A unique 'shoes & footwear collection drive' has been announced on the auspicious occasion of Gurpurab. The same will be kicked off on Saturday - November 20 by a city based teenager Sumeir Bhatia who is a Grade 10 student at The George Washington University High School based in USA, & lives in Sec 35 with his parents. Sumeir is currently pursuing his education online & was earlier a student at Chandigarh's Strawberry Fields High School. 

Sumeir has founded ‘The Helping Feet Initiative’ under which he endeavours to provide shoes to children who don't even have this basic necessity. "I am working to raise awareness for the need to provide shoes for the under-privileged children. I have organised a ‘Seva Box' at the Chandigarh Club which will be put up on 20th and 21st of November and concerned citizens of the tricity & the region can come forth and donate used shoes for the upcoming winter season for making the lives of children who have to go barefoot a little easier." 

Sumeir said further , "'The Helping Feet Initiative' wants to help needy parents by providing their children with the proper footwear, which in turn reduces medical costs for them as well. For the average person, shoes are a necessity, one we could not imagine living without; however, for millions of Indian children, the nightmare of 'going barefoot' is a reality. They have to walk barefoot, over hot asphalt roads, just to get to school. This causes harmful physical and psychological ailments, ones that may haunt them for their entire lives." 

"Families have slipped under the poverty-line after the Covid-19 pandemic; this has impacted provision of basic needs for children . As citizens of this great country, it is the community's responsibility to show compassion towards a growing population of post-pandemic under-privileged children." Added Sumeir.

Sumeir informed that he will not accept monetary help under ‘The Helping Feet Initiative’. He plans to collect donated shoes, clean them and then distribute these in the slum areas in and around Chandigarh. 

"The Helping Feet initiative" was started by Sumeir in October 2021 and has received overwhelming response from tricity residents. Sumeir alongside his studies is working hard to spread awareness about the need for shoes & footwear for children who are bereft of this rudimentary need even in the 21st century.