Kerala: 3 school kids turn entrepreneurs, make LED bulbs to beat poverty amid COVID crisis

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, three school-going kids - Stephen, Sony and Senjo - from Kerala's Kannur district have found their own way to battle their hardships. All the boys have started making LED bulbs at their homes after gaining experience in repairing bulbs and electronics items. 

Kids turned 'entrepreneurs'

Three brothers from Cherupuzha in Kerala's Kannur district have taken the responsibility of running their homes by setting up a LED bulb unit by themselves. The youngest of the three Sebastian brothers, Senjo is in class 7. The other two brothers, Stephen and Sony are in class 8 and class 12, respectively. 

According to ANI, the father of the boys died 10-years-back, and ever since they have been trying to do every possible job to make ends meet. Their mother who is the sole earner in the family would run the house by tailoring. However, she was also facing loss due to the pandemic. It was then when the boys took charge and started their business.

Talking to ANI, the eldest among the brothers, Sony said, "After father's death, our mother used to run the house through tailoring but the business was not doing well due to COVID. That's when we began repairing bulbs in our neighbourhood. It fetched us income; we received many orders during lockdown when all other shops were closed. We meet our household as well as education expenses with this income. My two younger brothers also help me."

Eventually, with time, they got more orders and finally, they decided to start making their own LED bulbs for expanding their income source as well as to establish a business. Talking about their business venture, Sony said, "Initially, we got repairing works of LED and spotlights. Gradually, I purchased raw materials from the market and started making LED bulbs with the assistance of my brothers. It was hard to get raw material during the lockdown."

The boys not only did well at the business but also got a good response from the people in the neighbourhood. They effectively established their business in the lockdown and continued their online education with their new income source. 

The boys also distributed newspapers and advertisement notices in the locality for extra income. 

(Image source: ANI)