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Suresh Raina targets 34 schools on his 34th birthday to help 10000 students get health and sanitisation intervention

On his 34th birthday, India cricketer Suresh Raina's Gracia Raina Foundation is going to target 34 schools and help 10,000 students receive health and sanitation interventions in the form of drinking water, toilets reconstruction

Cricketer Suresh Raina along with his wife Priyanka Raina inaugurated the health and sanitation facilities at Govt Composite Middle School, Noor Nagar Sihani, Ghaziabad.

New Delhi, Nov 23: One of India's most successful T20 cricketers of this era, Suresh Raina will ring in his 34th birthday on 27th November with a series of philanthropic work in tandem with his NGO, the Gracia Raina Foundation (GRF) named after his daughter.

The Cricketer from Uttar Pradesh, who is also Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Ambassador, has pledged to build sanitation and drinking water facilities at 34 Government Schools across Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and NCR which will ensure the health and hygiene of over 10,000 children studying in these schools.

The year-long initiative will be executed in collaboration with Amitabh Shah's Yuva Unstoppable. Apart from the hygiene and sanitation facilities, Raina's philanthropic endeavour will pay special emphasis to Right AGE, an adolescent reproductive and sexual health program which will be rolled out in all the 34 schools.

The Foundation will also establish better access to smart classes for the students in these schools. Raina along with his wife Priyanka, co-founders of the Gracia Raina Foundation kicked off his birthday week by inaugurating the upgraded drinking water facility, separate toilets for boys and girls, hand washing, dishwashing area and smart classrooms at Govt Composite Middle School, Noor Nagar Sihani, Ghaziabad as part of the joint project of Gracia Raina Foundation and Yuva Unstoppable. The couple also donated ration kits to 500 mothers from underprivileged backgrounds.

"It brings me immense joy to celebrate my 34th birthday with this initiative. Every child deserves a quality education, this includes their right to have access to safe and clean drinking water and toilet facilities in schools. I hope we can contribute to this with Gracia Raina Foundation collaborating with Yuva Unstoppable. It is truly humbling to see the upgraded facilities benefiting thousands of kids. This is an excellent start and we look forward to transforming many more schools in the future. There was no better way I could have celebrated my birthday, it was a truly heartwarming experience," an emotional Suresh Raina stated.

Through the Gracia Raina Foundation, the left-handed batsman and his wife will spearhead the Right Age Program which is targeted at adolescent girls and will also impart scientific knowledge through reproductive health workshops. The young couple will also closely work with the students in four schools in their hometown Muradnagar, including those which were attended by Priyanka and Suresh themselves.

Suresh Raina has been associated with the cleanliness Mission Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he was nominated by PM Modi in 2014 to be the Swachh Bharat Ambassador in UP.

Priyanka Raina expressed her joy on the announcement and said, "We at Gracia Raina Foundation are working with the women and children, in these 34 schools as we upgrade their basic sanitation facilities. We also look forward to conducting our adolescence and reproductive health program- RightAGE. This is one of the first steps towards ensuring an adequate and apt reproductive health education for adolescents. It aims to be a comprehensive guide that highlights the dos and don'ts of reproductive health."

Talking about the celebrations, Amitabh Shah founder of Yuva Unstoppable said: "Giving back while you celebrate is truly noble and inspiring. I am extremely impressed with Suresh Raina and Priyanka Raina's commendable work to empower women and children. We are looking forward to working with Gracia Raina Foundation to upgrade better wash and sanitation facilities in schools."

Suresh Raina co-founded Gracia Raina Foundation with his wife Priyanka Chaudhary Raina in 2017. The Foundation is named after the gracious couple's daughter and aims to empower the poor and needy, particularly women and children from less served communities. Some of its major interventions are focused on improving reproductive & maternal health and decision-making among women during one of the most vulnerable and crucial stages of their life. With this, they aim to further aid in healthy and dignified childbirth and maternal child-care.

Source: Media Release

Story first published: Monday, November 23, 2020, 15:59 [IST]
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