<p>It was a dream come true for a group of 10 students from Kerala’s Alappuzha district when they took their maiden flight from Kochi to Bengaluru on Thursday, thanks to Kudambashree, a women’s collective.</p>.<p>The funds for the trip were raised through the sale of old newspapers and other scrap materials.</p>.<p>To encourage the children to do well in Classes 10 and 12, the women self-help groups of the Kudumbashree poverty eradication and empowerment programme of the Janakshemam ward of the Muhamma panchayat offered a flight trip to those who score A+ grades.</p>.<p>The students, along with 10 members of the Kudumbashree units, visited the Lalbagh Botanical Garden, took a ride on the metro, and later travelled back home by train. Ward member Latheesh B Chandran, who led the group, told <em>DH </em>that around Rs 30,000 collected through the sale of old newspapers and other scrap items was used for funding the travel. 10 members who accompanied the students bore their expenses.</p>.<p>“Similar programmes to motivate children would be initiated in future also,” he said.</p>.<p>In March, the panchayat announced the project to motivate students. Around 300 Kudumbashree members contributed 2 kg of old newspapers each besides other scrap items.</p>.<p>The Janakshemam ward had earlier also introduced such novel initiatives. With Giant African Snails posing a threat to the farmers of the ward in 2021, a snail-catching contest was organised. Onam bumper lottery tickets with prize money of Rs 12 crore were then offered as prizes to 10 people who caught the highest number of snails.</p>
<p>It was a dream come true for a group of 10 students from Kerala’s Alappuzha district when they took their maiden flight from Kochi to Bengaluru on Thursday, thanks to Kudambashree, a women’s collective.</p>.<p>The funds for the trip were raised through the sale of old newspapers and other scrap materials.</p>.<p>To encourage the children to do well in Classes 10 and 12, the women self-help groups of the Kudumbashree poverty eradication and empowerment programme of the Janakshemam ward of the Muhamma panchayat offered a flight trip to those who score A+ grades.</p>.<p>The students, along with 10 members of the Kudumbashree units, visited the Lalbagh Botanical Garden, took a ride on the metro, and later travelled back home by train. Ward member Latheesh B Chandran, who led the group, told <em>DH </em>that around Rs 30,000 collected through the sale of old newspapers and other scrap items was used for funding the travel. 10 members who accompanied the students bore their expenses.</p>.<p>“Similar programmes to motivate children would be initiated in future also,” he said.</p>.<p>In March, the panchayat announced the project to motivate students. Around 300 Kudumbashree members contributed 2 kg of old newspapers each besides other scrap items.</p>.<p>The Janakshemam ward had earlier also introduced such novel initiatives. With Giant African Snails posing a threat to the farmers of the ward in 2021, a snail-catching contest was organised. Onam bumper lottery tickets with prize money of Rs 12 crore were then offered as prizes to 10 people who caught the highest number of snails.</p>
