[ 14 Dec, 2006 0138hrs IST
TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]SIDDHSAR: Skip a meal at a fancy restaurant in the US and fund the education of a needy child for an entire year. This line has made over a thousand non-resident Gujaratis (NRGs) turn Santa Claus this Christmas and make a gift of uninterrupted education to over 1,200 needy students in Saurashtra.
Some 700 NRG families have already deposited $250 each, which is to be used as annual fees for school and hostel facilities to fund needy students studying in 30 educational campuses across Saurashtra.
The idea of roping in NRGs was the brain-child of trustees of the Umiya Mataji Mandir at Siddhsar which is revered by the influential Patel community. "A survey revealed that 8-10% of students dropped out of schools as they could not pay annual fees of around Rs 12,000," said Oddhavji Patel, president of the trust and a leading businessman in Saurashtra.
"We decided to approach our brothers settled abroad, asking them to donate $250—an amount they would spend on a weekend family meal at a restaurant in the US," he added.
The trust has already garnered 1,200 commitments from NRGs who have agreed to sponsor students for five years, till they complete their class XII exams. Ram Kansagara is one such student who will now be able to fulfil his dream of studying and "making it big". A class VII student, Ram’s parents had died in a LPG cylinder blast and his relatives, owing to limited resources, were finding it difficult to pay his fees.
Chatrada, a class V student whose mother and sister are daily wage labourers and barely manage to pay his school fees, too has been short-listed for NRG sponsorship.
Bringing a smile to the faces of Ram and Mukund are the likes of Bhanjibhai Kunderiya, a cancer surgeon in California, who has committed to raise funds for 51 students. Kunderiya himself had a hard time financing his medical education and feels he should help as many students as possible.
Members of the Patidar Cultural Association in the US like Jayant Dadhania and others too have committed to sponsor 501 students, recounting their stay in hostels and the difficulties they encountered.
n many cases, donor families have committed to fund students for as long as they wish to study. The trust authorities have made personal surveys and short-listed 700 most needy students for the first phase. "We wish to take this appeal further and help at least 2,000 students by next year," Jayesh Patel, a trust member said.