The Students Sponsorship Program is enabling the poor children of Gujarat to obtain basic education. We are also trying our best to provide further opportunities for higher education to those bright students who excel in their studies, with the help of this Program.
Two of our sponsored girls Sonali & Afsana, have completed 12th grade and are pursuing Physiotherapy in a college in Ahmadabad. Additionally, Yasmin is now doing her CA (Charter Accountancy) in Ahmedabad alongside these two girls. And two additional students Sania and Farzana, are pursuing a master’s degree.
Shukhar Foundation is on a mission to help ultra-poor families meet the basic needs of life. During our Gujarat Journey 2020, we distributed 300+ food packages to the devastated families of our sponsored students. We are motivated to provide needed medical attention to the family members of our students who are under our care through the Student Sponsorship Program.
We met Amir Bhai who moved to Nagalpur from Dar-es-salaam in the 1970s. He failed his medical and thus could not move to either Canada or USA; however, his brother and sister who were with him, were able to move. As fate would have it, he lives in the same compound as his grandparents in their family home being looked after by our local community. Amir knows over 100 Ginans and we were privileged to hear a few recitations. He has an amazing and soothing voice and we were surprised to note that all his Ginans were written in English. Amir’s eye sight is deteriorating and relies on tiffin service. We have provided him with dentures and hearing aids. His brothers and sister cannot help him as they are also aged.
Medical emergencies are also driving many families to seek help from us. So far, many life-threatening situations have been averted because of our intervention. We envision increasing demands on us for help for medical emergencies as Gujarat is one of the hot spots in India affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Our work in Gujarat has brought us face to face with individuals and families who are in desperate need of help to deal with mental illness. Many families have come forward to seek help in spite of the fact that society still looks down at those battling such heart wrenching conditions.
