Benazeer Baig, the Gentle Revolutionary of Bismillah Nagar, Bangalore, is the Founder Secretary of Raza Educational and Social Welfare Society. Her inspiring journey began in 1994.Bismillah nagar was a scrap center where all sorts of metallic scrap was broken down and traded. The colony, largely Muslim, was also home to many small factories and garages with inhuman working conditions. What moved her was the sight of young boys working in these factories. Not only were these children deprived of any opportunities to study, the hazardous work environment inflicted terrible damage to their health. Benazeer took upon herself the challenges of eradicating this callous exploitation of children. Thus was born Raza.
Like all those struggling to wipe out the disgraceful practice of child labor, Benazeer had to confront the threats of factory owners. And then there was the struggle to convince parents to allow the child to study rather than see them as a source of additional income for family
Research has convincingly established the relationship between education and the eradication of child labor. With the help of Rotary club, Benazeer established a school offering children low cost, and where necessitated by the child’s family circumstances, free education. To this was added Vocational Training to their mothers and siblings to enable them to earn a respectable living.
At any given time The Excellent English School, which is how she named her school, educated close to 600 students with varying backgrounds. More than 60 per cent students of the schools are girls. The medium of instruction is English from LKG to the Tenth standard.
Raza continues to run educational programme under the national child labour project scheme for children identified as child labourers and school dropouts. They are at most times mainstreamed in Excellent school itself in age appropriate classes, or else trained in other vocations.
TMF, Smile Foundation, Global Fund for children, Premanjali Foundation has collaborated enthusiastically with Benazeer to improve the quality of education in the school.
RAZA is fast evolving to meet the demands of the ever changing educational system by introducing advanced courses in computers, making better labs, conducting field trips and leveraging other modern techniques to deliver quality education with value.
To provide education to the children and deliver high quality vocational training to needy adults so as to help them have a better standard of living.
Address the rights of women and children in the society and empower them to lead an independent and respectable life.