Dinshaw K. Tamboly, Chairman of WZO Trust India and a good friend of Parsi Khabar, sends us an overview of the Welfare Activities of WZOT for the year 2012.
You can download the entire report here.
The introduction is below for your reading pleasure.
Dear Friends, Well Wishers, Donors,
The year under review – 2012 – has been very interesting, satisfying and rewarding not only in terms of donations received but also for opportunities that came our way to enlarge the activities of our Trusts.
In January 2012 we received an invitation from ZAGNY (Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York) to attend the Sixteenth North American Zoroastrian Congress organized by them at the Hilton Rye Town in Rye, New York from August 2nd – August 5th and participate on the panel making a presentation on ‘Combating Poverty in our Communities Abroad”. The theme of the Congress was ‘Zarathushti Existence in the Contemporary World’.
The Congress coincided with the ‘Silver Jubilee’ of FEZANA (Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America) which was celebrated by delegates displaying amity, goodwill and solidarity.
The North American Zoroastrian Congress provided us with an excellent opportunity to reach out to our community members residing in North America and create heightened awareness about our multifarious welfare activities.
Apart from the donations that were received, a good number of individuals have come forward to volunteer their support in diverse areas from their base at North America as well as make actual field trips in India. New friendships have been forged and there has been a quantum leap in the number of new thought processes and fresh ideas being generated. This certainly augurs well for the future of our Trusts.
This success would not have been possible without the wholehearted support and cooperation received from colleagues on the Congress ‘Combating Poverty Track Team’, Kaizad Cama, Armene Modi, Priyanka Sinha, Framroze Patel & Freyaz Shroff. Our sincere gratitude to these wonderful people.
We are truly grateful to ZAGNY for providing our Trusts with a platform to showcase our activities and applaud the precise and efficient manner in which they conducted the Congress.
We also congratulate FEZANA on reaching the milestone of 25 years. To FEZANA goes the credit of binding the various Associations and small groups of our community on the North American continent. As the Zoroastrian Diaspora on the subcontinent keeps on shrinking, FEZANA is destined to play a very leading and important role in managing community affairs. We wish them continued success.
The Trustees of P. E. Polson Charity Trust and Minoo & Aloo Polson Charity Trust had filed an application with the Hon. Assistant Charity Commissioner mentioning that as the Main Trustee of these Trust’s was of advanced age, requested that their two Trusts be amalgamated with WZO Trust Funds. The Hon. Assistant Charity Commissioner, after considering the request delivered Judgement dated March 31, 2012 amalgamating the two Polson Trusts with WZO Trust Funds, framing a common scheme for proper management and administration of WZO Trust Funds. The Hon. Assistant Charity Commissioner has mentioned in the judgement that WZO Trust Funds was a Public Charitable Trust of repute, is well versed with charity and has an impeccable record of social work. The moveable and immoveable assets of the two erstwhile P. E. Polson Charity Trust and Minoo & Aloo Polson Charity Trust have, as a result of the above judgement, now been amalgamated into WZO Trust Funds.
We are very grateful to the Trustees of P. E. Polson Charity Trust and Minoo & Aloo Polson Charity Trust for having reposed confidence in our abilities and chosen to amalgamate their Trusts with us.
In late November 2012, we began the preparatory work prior to undertaking the construction of our 9th residential building at Navsari. The ancestral property at Navsari belonging to late Pesi, Perin & Dara Deboo, was donated as per their wishes to WZO Trust Funds by Mrs. Silloo Dara Deboo residing in UK. The generous Trustees of Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton & Macao have agreed to fund the construction of the new building. The building is expected to be ready for occupation by May 2014.
Close on the heels of finalising our 9th building we received funding from the Executors of the Estate of Jehangir Burjor Marshall to purchase suitable property at Navsari to be used for constructing a residential building for economically challenged and middle class Zoroastrians. With the Executors of the Estate of Dina Burjor Kavarana & Sanga family having agreed to pay for the construction of our 10th residential building, we are all set to commence this project in the latter half of 2013.
Donations continue to be received for our regular projects, all of which are on track, progressing smoothly.
It has indeed been a very busy but also an extremely fulfilling year.
Whatever we have done would not have been possible had it not been for the support and confidence reposed in us by our donors.
Whilst we extend our sincere appreciation to all our donors, big and small for their munificent support and co-operation it is not possible for us to name each and every one of them. However, we cannot but acknowledge our heartfelt gratitude to the continuous and extremely generous support received over the years from:
1. Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton & Macao.
2. Bai Maneckbai P. B. Jeejeebhoy Deed of Settlement Fund, Mumbai.
3. Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai.
4. Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai.
5. Pervin & Jal Shroff of Hong Kong.
6. World Zoroastrian Organisation, UK.
7. World Zarathushtrian Trust Fund, UK.
8. Dr. Sohrabji H. Kutar Benevolent Fund, UK.
9. Noshirwan F. Cowasjee Benevolent Fund, UK.
10. Mr. Phil (Phirooz) Driver, UK.
11. Erach and Roshan Sadri Foundation, UK.
12. Executors of the Estate of Dennis William Richards Will Trust, UK.
13. FEZANA – Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America.
14. Rena & Behram Baxter, USA.
15. Executors of the Estate of Mithoo Rustomji Vakharia & Pilloo Navroji Mistry, Mumbai.
16. Executors of the Estate of Furdoonji Dorabji Mehta Trust, Mumbai.
17. Executors of the Estate of Late Mrs. Putlan M Mody, Mumbai.
18. Executors of the Estate of Late Jehangir Burjor Marshall, Mumbai.
19. Executors of the Estate of Sorab J. Kanga, Mumbai.
20. Mancherji E. Joshi Memorial Trust, Mumbai.
21. Mr. Sam Kersasp Dastur, Ahmedabad.
22. Mr. Dinshaw Dossabhai Mehta, Pune.
They have truly been the main pillars of encouragement, motivation and support towards the various welfare projects that we have undertaken.
During the year under review, we have, in addition to donors named above, also received substantial donations from three new donors and are very happy to welcome them to our list of esteemed major donors:
23. Radiant Light Charity.
24. Executors of the Estate of Dina Burjor Kavarana &
It was possible for us to execute a major part of our welfare programmes only due to the munificence of all the 25 above named donors, whose support has enabled us to provide not only a helping hand to our beneficiaries, but also facilitated many of them to transit from abject poverty to relevant prosperity and return back into the mainstream of society.
It would also not have been poss
ible for us to undertake such extensive welfare programmes without support from our band of dedicated staff, members of our local committee at Navsari and volunteers. We are indeed very grateful to all of them.It will not be out of place to recognise the sad reality of serious challenges that our community faces, not only on the demographic front, but also issues of economic vulnerability that require considerable attention. Contrary to the general belief that we are an affluent community, the fact remains that there are some who live even below the poverty line (BPL) defined by the government.
Our endeavours have been to combat the economic vulnerability through our various projects, Building Bridges; Guiding Beneficiaries towards Horizons of Hope.
We present, with pride, on the following pages, an overview of the multifarious welfare activities that we undertook during the course of calendar year 2012.
Looking back on 2012, we cannot but feel satisfied, and with pride, identify with the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt – “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little”.
We feel blessed to be used by Him as His tools that bring succour, relief and happiness in the lives of His creation.
Dinshaw K. Tamboly
Chairman