On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Project Rise volunteers of the Dawoodi Bohra community mobilised in an effort to spread the message of kindness and compassion towards society, which was one of the principle teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Below are reports of some philanthropic activities carried out by the volunteers in different parts of the country.
Chennai
On Gandhi Jayanthi Day, the Dawoodi Bohra community in Chennai launched the Zero Hunger Squad (ZHS) and began a drive to feed the hungry in the city.
They set up a mobile kiosk near the Stanley Medical College and Hospital, and started distributing food packets.
Juzer Rangoonwala, a coordinator of ZHS and Project Rise Chapter in Chennai, said they initially started this in a small way during the lockdown and then continued giving away 200-250 food packets a day from April till June. ‘Our volunteers, who went to the field, told us about how desperate and starved people were then. We decided to go ahead with the drive for those three months. Now, we want to continue doing it and have set up this mobile kiosk,’ he said.
The food is cooked in two community kitchens at Parry’s Corner and nearly 50 volunteers distribute them.
Mobile kiosks will be extended to other areas like Royapuram and Parrys soon. ‘One clear instruction given to volunteers is to step in only after wearing a mask and gloves. We also ask them to ensure that those who come to collect the packets stand at an adequate distance from each other,’ he added.
Bhopal
Marking the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Dawoodi Bohra community in Bhopal distributed over 50 eco-sensitive dustbins to families in Hammal Colony. This initiative was undertaken in collaboration with Bhopal Nagar Nigam with an objective to spread awareness of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (clean India movement) along with training families to segregate waste at home rather than dumping it on the streets and choking water bodies.
Strict social distancing and government guidelines were adhered to while undertaking the activity.
Secunderabad
Project Rise volunteers came together to further Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of Swachh Bharat (clean India) by expending their efforts towards achieving a cleaner environment for all.
More than 30 people, including MSB students participated in the drive collecting more than 2000 pieces of plastic. Plastic collection points were also set up for people to come and deposit single use plastics.
The participants pledged to spread awareness against single-use plastics. MSB Secunderabad, in collaboration with the international organisation TED-Ed, continues to educate students about the hazards of improperly disposed plastic waste.
Malkapur
Community members organised and participated in a local cleanup drive to mark the occasion.
