Orange seller builds a school | Fusion - WeRIndia

There is no extent to which a person won’t go when there is determination. An orange seller has built an entire school for poor children in Mangaluru.

Harekala Hajabba, has been credited with the tile of ‘Akshara Santa’ or Saint of Letters for his amazing contributions to society. Hajabba grew up in a very poor family and dreamed of rolling beedis in the city.

However, he ended up selling oranges. During his childhood he could not get a proper education. He didn’t want others to go through what he experienced. He then realized what he wanted to do in life. Since that day, Hajabba worked towards setting up a school to give access to education for the children in his village.

He spent all his money for the sake of his cause. His wife first complained about it but later realized the importance of the cause. Hajabba’s dream slowly started forming in 1999 with a school attached to a madrasa in his village. At first there were only 28 students. As the students grew, Hajabba knew he would have to shift the school to a bigger facility. He saved every rupee he earned towards building a proper school.

He bought 50 cents of land and realized his savings would not be enough to build a school. So, he started asking people for money from famous people. He also started getting some attention. He got nominated for CNN IBN ‘Real Heroes’ award. Hajabba used his cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh for the school too.

As recognition increased, he got donations from many places. Now, he built a school on 1.5 acres of land in the village. It has 150 children studying there. It has now become a secondary school.

Alban Menezes, the founder of United Christian Association wanted to invite to their events to inspire students. When they talked, Alban found out that Hajabba is worried about not having a house for him or his children as he spent everything he had on the school. However, his efforts weren’t wasted. Alban constructed a house for Hajabba at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh. It is a 760 sq. ft. house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and also a special enclosure for all of Hajabba’s awards and trophies.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia