Why a pencil can change a family’s future
For a child in poverty, a school bag is not a small thing. It can be the first page of a completely different story.
It began with a tragedy no one should have to read about: a daily-wage worker and his family, caught between hunger and shame, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Asha Latha Akula and Jonas Gihone Akula could not look away. “Love your neighbor as yourself” stopped being a saying and became a plan.
Friends, phones and a very short deadline
They called friends. Friends called friends. Together they raised approximately $18,000 and turned it into food, essentials and hope. Within weeks, that relief reached over 75,000 people across 10 cities.
Every packet of rice or bag of vegetables was more than a meal. It was a message: you are not forgotten.
The question that came next
When the emergency eased, an uncomfortable question remained. What happens on the day after the relief runs out? Kindness had saved lives, but it could not change the conditions that put those families at risk.
- Millions still face hunger, poverty and closed doors.
- Talent lies hidden in communities written off as “too poor.”
- Relief is essential. But without education, skills and support, it is temporary.
So we built Slate
Slate Welfare Foundation exists to move from rescue to transformation, from one-time help to lasting change. Our motto says it: Learn. Unlearn. Create.
Compassion delayed is compassion denied. Let’s not delay.
You can read the story of the original campaign on our GoFundMe page, and see how you can join the next chapter on our Donate page.
