This is the story of how Project Rainshield started — and the people behind it.
Udayan, Gia and Kiara knew each other from college in Mumbai. During one particularly relentless week of monsoon rain, all three separately noticed the same thing on their commutes: the same pavement families and elderly residents near their local station, soaked through, with nothing but plastic sheeting held down by bricks.
A conversation on a group chat turned into a plan for one weekend collection drive — a few tarps, some umbrellas, whatever footwear friends could spare. That single Saturday reached about 40 people. It also made clear how much further a small, organised effort could go if it kept running instead of stopping after one drive.
Project Rainshield was named for exactly that idea: a shield against the rain, built and held up by a community rather than any one person.
Three different strengths, one shared focus on getting practical relief to people fast.
Plans the drives themselves — sourcing tarps and footwear at fair prices, organising transport, and coordinating distribution timing around weather forecasts so relief arrives just before the rain gets worse, not after.
Leads community and corporate fundraising, manages the NGO partnership, and keeps donors updated on exactly where their contribution went — because trust is the only currency a volunteer-run drive really has.
Coordinates with health workers on-ground about monsoon-specific risks like fungal infections, organises the volunteer roster, and trains new volunteers on how to distribute aid respectfully and safely.
A single-weekend collection among friends and classmates: tarps, umbrellas and spare footwear, distributed by hand near a local railway station.
Udayan, Gia and Kiara formalised roles, opened a shared fundraising pool, and began buying supplies in bulk directly from wholesalers to stretch every rupee further.
Recognising the limits of a volunteer-only network, Rainshield began partnering with an established Mumbai-based NGO whose outreach workers already have trusted relationships with pavement and settlement communities.
This website, a clearer donation structure, and a public record of where funds go — so more people can join a drive that started as three friends and a group chat.
We distribute aid the way we'd want it offered to us — no spectacle, no conditions, no judgment.
Every rupee raised is tracked against what it bought. Donors can ask, and we'll show the math.
Established NGOs already have trust and reach on the ground. We fund and support rather than compete.