Our Visit to baroda, india

In January 2023, Dasbait Trustees and Members made a 3-day visit to Baroda, India where we collaborate with a local charity called Zidni Ilma and support our charity.

Day 1: Our journey started with a visit to a housing colony in the centre of town previously a slum torn down the by the government to make way for new flats and complexes. Habitants were rehoused in the suburbs and this significantly impacted their livelihood as the majority of labour work is in the centre of town. Dr Juzar Bandukwalla (chair of Zidni Ilma) took it upon himself to fight their cause which included protest letters to ministers, hunger strikes, and finally the govt conceded - housing estate was built and the original slum habitats made of circa 500 families were back where they belonged.  Sadly Dr Bandukwalla passed away in January 2022 but his legacy lives on.

Following our visit to the complex, we visited a class held by adult ladies where they learn how to read and write - can you imagine that in the 21st century, people are still missing out on basic education? These classes which run for 6 months enable them to carry out basic day-to-day activities - reading labels when shopping, filling out a form to open a bank account, etc.  

The day ended with visiting a slum area, and Dasbait's younger members were able to hand out food. packs - an enriching experience, no doubt and one that will be etched in their young minds for years to come and hopefully they will do something with this experience.

Day 2: Our day started with a visit to a school in a poor locality. This government-run school is attended by 427 students and a majority of them come from a household where the family income is less than £500 per annum, putting them below the poverty line. The quality of the education is inadequate and as a result, the majority of the students fail their SSC exam(equal to GCSE), therefore end up down a path of low-skilled, low-paid jobs. Zidni Ilma provides support, for example, additional teachers and other resources.  

Our next stop was in a slum locality where a medical camp was been run. one doctor, 2 nurses, and 300 patients in 4 hours receiving free diagnosis and medicine. 

Day 3: Finally on our last day we were able to attend the annual Zidni Ilma event in Baroda; Zidni Ilma is an Indian-based charity with whom we have been collaborating for over 10 years now. This year the charity was able to support 630 students in pursuit of their further education by collecting £103,000, of which Dasbait was able to contribute £10,000. What made attending the event extra special were the guest speakers which ranged from Tushar Gandhi - great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, co-founder of the Zidni Ilma charity who shared his journey and others who were able to tell their story about how education changed the lives of them, their family and their community, and what seemed a distant dream was realised by donors like yourselves who made it possible for these individuals. Our own member Baneen was also brave enough to take the stand and speak on behalf of Dasbait and what the collaboration with Zidni Ilma means to us.

When you are amongst these people who have done and continue to do so much for others, you realise that your help, no matter how big or small can make a difference to someone's life in a positive way - please help us to help charities like Zidni Ilma improve the lives of the less privileged in Baroda.