An idea that’s going places

Hyderabad: Prithvitej Tulluri wanted to do his bit for a social cause and he had a few ideas up his sleeve. The Green Nest was one of them and it has now established itself in Vellore, New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai with hundreds of college students ready to follow him. Although Prithvitej is currently enrolled at a B-school in New Delhi, it all started when he was studying at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai.

The Green Nest, a youth-run NGO, was started on August 15, 2012 in Chennai and in Hyderabad a few months later. It comprises more than 80 student volunteers from engineering and pharma colleges and they work for two of the most important things for the country — education and environment. “Prithvitej is from Hyderabad and while he was studying in Chennai, he wanted to do something for underprivileged kids. That’s how The Green Nest came into existence,” says Raghavendra Ramshetty, one of the core team members of the Hyderabad chapter and a recent graduate from Badruka college.

The NGO focuses on two projects: Books Wings and Go Green. “Books Wings is where the volunteers teach English to children at orphanages. We feel that English is an important tool if you want to have a good career and that’s where many other NGOs fall short. They don’t focus on the fact that these kids need to have good communication skills. And, Go Green because sustainable development is the need of the hour and we want to spread awareness about it,” he says.

As part of its projects, the NGO has conducted numerous anti-plastic and anti-pollution drives and its annual event, which took place in December, saw volunteers taking 70 kids from an orphanage for a two-day trip to a resort. “The recent events were part of our week-long celebrations for our second year anniversary where the theme was ‘Happiness’. Our volunteers made beautiful handicrafts and sold them on the streets to generate funds for the education of underprivileged children,” he says.

When it comes to funding, Raghavendra admits that it’s mostly internal. “We have a registration fee when a new member joins our team and that’s where the money is usually generated from,” says Raghavendra.