“…Keep your eyes wide open and see how fate mangles life. Keep your heart wide open and sense that mangled life as your other half. Such sensations fuelled actions and thus STEPS was born leaping against the torrent it asks for strength and strength comes only with unity. Those united hearts broke the silence, scavenged what they could and made sure that the victims of time are never left unnoticed. This is a call for you to become immortal. Cries silenced by hunger, brains brimming with imagination, minds searching for hope-all seeking your help. Your hands could shape their future and make you immortal…”

Giving back something to the society that helped educate us is our ultimate motivation.

We as engineers have recognized our duty to utilize technical knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

GOAL

Social commitment and empathy diminishes day by day among professional college students. It is in this scenario that the students of TKMCE have come up with STEPS. We are a group of students commited to social entrepreneurship, and spreading the message of love, kindness and empathy.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Aardra – a state wide stem cell donor registry drive organized in July – August 2015. The number of registrations shot up by 4.2% in India and by 18.5% in Kerala.
• Kazcha – an eye checkup camp which provided essential optometric care to almost 100 people.
• Renovation at Kollam district hospital in the memory of Aju Prakash, Nixon Aby Mathew, Adhil Shah, Arun K Sabu, Sijo and Syed Inzamam who passed away in 2015 on New Year’s eve.
• Initiated the first offline program of Addicted to Life -an anti-drug campaign which aimed at empowering young people to make their lives drug-free ones.
• Conducted a state wide awareness campaign to prevent Brain Drain. Especially relevant in a country which loses a large majority of its skilled workforcedue to this affliction.
• Started a campus palliative homecare unit with a technical touch. Patients requiring palliative care areregularly visited and necessary care given by ourtrained volunteers.
• Help Entrance – a program to provide entrance coaching for less privilged students.
• One Day One Rupee – a program in which the students of TKMCE donate one rupee per day to fund the various social initiatives taken up by STEPS.
• Fully-fledged blood bank.
• Organizing blood donation camps including a mega blood donation camp during Tezoro 2015 (TKMCE’s tech fest) which lead to an award by the IMA (Indian Medical Association).
• Interactive sessions with students at Balabhavan, Balikamandiram and Ashraya spending almost 3-4 hours per week and related educational and other activities.
• Interactive session with inmates of Mahilamandiram and helping within our limitations and through sponsorship. Supported marriage of inmate through sponsorship and fundraisers.
• Visiting Gandhibhavan, Pattanapuram and interacting with about 836 inmates and donating money, dresses and other needs.
• Distribution of school kits for students with limited means. Distributed more than 500 school kits including notebooks, pens, pencils etc this year.
• Providing financial support for patients inside and outside TKM. We also support patients from RCC.
• Well maintained and periodically updated book bank. Also provided textbooks for engineering students of other colleges who found it difficult to afford them.
• Putting up a helpdesk in the time of first year admission providing guidance, food etc.
• Renovated a home that accommodates people with mental disabilities
• Serving food and garments to the homeless destitute on an annual basis.
• Provided more than 70 Ramadan kits to the poor and needy.
• Organised workshops on trauma care to effectively deal with accidents.
• Conducting various awareness programs to educate and empower the general public about aforestation, sustainable use of resources, waste management, social values, national integrity and organ donation.
• Supported self labour by providing financial assistance to start up candle making units at Pakalveedu – a mental rehabilitation centre.

STEPS ACTIVITIES
This is only a glimpse of the future. Our greatest ventures are yet to come.