Over the last 1 year, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care has been extensively involved in the reconstruction of schools, houses, and animal shelters affected during the devastating Gujarat floods of 2017. The floods, which lasted over a month, led to the death of over 200 people, displacement of 1.2 lakh people, and caused severe damage to infrastructure.

Since then, through the ‘Emergency Relief’ programme, we have undertaken multiple long-term rehabilitation projects to provide respite to people and animals in the affected areas. One project was the rebuilding of 2 schools – Mota Jampur Secondary and Higher Secondary School and Shree Shiv Shakti Secondary and Higher Secondary School, both in the Banaskantha district. These schools suffered large damage from the floods, and their combined reconstruction entailed activities such as re-flooring of classrooms, building new walls and bathrooms, creation of new lobby areas, and provision of over 15 new computers. Currently, the schools house over 400 students studying from standards 9 to 12, and are now fully functional!

Another project involved the construction of over 30 new brick-and-mortar houses for families whose huts had been washed away during the floods. These houses now provide a secure and stable home for these families. This project was carried out in the villages of Patni Odha and Anandpura, in the Banaskantha district. Another initiative was the construction of an animal shelter in the area of Godhana, Patan district.

These efforts have played an important role in bringing peace and stability to hundreds of families and animals in the flood affected regions.