If you are thinking about what to do with the old school uniforms of your kids, without giving it a second thought you can approach these two ladies in the city. Vaibhavi Rege and Anjali Chuttar have given a new look to the old school uniforms and in return are giving the same to the underprivileged children who are in need of the uniforms. They started an experimental drive to donate school uniforms last year, under an initiative called ‘Art of Giving’, in which they encourage people to donate school uniforms to needy children, but with a difference.

As per told to Indian Express Pune, Rege said, “The uniforms may be old school uniforms but we don’t give them away as it is. We redesign them and turn them into something else. The idea came to us last year when my daughter was in Class I and I wanted to give away her uniform but with dignity. I asked other parents from her school and collected and redesigned 25 sets of uniforms. Despite the last minute call, many parents responded and that’s why we decided to involve more parents. In the first collection drive itself, we collected over 85 sets of uniforms this year,” 

Explaining the concept further, co-founder Anjali Chuttar said the idea of refurbishing uniforms was not just to make the clothes more appealing to recipients but also to protect the sanctity of educational institutions.“The usual trend is to pass on the uniforms to the sons and daughters of our domestic helps. We do not believe in doing this as the logo of a particular institution is on the uniform and a child who is not studying in that institute on merit or otherwise should not be using a uniform as play-wear. Also, even if a child is using it as play-wear, it clearly shows it is a hand-me down and whether underprivileged or not, all children would like to have new clothes. Hence, we thought of this drive which is not just another donation drive but one that requires us to invest our creativity and time for a cause,” said Chuttar.

The two women collect uniforms from people who want to give them with extra fees of Rs 70 per uniform or Rd 200 for a set of three and buy extra things from the extra money and refurbish the uniforms in the new look. In some cases, the uniforms have also been turned into tote bags or pencil holders to be given to older children. One can donate their uniforms at Vishrambaugh Society, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune.