Robin Hood Army: State’s good samaritans
| Date :07-Aug-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
Raipur
Do you know what do more than 100-odd Robins in Bhilai do in their free time? They connect with volunteers and donors to collect food, clothes, stationary, toiletries and medical aids to pass it on to youngsters and adults dwelling at railway stations, orphanages, old age homes and the street. The saga began in Bhilai in 2018 with 4 volunteers whose number has now increased to over 100 Robins and they have no specific workplace or so called office, but sometimes they all meet in Nehru Nagar Park, near Gurudwara. Students, doctors, CA, entrepreneurs and retired persons are involved in this noble cause of serving the underprivileged and rendering their services free of cost.
Clad in green t-shirts, young RHA volunteers in Bhilai. (R) Poor street children studying from a book provided by RHA volunteers.The Robin Hood Army is a Zero-fund organization that is purely volunteer-based. They do not take cash donations from anyone and function through donations in kind, which is distributed to the needy. Robin Hood Academy was founded by Neel Ghose in August 2014 in Delhi and has now spread across the country. Seeking inspiration from Robin Hood, who was traditionally depicted dressed in Lincoln Green, the RHA volunteers are dressed in green and seek to secure help and donation from the fortunate and give it to the less fortunate.
Robin Hood Army is serving in 140 cities in 13 countries with 16,500 volunteers, where mainly the task of redistributing good-quality food from hotels, restaurants, marriages or family functions to the hunger-striven is carried out. It is ensured that only good-quality food is distributed and in some areas, dry food grains are also distributed. The modus operandi is that once an individual registers on the RHA’s website, he/she is added to a city-specific Whatsapp group, from where multiple messages start pouring in regarding donors, venue of donation, type of donation and missions to be accomplished.
The Robin Hood Academy, spread across 63 cities in India is a bridge between the street and the schools, where Robins teach children and persuade them go to school. Numerous children who are forced to beg to help their parents are given free nutritious food by the RHA and Robins also convince their parents to send their children to school. With increased awareness, some organisations are also lending their helping hand – the RHA also aims to tie up with Vocational training centres to enable people to earn their livelihood and lead a respectable life.
‘Food, empathy can change a life’ “Food, empathy and engagement can help you structurally change someone’s life,” says Robin Hood Army’s founder Neel Ghose. Ghose added that the organisation functions on and propagates the basic ideology of self-sustained communities across the city i.e. each locality/community within the city will contribute towards providing food to the needy through its local volunteers and restaurants. RBA has a strict no-funds approach, so growth in the organisation is largely funnelled through social media and partnership. “We introduce new volunteers on a regular basis to the system, to create an impact amongst the less fortunate and in the process inspire a community to give time and help to those who need it most,” he said, adding further that tie-ups and associations with restaurants to provide food in large numbers to the homeless/less fortunate communities is also part of their strategy to ensure maximum reach out for starved people.
#Mission 5: RHA’s plan for I-Day This Independence Day, Robin Hood Army (RBA) has made elaborate and extensive plan to undertake a unique project – #Mission5. The idea is to prioritize those who need the food the most - the Indian heartland, i.e. rural India. RHA Bhilai is aiming on serving a number of citizens across 5 villages in the district. It has aimed to serve the needy this Independence Day to distributing 5 kilogram of wheat flour, 1 kg Arhar pulse and 1 litre refined oil, to around 200 households in Jevra-Sirsa area. Logistics and reach of #Mission5 is owned by partnerships with the private sector. The execution will be taken care of by RHA volunteers.