Public invited to contribute clothes, essentials and funds from September 17–24
As families affected by recent calamities in Mon district continue to recover, the Jubilee Memorial College (JMC) Students’ Council has launched a Clothes & Essentials Drive, inviting the public to contribute clothing, essential household items and monetary assistance.
The drive, scheduled from September 17 to 24, will primarily focus on families affected by the August 18 fire at Longzang village under Phomching administration, where three houses were completely destroyed and Tizit flood victims.
According to Students’ Council Convenor Sashikumzuk, in Longzang Village, the affected families have not yet rebuilt their homes and are currently staying at their “Angh’s place.” The fire also destroyed stored grain and household belongings, affecting both their homes and livelihoods.
When asked what prompted them to take this initiative, Sashikumzuk said JMC has people from different communities, and that there is also “one person from the Mon District helping our family.” This, he said, helped inspire him to begin the drive.
He further said the idea of helping Mon had always been with him, and that his induction as the new Convenor following the election in August, along with the August 18 incident, made him feel that the timing had aligned. “In the heat of the moment, it was decided that we would raise the fund for Mon,” he said, adding that it was something he had always wanted to do.
However, he said that in order to start a donation drive, the council needed a proper link through which assistance could reach the affected people. He recalled coming across a video where people were raising not only financial help but also other forms of assistance. The person who posted the video subsequently became their point of contact for further information.
According to information received by the council, Longzang is a very remote area, around 33 km away from the main town.
He said their “economies have been washed away,” as the stored grain they had stocked for years was completely burnt down.
“We realised how difficult it is to lose one’s home and livelihood,” he said.
The council decided to focus more on Longzang because of its location and the situation of the affected families.
“To do this donation drive for Longzhang, we felt as though Mon was needing Mokokchung,” Sashikumzuk said.
He said the council felt that most people were not paying attention to the fire victims.
Asked why the council chose to focus on Mon, he said, “There is so many layers in Mon. The incidence will happen again. We see Mon in a lot of headline and people raising fund for them. But on ground, the help has been limited, especially for places like Longzang.”
According to Sashikumzuk, seeing an incident repeatedly in the headlines can also create the impression that affected people have already received the help they need.
“But it takes forever to overcome grief and on top of that their house has lost. The areas we are focusing on is so untouched,” he said.
“We have heard enough but we have not done enough,” he added.
The council is seeking clean and wearable clothing, including T-shirts, shirts, casual wear, trousers, track pants, light jackets and sweaters, along with clothing for women and children.
Blankets, bedsheets and usable household and kitchen items are also being accepted.
Sashikumzuk said the council was particularly focusing on clothes because they would be safer to transport, adding that it could not guarantee the condition of household items during transportation.
Monetary contributions are also welcome, with the Students’ Council stating that such contributions will be properly accounted for and maintained with transparency.
The council is also collaborating with individuals and volunteers from Pune who are connected with support efforts to help channel assistance to the affected communities.
The collection point is Jubilee Memorial College. The drive is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, friends and well-wishers.
