IE : Amsterdam students to raise Rs 40 lakh for 3 Pune schools : Nov 1,2007

As part of their social responsibility, the 22 Dutch students will be generating funds in association with Round Table India
SHVETA VASHIST GAUR
OCTOBER 30

R AISING funds for construction of six schools for the underprivileged across three states in India are a bunch of 22 Dutch students – first year students of the New Business School (NBS) in Amsterdam – who are currently in Pune. While two of these schools are in Surat and one in Raipur, they have identified three schools in Pune in pursuance of their aim.

The Pune schools include the Shivaji Maratha school at Parvati, the Bhatkya Vimukta Jati Shikshan Sanstha at Wagholi and Gram Panchayat School at Sanaswadi. The students will be generating funds in collaboration with the NGO Round Table India. Social responsibility is a part of the curriculum of these students who visited the sites of the Pune schools and interacted with the children on Tuesday. “It helps these students get a brush with reality and know that things don’t come so easy. They have very different lives back home in Amsterdam and here as they meet these underprivileged kids, it gives them an incentive to work harder,” says Roger ABC Rammers, the professor at the business school and also a member of the Round Table India who has worked with the NGO on many projects earlier too.

The students will also be assessed and marked on this project and are expected to raise Rs 40-lakh for these schools by March next year. Since this project requires them to innovate and come up with means to raise funds, most of their efforts are going in spreading awareness about this project. “We are recording video clippings, clicking pictures and taking as much information as we can to authenticate the idea back in Amsterdam. Be cause there are so many projects like this, it takes a lot of convincing on our part to collect funds,” says 19-year-old Nastassia Epskamp, a figure ice-skater who has decided to put up performances of her skill to raise funds. Twentythree-year-old Yorick Reintjans says auctioning art is a good option too. “Another thing that we plan to so do is sell one classroom to one company. Which means the classroom will be in that company’s name and they will be in charge of it,” he adds.

“I want to come back and do some voluntary work here,” adds Epskamp.

The students have been divided in two groups called Happy Faces and Schools for India and both these groups are striving hard to find means of generating money.

“We plan to hold a talent show which will be sponsored by the ABN Ambro Bank in Amsterdam. Plus many other corporate compa nies are pitching in with sponsorships but it is not easy,” says Rammers. Last Year, NBS had partnered with Round Table to Build 11 Classrooms in Karnataka contributing Rs 21-lakh. This year’s batch of 30 students will be involved with 25 classrooms contributing Rs 40-lakh, the balance coming from us. And while 20 students are visiting the country now, the rest will come for a follow up in January,” says Sanjay Kanakia chairman, Poona United Round Table No144.

“At Wagholi we have already got three classrooms constructed earlier when we teamed with the company J Mrgan and Stanley. This time we will come up with five more teaming up with NBS,” he adds.