Twin sisters team up to clothe needy children in India

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Esha and Eshita Kashboina. Read their story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Twin sisters Esha and Eshita Kashaboina know that not everybody grows up as fortunate as they are. Gifted students from a loving family, the sisters saw a harsher side of life when they visited their parents’ home country of India. They saw children in need, without basic necessities. This sparked empathy and a passion to make a difference. The sisters created a project called The Global Touch Project, working in tandem with Forgotten Children Worldwide, a nonprofit organization founded to protect vulnerable children from the life of poverty and child-trafficking, primarily in India and Africa. Sending clothing and shoes to kids in India became their mission, so the twins hold clothing drives in schools in their community and have collected more than 1200 pounds of clothing to date, making a difference in the lives of children in need.

Describe your volunteer role?

As the co-founders of The Global Touch Project, we organize clothing drives in our community. We are constantly in contact with the principals and directors of various schools so that we can schedule these drives. Once underway, we visit the schools to empty the donation bins and collect clothing. We then sort the clothing at our home and send it to Forgotten Children Worldwide. FCW then sends it in bulk to associates in India for distribution, making the shipping process easier and more cost-effective.
Why is it important to you to support your community in this way?
We have seen first-hand what the living conditions and challenges are for the people in India. It is especially hard to see children living on the streets. When you compare our realities to those in India, there is a significant difference in the quality of life. We wanted to improve these children’s living conditions by giving them clothing, an obvious necessity.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your volunteer service?

Managing multiple clothing drives at once! Often the dates and duration of the clothing drives are different for each school, so we have to be super organized. Also, once the bins are full we have to collect the clothing right away so that other people have the chance to donate without the bins overflowing. So, the challenging aspect is staying up to date with every school and ensuring that we fulfill our responsibilities.

Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?

Volunteers make it possible for others to live in healthier environments with more resources and opportunities. Not only does volunteering positively impact other people’s lives, but it also makes us more tolerant and conscious individuals. Volunteering reduces ignorance in society by having people directly confront real-world problems. We become more giving towards others as we support and care for those who have less than us.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

The rewarding part of our service is simply knowing that we are positively contributing to a child’s life. We feel that being able to aid children in India to rise above their circumstances is a great reward for our efforts.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

It can be difficult trying to start a project without having a solid foundation or plan. However, by finding people who can assist you in executing your ideas, you can put these ideas into reality. The outcome of any intention of service is very valuable in the end!

Are there any future partnerships, programs, or events that you are excited about?

We are actually in the process of scheduling more drives in our community. We are hoping to expand our boundaries beyond schools. We are definitely excited to see how much more clothing we can send to India!

What do you want people to learn from your story?

The type and duration of community service isn’t what matters. Every difference you can make counts. One act of giving can make a huge impact on another person’s life. It’s easy to take for granted what is easily accessible to us and the circumstances we live in. We encourage everyone to spend giving back because that’s what it takes to create change.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Esha and Eshita Kashaboina? Find local volunteer opportunities.