India’s Version of the Ice Bucket Challenge Is Way Better Than the Original

Move over Ice Bucket Challenge and make room for the Rice Bucket Challenge.

By now, anyone on social media has seen the Ice Bucket Challenge and probably heard that it’s helped raise a reported $70 million for the ALS Association. India spun the challenge on its head and came up with a much less wasteful way to give to people in need.

Meet the Rice Bucket Challenge.

 

After seeing the dramatic results from the Ice Bucket Challenge, Indian journalist Manju Latha Kalanidhi was compelled to start something similar, but with an Indian slant. “I felt like doing something more locally tangible. Rice is a staple here,” Kalanidhi told CNN. “We eat it every day, we can store it for months. Why not donate rice to someone who is hungry?”

It’s fairly simple: The challenge swaps ice for rice. In India, where clean water is scarce, many people are conserving water. So in lieu of drenching themselves with cold water, they are donating a bucket of rice to people in need.

The campaign urges people to post their experience participating in the #RiceBucketChallenge on Facebook because, as the accompanying literature being circulated says, “small drops make an ocean.” And the movement is gaining momentum. Twitter and Facebook are seeing an onslaught of videos, pictures and praise for the campaign.

The Facebook community page was so overwhelmed by the outpour of support that Tuesday morning it posted: “Friends, we are unable to post many pictures as we are flooded with messages. Will take time to respond to each of you. Please bear with us.”

Source: http://mic.com/articles/97352/india-s-version-of-the-ice-bucket-challenge-is-way-better-than-the-original