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"MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK" Our heartfelt thanks to all our donors, our supporters and volunteers for year in and year out unfailingly helping to raise funds for the HOUSING PROJECT.

What we do

DISBURSEMENT OF EXERCISE BOOKS

Free exercise books are distributed yearly to the students of the Dadar Athornan Boarding Madressa. For almost two decades free booksare alsodistributed to the children of the Kasserwadi Bhangi Samaj. We believe that education is every child’s right and hence this ongoing activity for a literate nation is a strong nation!

MATRIMONIAL BUREAU

Almost fifteen years ago with a view of encouraging the community youngsters to meet, intermingle and find a suitable life partner, the Trust started a Matrimonial Bureau. Functions and Get-togethers were arranged providing opportunities for Zorastrian youth to meet with a view to matrimony. Over 80 alliances have so far been formed and the first baby arising out of this marriage is now a strapping boy of 15. Youngsters desirous of finding a life partner may register themselves with us (no fee) and peruse the files. Aspirants are thoroughly scrutinized to ensure that the Bureau is not just a dating club. Only people with a serious desire to marry are enrolled.

HOUSING FOR THE UNDER PRIVILEGED OF GUJARAT

In the interiors of Gujarat even in this age and times there are Zorastrians living in mud shanties. In an age when 20 and 30 storey buildings are coming up in cities in remote corners of Gujarat, our very own brethrens are living in mud houses many open to the sky, subject to the vagaries of nature. The necessities of life seem to elude these poor completely.

In the year 1996 Late Naju Daver donated a Gara to the Trust which was raffled and the proceeds thereof utilized for building a pucca cement house for one deserving poor. The lucky recipient of the house was one Faram Patel from the village Bridipada. Thence began the effort to build one house every year to this date.

This laudable effort was magnanimously supported by the House of Godrej. Every year for as many years the HOUSE OF GODREJ has donated refrigerators, washing machines, cupboards as additional prizes on the same raffle, thereby enabling us to garner more funds to meet the rising costs of building houses in remote places. You will appreciate that what used to cost Rs.1,00,000 in 1996 today costs anything between Rs.2,00,000 – Rs.2,50,000/- . Hence much greater effort is required if we are to bring a ray of happiness in a poor family’s life.

Our sincere thanks to the HOUSE OF GODREJ and to Ferzyn Boomla the daughter of Naju Daver who has continued in the footsteps of her benevolent mother and a heartfelt prayer for that very noble lady NAJU DAVER who helped start this whole housing project.

We are exceedingly grateful to BACHI AND DINSHAW TAMBOLY – primarily for making us aware of the plight of these poor and then for helping us to provide homes for these homeless. So far your support has helped the Trust provide homes to the following in the lat 12 years.

  • A house for Faram Patel and family at village Bardipada (in Maharashtra).
  • A house for the Tangri brothers in village Sarha Kevdi (Gujarat) for whom a double sized cottage capable of housing two families has been built.
  • A house for Nadirsha Patel and family of village Suvali in Mangrol Taluka of Surat District.
  • A house for Keki Hansotia and family of village Zankhav, in Mangrol Taluka of Surat District.
  • Gujarat Earthquake Relief.
  • A house for Pervez Elavia and family of Rajpipla.
  • A house for Erachshah Ambapardiwalla and family of Ambapardi.
  • A house for Parvez Edulji Ambapardiwalla and family of Ambapardi.
  • A Police Chowki at Udwada commencing shortly.
  • Building extension to Annu Hansotia’s house at Zankhav in Mangrol Taluka of Surat District, including enclosure for Flour Grinding Mill (Home Industry) to encourage self employment.
  • A house for Naval Vesuna, village Mankunia, Taluka Vansda, District Navsari.

A marble Tablet stands above the front porch of every house that is built from the money collected from this “Gara – Godrej” raffles. The Tablet reads “THIS COTTAGE IS BUILT FROM THE MONEY COLLECTED BY MANCHERJI E. JOSHI MEMORIAL TRUST THROUGH THE GOOD OFFICES OF THE WORLD ZORASTRIAN ORGANISATION TRUST”.

We sincerely appreciate the effort put in by our donors and volunteers who help fill the books year after year. The common lament is “we never win anything”. Considering that the community still continues to buy the raffle coupons, it speaks volumes of the community’s generosity and desire to help our poor. “Dhanya Che Zarthosti Jigarne”!

FOOD SCHEME

One of the latest activity and one that elicited global response is the “Food Scheme” started eight years ago. Not many are aware that in our so called educated and elite community there are members who can ill-afford two meals a day. There are old, aged and infirm within our community who have no one to look after them or if they have, they are not interested in their aged parents.

An effective Food Scheme was started almost eight years ago. When we first started there were hardly five to six persons on our list. Over the years it has expanded thanks to donations received from well wishers and supporters.

We are exceedingly grateful to Mr. Homi Daruwalla for creating a global awareness of the Food Scheme by putting it on the internet. We are also thankful to the Zorastrians of Sydney, Emirates Zarthustis, Friends from America, World Zorastrian Organisation and a number of corporates, private individuals and All Parsi Irani Zorastrian Trusts for their support.

Unfortunately the donations on this scheme are not committed/assured donations. It is not as if ‘Y’ donor will give ‘X’ amount every year. Many are one time donations. However the Beneficiaries continue to remain. Hence there is an ongoing appeal for donations on this scheme. The table below gives the idea of the Food Scheme and its recipients together with costs incurred as at 30th November, 2008.