Interim Report on 9 replacement cottages – Sammy Bhiwandiwalla WZO– 19th February 2007

The nine cottages are at different stages of completion and it is anticipated that they will all be completed by April 2007.

Together with a group of interested parties we visited over a four-day trip some 12 homesteads under the rehabilitation project and self employment schemes. The journey inevitably took us to some remote parts of Gujarat not easily accessible by road under very arduous and hazardous conditions.

Most of the community in these areas are subsistence farmers on very small plots and rely on sugar cane plantations and small scale livestock farming. Some of the family members are forced to seek employment outside the villages and WZO endeavours to find them jobs in places of worship in Navsari, Udwada and Mumbai or with setting up modest business such as shops, tea stalls etc.

The children are given basic education in community educational institutions in Pune and Mumbai. Those who do well will eventually progress to higher education and better prospects to lift them out of poverty.

We will inform you when final completion has taken place on all nine cottages. However there are still many Zoroastrian farmers which need to be assisted and we hope we can request your further support in the near future. In the mean time, may I express our sincere gratitude to the Trustees of ERSF for their support and the substantial funds provided by them.