Onboard courier Nitish supports local communities with money he earns with Wings on Board missions
Onboard courier Nitish supports local communities with money he earns with Wings on Board missions
What if you could do something good with the money you earn from Wings on Board missions? Many people have also been financially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our onboard courier Nitish Fatarpekar helps the local community in his country of birth, India, with the money he earns from missions. How did he come up with this idea and how does he help the local community? We interviewed him.
Nitish was a student at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. While he was staying at the institute’s campus, he also used to teach the children of the housekeeping staff and construction workers community. In India there is no social security system and the lockdowns left people out of work, and they didn’t earn any money. Since Nitish volunteered to teach the children of the housekeeping staff and construction workers community, he learned that their parents were not able to pay for rent, food and healthcare because there was no work during the lockdowns. Nitish decided to help the community by supporting them financially with the money he earned from the Wings on Board missions.
Also in the village of Goa, where Nitish lives, he helps the local community pay their debts and fixed costs. There are no specific requirements someone must meet in order to be eligible for a financial contribution other than being financially affected by the covid19 pandemic. When they are genuine and they immediately need money for their basic needs, they can ask for a financial compensation. Nitish makes agreements with them to repay the money at a later time and uses that money to help other people who are in need. But there are also people who cannot repay the money, that shows how distressing it is now. In addition to a financial contribution, Nitish also teaches children voluntarily. “It is important that children receive education. Education helps create more pillars within the community which in return helps them grow forward. And if they receive good education, they can give something back to the community later on.”
It helps that the euro has a higher value in India than the rupee. With a contribution of €250 – €300 per month, a family of four can meet their basic needs. It’s still a lot of money but Nitish is glad to help the local communities in India.
At Wings we’re very proud of Nitish and all the good work he does for the local communities in India. Thank you Nitish for sharing your story!
