In Raigad, Bohras step in to rebuild school that was ravaged by cyclone Nisarga

A Higher secondary school in the Sanderi area of Mhasala block in Raigad is being rebuilt with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra communityrsquos lsquoProject Risersquo An appeal for assistance had been made by singer Anuradha Paudwal whose organisation Suryodaya has been supporting schools damaged during Cyclone Nisarga on June 3 last yearSet up in 1998 by Anwar Hajwane and a few likeminded people the school is now run by Prabhakar Narayan Patil PNP Education Society which provides education from Std VIII to X to over 100 students most of them being females from financially and socially backward families including tribalsFounder Hajwane 70 who heads Sanderi village committee was worried about the studentsrsquo future The school is the only one in Sanderi and provides higher secondary education to girls who otherwise had to either travel long distances or be deprived of further studiesHajwane said ldquoSanderi and its neighbouring villages have more female children Except for one time a couple of years ago our school never got government grantsrdquoAlso Read Mumbai Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray come together for their teacherHe added ldquoWith time the teaching in our school improved and many female students started scoring over 80 per cent in Std X In 2004 we gave the school to PNP Education Society as it had become financially difficult for us to run itrdquo Although the school is being run by the PNP Hajwane said that the villagers have an emotional connection with the school and some students went on to become doctors lawyers and one became a nurseClasses during Covid19During Nisarga the school lost almost everything including books fixtures and four computers The school has five government recognised teachers and two office staff Since it did not have insurance arranging funds for its repair became a mammoth taskldquoParents even today are hesitant to send their daughters to school We did not want to risk discontinuing any girlrsquos education due to a prolonged stay at home So during Covid19 we requested our teachers to visit each village and conduct classes especially for Std X students Practical laboratory training was done in coordination with schools in neighbouring villagesrdquo said HajwaneProject Risersquos entryProject Risersquos Murtaza Hasani 38 head of the Dawoodi Bohra Raigad community said ldquoThe appeal for assistance came from Paudwal to our community at the Mumbai head office We surveyed the area and the Sanderi school was found to be most in need We decided to start the relief work and reached out to HajwanerdquoldquoAnother reason to shortlist the Sanderi school was that it caters to a maximum number of female students We also requested female members of our community to have oneonone counselling sessions with the female students during one of our visits Male members interacted with male students This was necessary to understand studentsrsquo perspective and take their needs into considerationrdquo Hasani saidProject Rise noted points like the need for adequate and hygienic washrooms and welllit and ventilated classrooms ldquoWe are in talks to get the school a dispensable sanitary pad machine The number of washrooms has been increased from one to three Boys will get an equal number of toilets Separate rooms have been made for teachers and storage of booksrdquo Hasani saidComing back strongerThe rebuilding of the school delayed by the recent Covid19related curbs is expected to be complete soon Project Rise has also ensured that the schoolrsquos roofs have adequate support to prevent them from being ripped off in futureThe villagers pitched in by arranged contractors and construction materials all of which was procured and used locally and paid for by Project Rise The new construction has been done close to where the school was originally locatedldquoWe are thankful to the Project Rise team We will provide assistance to the school whenever it needsrdquo Hasani saidAfter Nisarga Paudwal had been visiting Raigad and providing financial relief ldquoThe Dawoodi Bohra community came forward and genuinely helped in rebuilding a completely devastated school I am moved by their gesturerdquo Paudwal saidShe added ldquoI have been supporting schools in and around Goregaon tehsil and will continue to reach out to good Samaritans and trusts for their helprdquoProject RiseProject Rise is a global philanthropic initiative of the Dawoodi Bohra community Besides sustained nutrition water and environmental projects in India and abroad it has stepped up to help families affected by the Covid19 pandemic by adopting around 375 families in four villages of Raigad