Mumbai: Dawoodi Bohras initiate community welfare project

Mumbai: Thousands of Dawoodi Bohras are carrying out welfare programmes in more than 200 towns and cities spread across four states, as part of a project to improve living condition of the poor members of the community.

The volunteers, drawn from various sections of the religious group including a few from abroad, have fanned out in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where they are helping the underprivileged community members in healthcare, housing and other areas.

They are building, repairing or cleaning homes, running vaccination and medical programmes as part of a five- day long project. The volunteers are working towards providing sustainable opportunities to families that are in need of help, according to a release issued by the community on Sunday.

An infrastructure and administrative system to manage the organisation and funding of the project has been running for few weeks in preparation of the welfare activities that began on December 29 and will end on Monday.

The drive followed the two-year-long travel of the community head, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who visited areas where members of the religious sect reside, it said.

"Some years back, his predecessor had initiated a programme to end food poverty which has now flourished into a common kitchen concept that provides a freshly cooked hot meal every day to every household of Dawoodi Bohras, rich or poor, wherever in the world they happen to live," a community spokesperson said.

The community has now resolved to improve living conditions of the poor, he said.

"A team of about 4,140 members, including students, intellectuals, administrators, professionals and businessmen, have joined hands to look into every need of the community - from housing and clothing to children's education and vaccinations, to help to achieve a minimum standard of living," he said.