Critical Assistance Fund:
– General Critical Assistance
Funds collected are used to disburse critical assistance to people in need, both within the US as well as globally. Over the past 5 years, we have disbursed over $92,000 to various individuals to cover items like medical expenses, rent, living expenses. In 2020 we have disbursed over $62,000 to individuals in need.
– Parsi General Hospital
Annually we collect funds to help the B. D. Petit Parsi General Hospital (PGH) and Parsi Ambulance in Mumbai. Funds raised help give services to poor Zoroastrians despite accelerating health care costs including free medicines, diagnostics, and rehabilitation at the PGH. Due to the COVID crisis, PGH incurred extraordinary expenses to keep its staff on the hospital premises in order to keeps the hospital’s doors open for the Zoroastrian community. Yasmin & Jamshed Ghadiali hold an Annual Jashan, fully subsidized by them, in honor of PGH. Over the year’s we have collected and remitted over $830,000. In 2020 the community helped raise $100,000 that was sent to PGH.
– Eruch Munshi Memorial – Udvada, Surat & Navsari
Funds raised go towards helping the poor Zoroastrians particularly in Udvada, Navsari, and Surat, and the surrounding area. This year Mr. Dinshaw Tamboly wrote “The situation has been grim for all, including Zoroastrians……….loss of jobs, reduction in salaries, the collapse of small businesses, sectors such as farming, dairy, poultry, brick kilns in which Zoroastrians have been involved are at a standstill. With places of worship still not allowed to open Mobeds have been severely affected.” Zoroastrians particularly in Udvada, Navsari, and Surat and the surrounding area are coping with sickness or the loss of a loved one, while others contend with unemployment. As it is, they do low-paying jobs or run small stores or repair shops and in the best of times barely make ends meet. Now with the lockdown, even this meager income has dried up. Mehru & Lovji Cama along with Hanoz Munshi and Baljinder Kaur holds an Annual Jashan to kick off the fund-raising. Over the past 5 years, we have raised over $133,000.
– Bai Goolbai K. Patel – Surat Parsi Orphanage
Donations raised are used to help offer scholarships to poor kids enrolled at the Surat Parsi Orphanage (SPO) to perpetuate the memory of late Goolbai K. Patel (mother of our very own Framroze Patel). Boys enrolled at the SPO hail from interiors of Gujarat and Maharashtra and are studying from Standard 1 up to college in English and Gujarati medium. The SPO management takes these boys and girls of the orphanage on religious tours to Udvada (twice a year) and eight Atash Behrams (once a year). The children are also encouraged to take part in Surat District and Gujarat State level sports and All Parsi Athletic meet at Mumbai. In 2020 we raised and sent $15,000 to the SPO.
– Dadar Athornan Mandal
Since 2019, ZAGNY has started collecting money for the Dadar Athornan Mandal, the only remaining Zoroastrian seminary in the world. The Institute established in 1919 provides scriptural, religious, and ritual training to children of the priestly class along with regular education till the 10th Grade at the Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly High School in Dadar, Mumbai, India. Boarding, lodging, and other facilities like books, stationery, and medicines are provided at no cost to the students. This Institute is an asset to the Parsi community as it not only keeps alive the traditions and lifestyle of Parsi priests but also provides ordained priests to the community. In 2019, being the centennial year of the Dadar Athornan Mandal, the community got together, and ZAGNY collected and remitted $8,000 to them.
Academic Scholarship Fund
Academic Loan Scholarships (“Scholarship”) provide financial assistance to Zoroastrians for full-time study at a college, university, or equivalent academic institution in the US. These Scholarships are offered in recognition of academic excellence and are intended to assist students who demonstrate a need for financial assistance. ZAGNY will provide students with interest-free loans as financial assistance, repayable over a period of time once the recipient starts earning. In the past 30 years, ZAGNY has given out over $175,000 in loan scholarships. In 2020, four individuals benefitted from the ZAGNY academic loan scholarship.
General Fund
Funds collected are used for various activities, initiatives, and functions organized by ZAGNY, like the monthly religion classes for the kids, Gatha Classes, lectures and discussions for adults, Mutad prayers (at the Dar-e-Mehr and at host families), Movie Nite, Return to Roots, joint religious class, as also the upkeep of our beautiful new Dar-e-Mehr.