U'khand girls' wishlist to Nita Ambani: Toilets, computer lab

When Nita Ambani came calling to overseee Reliance Foundation's relief work at a school ravaged in the Uttarakhand floods, the requests she was greeted with included separate toilets for girls and computer labs.
Nestled in the hills of Lawara in Guptakashi, the Government Inter College is slowly coming to terms with the natural calamity that damaged buildings and sniffed out lives of as many as 11 students from this school in June.
This school, along with two others in the region (Tainthi and Agastmuni), is being rebuilt by Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of country's most valued corporate house Reliance Industries group, as part of its relief work in different parts of flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.

Accompanied by daughter Isha, Nita Ambani spent a long time with students here and talked to the staff, including an old lady who cooks mid-day meals in this school, which has more than 400 students.
Many students, from class 6 to 12, got up and made requests for having separate toilets for girls, classrooms, canteen and sports ground, among others.
"I was quite touched when one of the girls came up and said, we don't have separate toilets for girls and we want separate toilets for girls.

"Most of us in cities don't realise that these are basic essentials the girls need. I have told my team that this is the first thing we have to do... To set up girls toilets," she told reporters after visiting the school.

One of the boys also requested for a gymnasium at the school.
Reliance Foundation's Mission Rahat, which started with providing post disaster critical support in Uttarakhand, would work towards supporting communities on long-term basis.
The Foundation, chaired by Nita Ambani, has already carried out relief operations in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag (Ukhimath and Tilwara) and Chamoli (Ghat and Nandprayag).
Meanwhile, mingling with the energetic students, who presented her with traditional scarf and a painting of their dream school, Nita Ambani urged them to study with dedication and also actively participate in sports activities.
"This school should get the best school award," she said to a big round of applause from students as well as teachers gathered around her.

Besides, Reliance Foundation also distributed school bags for the students. Nita Ambani also dedicated a shelter to an affected family at a village in Lawara.
Unprecedented floods, cloudbursts and landslides had wrecked havoc in Uttarakhand in June with heavy loss of lives and damages to infrastructure.