M. Dinesh, a Class VIII student of General Cariappa Higher Secondary School, Saligramam, wants to be a music director like A.R. Rahman and win an Oscar. But his father is a wage labourer, and he has not been able to pay Dinesh’s school fees this year.
A group of Class XI students from Sishya School have raised ₹57 lakh through crowdfunding platform ‘Fuel A Dream’, and donated the money to General Cariappa Higher Secondary School to educate 250 poor students like Dinesh. Students like him are expected to get support to realise their dreams using the funds donated by students of the Sishya School.
To felicitate the students of Sishya for their exemplary service, the Guild of Service (Central) organised a function on Thursday at the General Cariappa School in Saligramam. The school has over 840 students from poor families.
S. Harishraj, a student of Class VIII from the school, who received the funds, said he wanted to become an IAS officer. His parents have been unable to pay his school fee.
Thanking Sishya School students for the help, another student, G.S. Vijay Ishal, said that he would work hard and become an advocate.
“My role model is Mahatma Gandhi. My father died when I was an infant. My mother is a typist at a private company. Her income is insufficient for my education,” he said.
Shaping personalities
S. Yamuna, whose mother is a tailor, said that her mother has been unable to finance her education her after the death of her father. She wants to be a doctor.
The students who raised the money interacted with the beneficiaries, learning about their conditions and dreams. “This will shape their personalities,” said a teacher.
Guild of Service (Central) honarary secretary Himani Datar said that the stories would inspire other schoolchildren to help the poor.
