RC Bhavnagar gives hope to underprivileged children

Sanjay and Nehal were born into an ­underprivileged family in ­Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Their grandfather and parents lived in the backyard of the Rotary Service ­Centre established by the Rotary Club of Bhavnagar, RID 3060, in 1975. As they took care of the centre, doing all the sweeping and cleaning work, and struggled to make ends meet, the very idea of educating their children in good institutions was a distant dream. “They have now been at our centre for 45 years, but in those days, when their two children were young, life was a daily battle for survival, and the future seemed uncertain. But destiny had something brighter in store for them,” says Manish Kothari, past president of RC Bhavnagar.

Travelling back in time to 1998, when he was his club president, he started a project called Ray of Hope, and set up the Rotary Child Educare Centre on the premises of the Rotary Centre, put up by his club, which is one of the largest clubs in RID 3060 with 146 members, and started 80 years ago. “This project’s objective was to provide educational opportunities to poor and underprivileged children. We started with some slum children in the area.”

It was an era when the poor did not give much importance to education, and the Rotarians had to literally lure the children to the Educare centre by offering them snacks, toys, retaining their attention by telling them interesting stories and so on. Soon about 30 to 40 children started coming regularly to the centre between 4 and 6pm, after the Rotarians had done a round of the local slums and convinced parents that this would be a productive way of occupying their children’s time and attention, or else they might indulge in unsavoury activities.

“Slowly the children attending these sessions got hooked, and Rotary Anns started coming to teach the children basic literacy — alphabets and numerals etc.” Next came both voluntary and paid teachers, and primary education in a more formal manner was started for the children who were in the 5–10 age group.

Very soon colourful books, games, puzzles and similar fun things to learn were added and the Rotarians thought it was time to enrol these children into government primary schools. Some of the children had earlier gone to schools but were either not regular or had dropped out. Again, this was easier said than done, but the Rotarians met the parents and convinced them that if their children were to have a future, they should have some education at least.

Many of the children grabbed this opportunity and within three years, the Rotarians found a big change in the children. “They stopped wasting their time and started learning in the schools and the results were generally good,” smiles Kothari.

Most of the children had by now reached Class 5, 6 or 7 and the Rotarians felt that the brighter among them should be sent to private schools to get an even better outcome, and started sponsoring the fees of the children in these schools.

Asked about how the money was raised, he says that gradually this project was embraced by the entire club and members would donate money on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other events. Visitors from overseas would also donate liberally, and now local companies are giving a part of their CSR funds for this project. “We also started meeting the school authorities and trustees and requested them that as these children come from poorer families, but deserve a chance to get good education, their fees should be lowered. Invariably concessional fees were given and the sponsoring Rotarians cheered on their wards as they reached higher classes.

At this level, where extra help was required, at the Educare centre, Rotary Anns, voluntary and paid teachers gave the children extra coaching in subjects like maths and science. Children soon started clearing Class 10. “Seeing the results, our project gained popularity, and the parents’ friends brought their children and sought our help to educate them. We had our limitations but we had set apart a big hall for this project and were able to accommodate about 90 children, who were divided into four groups according to their subjects and learning capacity.”

By now the children were being given uniforms, school books, stationery etc by the Rotarians. “Whatever they wanted, we gave. Bhavnagar’s notable industrialists and rich people started visiting our centre and sponsoring various parts of this project, including providing regular snacks to the children in turns,” Kothari adds.

Initially when the cost of education and educational inputs was low, the club spent about ₹50,000 a year on sponsoring these children’s education, but now they have stepped up the amount to about ₹4 lakh a year.

His own family is heavily invested in this project. Parul Kothari, the wife of his elder brother Pradip Kothari, who is also a member of RC ­Bhavnagar, has been working with this project and helping the children with their education right from the beginning in 1998, and around the Covid pandemic completed 25 years of service in this centre. Now, the elderly woman has stopped coming here, and this year Parulben was selected for Rotary’s Award for Excellence in ­Service to Humanity. Her place has now been taken over by another Rotary Ann Jyotiben Vakil.

