Sanjeevani Project raises money for Indian school

The project aims to replace this one-room Indian schoolhouse with a more substantial structure.

Sophomore Spandana Induru recently founded the Tulane chapter of the Sanjeevani Project.

Abhita Reddy, an undergraduate student at Northwestern University and a close family friend of Induru, founded the original chapter of the Sanjeevani Project, an initiative to raise funds to build a school in her father’s native Indian village.

Reddy’s father Sanjeeva Reddy, who came from a family of farmers, is now a gastroenterologist in the New Orleans area. During a recent visit to the village, Reddy saw the school that her father had attended as a child, a one-room concrete building with limited supplies.

“After seeing those conditions at the school, I wanted to help the kids reach their full potential,” Reddy said. “Most don’t have the money for transportation to go to a better school. Most only have access to elementary school and not even a proper one.”

She said she was inspired to launch the Sanjeevani Project by her father’s journey and her recent trip. She wanted to aid the youth in the village in their own journeys by providing them with better education.

“I’m really passionate about this project,” Reddy said. “Everyone has so many opportunities to give back to those who have less, and because I have the capability to contribute in this magnitude I think it’s important that I help.”

Besides being Reddy’s father’s name, Sanjeevani means “one that infuses life.” Reddy hopes the project will infuse life into the village by offering nearly 500 children an education.

Groundbreaking for the new school is set for May 2011. Through fundraising efforts, the group has already purchased a plot of land for the school which will be in a central location among the surrounding villages. More fundraising has now begun to pay for books, teachers, building materials and eventually computers.

Reddy introduced Matthew Irimpen, a sophomore in Tulane’s Teacher Preparation and Certification Program, to the Sanjeevani Project. Irimpen said that he became involved for several reasons.

“I see how bad schooling is here in New Orleans in the Recovery School District, but seeing chaos overseas where my ancestors are from is devastating,” Irimpen said. “To see such a low literacy rate in India [61 percent] really upsets me. This is my chance to help out, and I’m doing everything I can. This is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Induru and Reddy said that the New Orleans Indian community has already become engaged in the project due to Dr. Reddy’s prominent role in the community.

“The Indian community has been very helpful,” Reddy said. “They seem to care a lot about the project. They have a special connection because they can relate to it. They have an emotional tie.”

Induru said that the general Tulane community is just beginning to get involved due to how new the Tulane chapter is.

“The program needed roots first before it could get its branches,” Induru said.

A Web site will soon be operational with an online donation area for students to contribute. There will also be fundraising events on campus as soon as a committee is formed for the project’s Tulane branch.

Tulane students who would like to take a more active role in the Sanjeevani Project or who would like more information can join the Facebook group “Sanjeevani Project — Tulane Chapter” to be notified of ways to help, upcoming fundraisers and donation links.

“I hope that this idea and project, once completed, inspires other students to begin other projects like this to help their own native countries and regions that are less fortunate than the United States,” Induru said. “It shows great promise for the future when students with incredibly bright futures don’t stop with themselves and want to help others have promising futures too. As Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’”