CovidReliefCodeFest

Arjun and Raghav, both Grade 11 students, successfully implemented CovidReliefCodeFest on 1 August, a coding competition for Middle School and High School students to test their coding skills during the pandemic.

Paticipants from Grades 6 - 12, from TISB and schools across India, took part in this unique competition, and also raised money to support Thayi Mane, a children's home for orphan and destitute children.

The CodeFest involved programmers taking part in a fun-filled 2.5 hour hackathon and taking part in other sessions and competitions to show off their coding skills.

The organisation and implementation of the event gave Arjun and Raghav the opportunity to learn many skills such as making the initial plans, designing and building the website, getting the information out through all possible means, following up on payments from registered participants, creating the test with varied levels of complexity, ensuring there are no technical glitches on the day and finally running each and every piece of code, announcing the winners and distributing the prizes.

The CodeFest raised enough money to be able to sponsor the annual education of three students at Thayi Mane, which is a fantastic outcome in itself.  However, the boys took the charity element a step further when they were asked if they would like to instead sponsor the part or full fees for a third year college student, who is also an alumni of Thayimane and continues to live there.  The student is studying a Bachelors of Computer Application course.

Both Arjun and Raghav want to study Computer Science at college and were keen to help someone who had the same passions as them.  They reached out to friends and family and managed to raise the additional funds to pay her full annual fee of Rs. 50,000.

With additional funds raised the boys also sponsored the monthly food bill for twenty four children at a Covid hit migrant community, through the NGO Diya Ghar.

Congratulations to you both on not only the success of the CovidReliefCodeFest, but also for going above and beyond what you had set out to do for charity.