As they worked with the children, the Rotary Anns could spot the brighter ones among them, and once they cleared higher secondary school, they would recommend that the club continue supporting them through diplomas or degrees, including professional courses. “I am happy to tell you that at least 100 of our students have gone in for higher education and are gainfully employed in companies like Reliance, Indian Rayon, and so on. One of our students who is employed in Bengaluru, draws a monthly salary above ₹1 lakh, and has been sent to Spain for further training in his subject,” says Kothari proudly.

An interesting sidelight of this project which has transformed so many young lives is that while tutoring and mentoring the children, years ago, ­Parulben noticed that the two grandchildren of the watchman who looked after the Rotary centre — Sanjay and Nehal — were whiling away their time playing on the streets and not doing much.

The old man had passed away and his duties were taken over by the children’s parents. Parulben counselled and convinced them that the two siblings must join the other children and receive some education as she found them to be very bright. Both the boy and girl’s education was sponsored by the Rotarians and “the dedicated team at the centre, including Rotary Anns, noticed the spark in both the children and supported them entirely. Through primary and secondary school, Sanjay and Nehal blossomed. Tutors, ­mentors, and volunteers from our Rotary club stood by them at every step — ­academically, emotionally and financially. Despite numerous challenges, both siblings completed their Class 12 with excellent results,” recalls Kothari.

The parents thought this was more than enough, but since the kids had scored good marks the Rotarians counselled the parents — Batukbhai and Jyotiben — to allow them to study further. While they were willing to allow Sanjay to pursue his interest in engineering, Nehal, being a girl, did not need further education, they said. But the Rotarians refused to take ‘no’ for an answer; as the family belonged to a scheduled caste, they were even more determined that both of them get a good education.

Putting in his best efforts, Sanjay first did a diploma and then cleared BE in production engineering with the Rotarians sponsoring his fees. Nehal completed her course in BCom and did a PGDCA (diploma in computer applications). While the brother, after a lot of efforts, managed to clear the competitive banking exam and has now been posted as an assistant manager in the Union Bank of India, Nehal has secured a job with the Gujarat State Electricity Board. Their respective salaries: an impressive ₹65,000 and ₹40,000.

There were several challenges along the way. Talking to Rotary News, Sanjay said, “I was determined to get a job in the officer’s category in a good bank. I worked very hard and struggled for two years, taking the exam but every time falling short by a few marks.” But the young man was determined that it was either an officer’s position in a good bank or nothing for him. Finally a few months ago, he succeeded and has now got a posting as an assistant manager in the Union Bank of India. “Right now, I am undergoing training and can dream of a good future ahead which includes a flat and a life partner.”

So would he want his wife to be also educated and a working woman, I ask him. “Of course, in today’s day and age it is very important to be well educated, and it is good for women to work so that together the man and the woman can provide a good future to the family,” he responds.

Nehal’s situation was even more challenging. Even though she cleared both BCom and PGDCA and got the job at the electricity board, “her first posting was in Dwarka, which is very far from here… a seven-hour journey, and her parents were very reluctant to send her that far. But again, we counselled them saying she won’t get an opportunity like this again and to please accept the posting. I promised them that I will use all my influence and connections to get her shifted to Bhavnagar soon,” says Kothari.

So Nehal took up the post and her grandmother travelled to Dwarka to stay with her for more than a year, the time it took the Rotarians to work all their contacts and get the young woman transferred first to a place 30km from Bhavnagar, and more recently, Bhavnagar itself.

A smiling Nehal tells me, “Five years ago, I would have never imagined that I would get this kind of education and a secure job with the Gujarat government. Given my background I had never dreamt that I would reach a stage when I’d move among so many educated people; I wouldn’t have come this far but for Rotary’s help.”

Sanjay is equally grateful and thanks members of RC Bhavnagar for standing with the siblings through so many ups and downs. As for the future, he says: “I will work very hard and try for a high position in the banking industry. This journey has taught me that anything is possible.”

For the parents, Jyotiben and Batukbhai, it’s a dream come true to have both their children in government service — son in a nationalised bank and the daughter in the State Electricity Board.

Adds Kothari, “Today, Sanjay and Nehal are proud, independent and contributing citizens — a true testament to how the undaunted efforts of RC Bhavnagar members transformed two lives, polishing rough pebbles and turning them into diamonds. And in doing so, lit the way for many others to follow. We are very proud of this project and have received so many awards from District 3060. Surely very few projects done by Rotary clubs have run for more than 35 years!”