of disability in general and blindness in particular. NAB was established to provide the visually-impaired with a good education and vocational training, and to make them socio-economically self-sufficient.

PAWS is also involved in the rescue and treatment of small and large animals across the city and the suburbs. Apart from the rakhis on offer, it markets pens made of paper, pure cotton T-shirts, clay mugs, and many other products. “All the products are made by different NGOs and we help market them through our website. We also inform people about some products we use every day, which are not eco-friendly in reality.

For example, the mugs that are so abundantly available in upscale malls and fancy gift-shops are actually made of bone china, which contain the crushed bones of slaughtered animals,” said Bhanage.

PAWS does not restrict its activities just to spreading awareness about the plight of animals. In the past, the NGO has raised funds for several other causes including the rights of domestic help and for the betterment of under-priviliged women. The products are marketed through their website and social networking sites.

“We also tie up with different international groups, who then help us in organising the stall and gathering the manpower for these events,” Bhanage added.