Sun Feb 23 11:16:38 UTC 2025: ## Bengaluru Students Launch Upcycling Initiative, Distribute Over 6,000 Pairs of Shoes
**Bengaluru, February 23, 2025** – Two eleventh-grade students from Bengaluru, Vedika Balachandar and Ameya Uchil, have launched “Club Hasiru Sole,” a remarkable initiative focused on upcycling discarded footwear. Motivated by witnessing barefoot children and sanitation workers in their city, the students began collecting used shoes from their community in February 2023.
Since its inception, Club Hasiru Sole has collected and restored over 6,000 pairs of shoes, distributing them to children in orphanages, slum communities, domestic workers, and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) pourakarmikas (sanitation workers). Their efforts extend beyond Bengaluru; they even distributed over a thousand pairs of shoes to children in Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum.
The students face challenges in finding cobblers in Bengaluru to repair the shoes, often venturing to the city outskirts to source their services. This, they note, also provides additional income opportunities for the cobblers. The initiative is self-funded, supported by their pocket money and parental cooperation.
Vedika’s mother, Chitra Bala, highlights the environmental impact of shoe waste, emphasizing that upcycling is a more sustainable alternative to recycling, which can be energy-intensive. The club plans to expand its reach by placing drop boxes in schools, colleges, and apartment complexes, and has also launched an Instagram page and email (hasirusole@gmail.com) for online donations. Their efforts exemplify the power of youth-led initiatives in addressing social and environmental challenges.
First Piper 