Real Friends

by | Jun 25, 2021 | ShiftHappens

There are over 7 billion people on the planet, each born with a drive to connect. The explosion of technology means we can digitally meet new people from all over the world. Social media “friends” lists can number in the thousands, a testament to our innate interest in the lives of others. 

But what is a “friend,” really?

When things are going well, we may find ourselves surrounded by friends. But when things are more challenging, many of those same people may well disappear. When adversity comes knocking, those who turn toward us rather than away from us are our real friends. When life becomes messy and the party’s over, real friends step forward and lend a hand to help us clean it all up. 

Early in The Pollination Project’s history, we supported a project led by Kelsey Crowe, an empathy expert who went on to co-write a book called “There is No Good Card for This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love.” The book deals with how to support the people we love through illness or adversity. One aspect of the book that I won’t soon forget involved moving from thinking about being helpful to actually acting on that intention. This means replacing the ubiquitous “let me know if there is anything I can do to help,” with statements “I will bring you dinner on Friday,” or “I am coming over tomorrow to tidy up for you.”

There is so much in this simple notion that underlies who we are at The Pollination Project. Our community is full of compassionate doers. Rather than waiting to be asked, they show up and fill the need before them. 

During the unfolding of COVID-19 across the world, I was so uplifted by the ways our community turned towards the most vulnerable in their own backyards. In recent weeks during the second surge in India, I felt this same inspiration. In moments of crisis, we are here for each other, bonded in our shared hope of a kind, compassionate world. 

Our highest aspiration is not to be a foundation that only gives away money. Our aim is simple: to show up and be a friend – a real friend. 

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Lakshman Molleti’s work seems simple enough at first glance: he gives away earth-friendly water bowls throughout India to ensure that the millions of stray dogs, cows, monkeys, birds, and other animals have access to clean water.

"It Began with a Water Bowl," is the movie adaptation of the book "The Journey of Bunty and Chinku,", written by Lakshman.
This story is meticulously crafted with the primary goal of inspiring, motivating, and instilling a sense of responsibility across all age groups towards community building, particularly in the often neglected realms of animal welfare and the environment.

The Pollination Project partnered with Lakshman since the very beginning of Lakshman’s project Animals Water Bowl Project Trust.

To date, Lakshman Molleti:

🐶 distributed 5500+ water bowls
🐶 organized 120 educational events
🐶 educated 35,000 people on animal welfare both in person and online
🐶 impacted 15000+ animals /day.

You can follow Laksham and his organization AWBP Trust on
Instagram at @awbptrust
YouTube at @AWBPTrust
Facebook at @awbptrust
Website https://awbptrust.org/

#animalrights #animalwelfare #vegan #plantbased #veganlifestyle #nocruelty #crueltyfree #heartivism #grants #animaladvocacy #straydogsindia #straydogs #seedgrants #animalactivist

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Lakshman Molleti’s work seems simple enough at first glance: he gives away earth-friendly water bowls throughout India to ensure that the millions of stray dogs, cows, monkeys, birds, and other animals have access to clean water. "It Began with a Water Bowl," is the movie adaptation of the book "The Journey of Bunty and Chinku,", written by Lakshman. This story is meticulously crafted with the primary goal of inspiring, motivating, and instilling a sense of responsibility across all age groups towards community building, particularly in the often neglected realms of animal welfare and the environment. The Pollination Project partnered with Lakshman since the very beginning of Lakshman’s project Animals Water Bowl Project Trust. To date, Lakshman Molleti: 🐶 distributed 5500+ water bowls 🐶 organized 120 educational events 🐶 educated 35,000 people on animal welfare both in person and online 🐶 impacted 15000+ animals /day. You can follow Laksham and his organization AWBP Trust on Instagram at @awbptrust YouTube at @AWBPTrust Facebook at @awbptrust Website https://awbptrust.org/ #animalrights #animalwelfare #vegan #plantbased #veganlifestyle #nocruelty #crueltyfree #heartivism #grants #animaladvocacy #straydogsindia #straydogs #seedgrants #animalactivist

Stories of #Heartivism: "Break the Bias" is a transformative initiative crafted to bridge the gap experienced by visually impaired women in Lagos (Nigeria) in acquiring fundamental digital and communication skills necessary for navigating today`s world.

Thanks to the support of the TPP grant, Oluwakemi empowered 25 women with newfound confidence in communication!

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Stories of #Heartivism: "Break the Bias" is a transformative initiative crafted to bridge the gap experienced by visually impaired women in Lagos (Nigeria) in acquiring fundamental digital and communication skills necessary for navigating today's world. Thanks to the support of the TPP grant, Oluwakemi empowered 25 women with newfound confidence in communication!

CONGRATULATIONS to our grantee and Lead Advisor in Health and Wholeness, Ben Kilama!
He has just taken on the role of "Disability Inclusion Facilitator" (DIF) with Light for the World, a non governmental organization with a vision to build an inclusive world where people with disabilities fully engage and participate in economic development and enjoy equal rights.

In this role, he`s going to be supporting the "We Are Able! Project" which is a partnership project with five partners (Light For The World, ZOA International, NUDIPU-Uganda Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda, VNGI and The Hague Academy for Local Governance in Northern Uganda) to achieve two main outcome: inclusive land rights and inclusive food security.

"I want to appreciate TPP for making this happen. This success is traceable from the grant that we got from TPP which exposed me, my work, and my cause to the community and other organizations which are committed to the same cause.
Seriously, from Health and Wholeness to inclusive land rights and inclusive food security, I envision the sky to be the limit."

We are very proud of you, Ben!
#foodsecurity #health #inclusivity #uganda

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CONGRATULATIONS to our grantee and Lead Advisor in Health and Wholeness, Ben Kilama! He has just taken on the role of "Disability Inclusion Facilitator" (DIF) with Light for the World, a non governmental organization with a vision to build an inclusive world where people with disabilities fully engage and participate in economic development and enjoy equal rights. In this role, he's going to be supporting the "We Are Able! Project" which is a partnership project with five partners (Light For The World, ZOA International, NUDIPU-Uganda Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda, VNGI and The Hague Academy for Local Governance in Northern Uganda) to achieve two main outcome: inclusive land rights and inclusive food security. "I want to appreciate TPP for making this happen. This success is traceable from the grant that we got from TPP which exposed me, my work, and my cause to the community and other organizations which are committed to the same cause. Seriously, from Health and Wholeness to inclusive land rights and inclusive food security, I envision the sky to be the limit." We are very proud of you, Ben! #foodsecurity #health #inclusivity #uganda