Swap shops at Ottur panchayat are helping build sense of community

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Every three months in Ottur panchayat, a swap shop is set up under the banner of the Vanitha Vedi of Mavinmoodu Navodaya Library. Clothes, utensils, toys, shoes, bags, even small electronics are brought in. Some people arrive to donate items. Others come to take home what they need. No money changes hands. The person behind the initiative is P Beena, former headmistress of Sreenarayanapuram Government UP School and current convenor of the vedi. The Ottur swap shops are a continuation of a concept she first experimented in her school. In our homes, many things lie unused. And in many other homes, those very things could be useful. The swap shop simply connects the two, says Beena. So far, the vedi has organised four swap shops. Around 200 people turned up each time. A team of around 15 volunteers collect, sort and arrange the items. All donations are checked for quality. In fact, Beena says people are now even bringing brand-new items to the events. Beena recalls reading a newspaper report in 2017 about a swap shop held in Thiruvananthapuram where the then collector picked up a saree. That made me realise it could work in a school, too, she says. At the time, she was working in another school. She started the first swap shop there. Later, when she moved to Sreenarayanapuram, she took the idea with her. The school went on to host over ten such events over the years. With strong support from teachers, parents and locals, it became a regular feature. We think all the people around us manage their day to day affairs. But there are many who struggle. We saw that during the swap shops, says Beena. The school-based activity stopped after she retired in 2022. But Beena continued it through the Vanitha Vedi. The goal has always remained the same which is to help without making anyone feel less. One moment that still stays with her is of a few mothers searching the remaining pile of items after an event. They were looking for an underskirt. As we dont take undergarments, I bought some for them. That made me decide to continue with the concept as there are many in need, she says.