Students get support from philanthropists in city

VISAKHAPATNAM: "Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present," said writer Albert Camus. Believing in this concept, some philanthropists in the city have chosen to support the education of children who come from poor financial background.
Most of these kids are born to daily wage labourers, widows and people who suffered from ill health and it is these that need help.Speaking to TOI, K Madhuravani, principal of Gayatri Vidya Parishad's Mallemadugula Lalithamba Bangarayya Trust School (GVP MLBT) at East Point Colony, said nearly 50 students of the total 800 students studying in Class I to Class X are being sponsored by philanthropists who pay their tuition fees and look after the other basic needs of the children.
"Some philanthropists voluntarily come to us to help the poor, but academically strong students, while some agreed to support those we requested them to. These children are being sponsored annually to the tune of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh per student by the philanthropists," Madhuravani said, adding that K Sai Sri, one such student, Sri secured 8.8 grade in the Class X examinations in 2014-15.
According to her, an employee of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) pays for three students in the school. He pays special attention to the students by frequently enquiring about their studies and health. "In many cases, the benefactors pay more attention than the parents. This is perhaps because they are illiterate and busy with their work. Most of the parents of these children are house-maids, watchmen and vendors who work from morning to late evening. The parents just drop the children every morning to school and collect them in the evening," the school principal added.
Peddanti Raju, a Class VI student who is being sponsored by the HPCL employee, said "My parents are poor because of their illiteracy and lack of support from anyone when they were young. I do not want to live the same kind of life. With the support of the sponsors, I am working hard to reach my goal. I will never forget the people who supported me in my education."