Walking the talk with P3
It’s easy to lose touch with your roots when you are born and brought up overseas. Your life is so unimaginably different from what it’s like back home that you get detached even before you know it. Especially for second and third generation Indians, the connection inevitably remains restricted to films and music.
But here is a group of youngsters who are leaving no stone unturned in “giving back to their home country because they have been lucky to have a great lifestyle”. They have visited India only during holidays and their trips have been all about “shopping”, yet they are exposed to the dark side of the country and are sensitive enough to take concrete steps towards change. ‘Educating, advocating and encouraging’ these young guns to take the necessary action is P3 Foundation.
A youth-led non-profit organisation, P3 has been bringing University students together to work towards eradicating extreme poverty in Asia-Pacific ever since its inception in 2009. Founded by New Zealander Divya Dhar, this organisation has been so dedicated towards the three Ps that it stands for (Peace, Prosperity and Progress), that it has changed many lives in a short span of three years. “It’s been a part of P3’s vision to motivate young people because we are the future. And if we want our future to be good, we need to start shaping our world from now,” says Divya Hariharan, CEO of P3.
A remarkable blend of ethnicities within the age bracket of 17-30 years, the volunteers of this organisation stand as an inspiring example of all that can be achieved if thoughts and words are put into action. “Our team is a reflection of Aucklanders, coming from different cultural backgrounds but working towards one cause,” the CEO informs.
Hariharan was born in Bombay and has spent 10 years of her initial growing up days in India. “That was enough time for me to get exposed to poverty in the country and it continues to shock me, every time I visit India,” she tells us. Ditto for Shreya Gejji, whose perception towards India changed after her visit to the Kalimpong village in West Bengal as a part of P3’s project in June last year.
Gejji, along with 12 other volunteers, travelled to Kalimpong to witness the economic development that has taken place in the village over a period of time, thanks to the efforts of P3 and Glenn Family Foundation. P3 has been working in partnership with the Glenn Family Foundation to provide the necessary resources to this village, which has been lacking some of the most basic facilities in terms of health and education. While the former has been raising the required funds, the latter has been putting those funds to use to build the necessary infrastructure for the villagers there.
And today, the village has come a long way from broken schools, no water and toilets to having proper hygiene facilities, schools and also a medical camp, which was organised by the P3 volunteers on their visit. “I had a very different picture about India until I visited Kalimpong. It changed my view completely and helped me understand my country better. It was such an intimate experience to meet the villagers. I didn’t expect such an emotional and personal response from them. They put a face to all the money that was coming in. Our influence had changed their attitude towards environment ethics and human rights. It was such a reminder that giving back is not our choice but our duty,” the 22-year-old recounts, who is also P3’s National Project Manager.
After having spread its branches in Wellington and Dunedin, P3 has also taken the initiative in involving High School students in their mission. They launched the SEED programme last weekend in this direction, which will rope in High School students and mainly aim at supporting villages in Tonga, Polynesia.
The organisation will also have its World Changers Conference this Saturday, which is open for all University students to attend. Be there to catch all the action. You could also log on to www.p3foundation.org to know more about these dynamic youngsters and how you could be one of the world changers too.
It’s easy to lose touch with your roots when you are born and brought up overseas. Your life is so unimaginably different from what it’s like back home that you get detached even before you know it. Especially for second and third generation Indians, the connection inevitably remains restricted to...
It’s easy to lose touch with your roots when you are born and brought up overseas. Your life is so unimaginably different from what it’s like back home that you get detached even before you know it. Especially for second and third generation Indians, the connection inevitably remains restricted to films and music.
But here is a group of youngsters who are leaving no stone unturned in “giving back to their home country because they have been lucky to have a great lifestyle”. They have visited India only during holidays and their trips have been all about “shopping”, yet they are exposed to the dark side of the country and are sensitive enough to take concrete steps towards change. ‘Educating, advocating and encouraging’ these young guns to take the necessary action is P3 Foundation.
A youth-led non-profit organisation, P3 has been bringing University students together to work towards eradicating extreme poverty in Asia-Pacific ever since its inception in 2009. Founded by New Zealander Divya Dhar, this organisation has been so dedicated towards the three Ps that it stands for (Peace, Prosperity and Progress), that it has changed many lives in a short span of three years. “It’s been a part of P3’s vision to motivate young people because we are the future. And if we want our future to be good, we need to start shaping our world from now,” says Divya Hariharan, CEO of P3.
A remarkable blend of ethnicities within the age bracket of 17-30 years, the volunteers of this organisation stand as an inspiring example of all that can be achieved if thoughts and words are put into action. “Our team is a reflection of Aucklanders, coming from different cultural backgrounds but working towards one cause,” the CEO informs.
Hariharan was born in Bombay and has spent 10 years of her initial growing up days in India. “That was enough time for me to get exposed to poverty in the country and it continues to shock me, every time I visit India,” she tells us. Ditto for Shreya Gejji, whose perception towards India changed after her visit to the Kalimpong village in West Bengal as a part of P3’s project in June last year.
Gejji, along with 12 other volunteers, travelled to Kalimpong to witness the economic development that has taken place in the village over a period of time, thanks to the efforts of P3 and Glenn Family Foundation. P3 has been working in partnership with the Glenn Family Foundation to provide the necessary resources to this village, which has been lacking some of the most basic facilities in terms of health and education. While the former has been raising the required funds, the latter has been putting those funds to use to build the necessary infrastructure for the villagers there.
And today, the village has come a long way from broken schools, no water and toilets to having proper hygiene facilities, schools and also a medical camp, which was organised by the P3 volunteers on their visit. “I had a very different picture about India until I visited Kalimpong. It changed my view completely and helped me understand my country better. It was such an intimate experience to meet the villagers. I didn’t expect such an emotional and personal response from them. They put a face to all the money that was coming in. Our influence had changed their attitude towards environment ethics and human rights. It was such a reminder that giving back is not our choice but our duty,” the 22-year-old recounts, who is also P3’s National Project Manager.
After having spread its branches in Wellington and Dunedin, P3 has also taken the initiative in involving High School students in their mission. They launched the SEED programme last weekend in this direction, which will rope in High School students and mainly aim at supporting villages in Tonga, Polynesia.
The organisation will also have its World Changers Conference this Saturday, which is open for all University students to attend. Be there to catch all the action. You could also log on to www.p3foundation.org to know more about these dynamic youngsters and how you could be one of the world changers too.
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