Injoy Giving helps inspire generosity through the tale of two inspiring local philanthropists
Injoy Giving, the newly launched online gifting site, is celebrating the work of Sonia Parekh and Vikas Punjabi, two Dubai heroes who are awakening happiness through simple yet beautiful acts of kindness.
Sonia, 22, is co-founder of The Goodwill Tribe, a community initiative that encourages kindness and human connection through regular events in Dubai. The group hosts monthly events, such as Letters of Love, at which volunteers write inspiring and supportive letters to loved ones and to strangers.
Speaking after a recent meeting, Sonia said, “It was amazing to see smiles spreading across people’s faces when they realised what we were doing. A woman stopped mid sentence and gave me a hug. I was so moved.”
Sonia is also the founder of Wasted, an ‘up-cycling’ initiative in which she and a few friends create quirky and fun art out of glass bottles, plastics, newspapers and other waste. Sonia offers these gifts without any price tag under the pay-it-forward model where each person pays not for their gift but for the gift offered to the person after them.
Vikas, meanwhile, screens inspiring films and documentaries free of charge through his initiative, Loco’motion. He believes that when people are inspired they will do brilliant things.
“People are absolutely amazing,” he said. “They are kind and compassionate and capable of so much goodness. All they need is the chance to express themselves. I quit my job in 2008 and went travelling in South America. I felt like I was on fire and I wanted to spark these flames in everyone around me. I know that when someone is inspired, they will create magic!”
The films create a shared wave of human emotion amongst viewers. In this peaceful and enriching space, people relax and forge new connections over joint mat space as they exchange opinions on what they’ve just watched.
Injoy Giving is supporting Vikas by organising new spaces to host these screenings, by expanding his audience reach and by connecting him to other like-minded heroes. The organisation will host two events with Vikas in November and December.
Injoy Giving is the brainchild of Martin and Natasha Rockstrom, who are inspiring generosity through gifting.
Natasha said, “We want to celebrate Sonia and Vikas, and all the amazing members of our community that are going above and beyond to live generously every day.
“We want their stories to inspire our community. Our intention is to nurture them, connect them to other like-minded individuals, expand their reach and collaborate with them to co-create experiences around their ideas. We want to awaken happiness in Dubai.”