Dubai: Each year, she picks a cause and commits to it with gusto. This year, 12-year-old Maathangi Anirudh, a student of Millennium School, Dubai, chose to distribute used spectacles donated by members of the public to hospitals running free eye camps in Pakistan.
Having initiated her own charity drive called Donate Spectacles, Give Vision — with the aim of reaching out to underprivileged people with vision problems and encouraging them to read — Anirudh has thus far collected 60 pairs of eyeglasses.
“These eyeglasses are still functional and can be reused by the poor and needy who cannot afford a new pair,” said Maathangi, who is currently the president of a UAE-based youth group called Students for the Earth and was the only Ambassador to be chosen during the country’s bid for the Expo.
Maathangi says she has been getting overwhelming support from people, including from her peers at school and her parents’ colleagues and followers of the Students for the Earth Facebook page. She is trying to reach a target of 150 pairs of eyeglasses.
“I wanted to launch a charity drive that was a bit different, one which will help someone read well and see the world better, especially as this year was announced as the Year of Reading,” she said.
“Reusing old glasses also helps the environment, as otherwise, the glasses would end up in landfills, causing pollution.”
The grade eight student said she will be handing over the eyeglasses to an Abu Dhabi-based resident, who has been previously involved in a similar sight-saving initiative to help patients in Pakistan.
Maathangi has also been engaged in another charity drive for donating books called Old-Books-New Life, which she launched last year. “I was able to collect more than 2,000 books from Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Ajman and donate them to libraries and charities. This year, I decided to continue the campaign. I have been able to collect 300 books so far but I’m aiming for 700 more,” she said.
Sudha Anirudh, Maathangi’s mother, says it has been three years since her daughter became actively involved in community work and believes such activities help children learn how to give back to society and appreciate what they have when compared to others.
“She puts in a lot of effort looking for who is in need of what in different parts of the world. Based on that, she launches her campaign. She enjoys what she does to help others.”
Maathangi wants to carry on with her charitable causes and one day hopes to set up reading libraries for orphanages.
