Social Impact · Service Notes
Thirteen Years of Social Work: What Service Since 2013 Has Taught Me
Since 2013 I have spent a large part of my time on social work in Andhra Pradesh. This is an overview of what we did, and what it taught me about responsibility.
I started doing social work in 2013. I did not set out with a grand plan. I started with a simple belief that has stayed with me ever since: if you are in a position to help, helping is not generosity. It is responsibility.
Thirteen years on, that work has taken many forms. This series is my attempt to write it down honestly: what we did, how we did it and what I learned. Where I give figures, they are our own counts. I have tried not to round them up.
The work, in brief
- Blood donation. Organising donors and camps, and connecting people in need with blood. By our count, our blood donation work has reached more than 10,000 people. More on that.
- Organ donation. Pledge drives and conversations to break one of the strongest taboos in our society. More.
- COVID-19 relief. Oxygen cylinders, masks and food. By our count we provided food for about 30,000 people for 40 days. More.
- Cyclone Titli relief, 2018. By our count, relief across more than 50 villages in Srikakulam, with more than ₹40 lakh spent. More.
- Women's safety. A safety drive, and awareness and support work around sexual violence. More.
- Education. Free education for children of single mothers. More.
- Awareness programmes. The thread running through all of the above. More.
The vehicles: ARF and the Foundation
Most of this work was done by people, not institutions. The youth network we call ARF, the Arjun Reddy Family, brought the volunteers: young people who gave blood, carried supplies and knocked on doors. The Arjun Reddy Foundation gave the work a more structured home. I write about both separately.
What I have learned
Need is local and specific. Someone needs B-negative blood tonight, or oxygen for a parent at home, or rice for a family in a village whose road has washed away. Good social work starts from that specific need, not from a slogan.
Speed matters more than scale. In a crisis, the help that arrives today is worth far more than the help that arrives next week.
Trust is the real infrastructure. People give blood, money and time to people they trust. That trust is built slowly and lost quickly.
Work with the system, not around it. Blood centres, hospitals, district administrations and helplines exist for good reasons. The best volunteer work makes them reach further. It does not replace them.
Why I am writing about it
Partly to keep a record. Partly because I hope it encourages others, especially young people, to start. You do not need an organisation to begin. You need one need, one phone and the willingness to show up.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- What social work has Sirigireddy Arjun Reddy done?
- By his own account, since 2013 he has worked on blood donation drives, organ donation pledge drives, COVID-19 relief, Cyclone Titli relief in 2018, women's safety awareness and free education for children of single mothers, through ARF and the Arjun Reddy Foundation.
- What is ARF?
- ARF, the Arjun Reddy Family, is a youth volunteer network that has supported both campaign work and social causes such as blood donation and relief.