Abdai Ali & Memoona Sabunwala were very strong advocates of education as the best inheritance that parents can give to their wards. Belonging to the economically middle class strata of society, this couple had to struggle to make both ends meet and at the same time maintain dignity in the society. Against all odds and prevalent social norms, they managed to educate their three wards, two daughters
and a son. The eldest daughter, Hussaina, did her matriculation in 1955 at a time when most girls either did not go to school or were school drop outs after primary education. The second daughter, Salma, did her graduation in 1964. When it came to decide about their only son, their sights were fixed for a professional degree in spite of the fact that funds were not readily available. To begin with jewelry was sold and later loans were taken. A stage came when there was no option but to abandon the engineering studies of their son for want of funds. Help came from a friend and brother and the engineering studies were completed. Years later when the son was gainfully employed as an officer in the Indian Army and made an attempt to pay back the loan; this friend and brother advised him to help someone else in need. This is the genesis of the formation of this trust. The primary objective of the trust revolved around harnessing the energy of the rising sun (our youth). To begin with our focus was to alleviate the suffering of our middle class families when it came to finances for higher education for their wards. Grant of scholarships was not on our mind. We were looking at interest free loan scholarships for professional degrees where the fees and other expenses were out of reach of our middle class families. This format of interest free loan scholarship ensured that the beneficiary, having met his/her objective in studies, would return the loan in installments within a period of two to three years after he /she was gainfully employed. This format has worked well in that the trust is able to finance new applicants out of funds received as refund of loan scholarships and not having to depend on fresh donations. The second objective on the radar of the trust has been to salute our senior citizens. The current socio-economic scenario in the country is such that, in spite of the best of intentions on the part of the young generation, the care for the elders remains neglected to a certain extent. The elders in the community suffer from a feeling of loneliness and isolation. So far the trust has not been able to achieve any progress on this front. However, the establishment of a knowledge Centre by the trust would address this issue to some extent. The main objective in establishing a Knowledge Centre is to provide a platform with adequate infrastructure for dissemination / sharing of knowledge in all possible fields for youth as well as senior citizens. To start with, the following activities are planned to be organized:
Conduct seminars, workshops and lectures on select subjects and inviting leading persona in the respective field to participate and share their experience. Provide vocational training sessions for senior citizens such as computers and data entry jobs. Free use of PC Lab with Internet facilities for needy research scholars. A Library and reading room catering to the needs all age groups
