Gondal Lions Club has built one-room homes for eight families, with seven more to follow
In Gondal’s Veri Talav settlement, a red ribbon stretches across two newly built doorways, with garlands strung along the frames. The one-room homes are part of a project by Gondal Lions Club, District 3232-J, that is changing life for eight families comprising 35 members.
The historic town of Gondal in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region was once celebrated as a model princely state under Maharaja Bhagvatsinhji, known for his progressive governance and architectural vision. Over the past 55 years, Gondal Lions Club has carried that spirit of civic responsibility forward through service to the community.
The club’s involvement with Veri Talav began during a food distribution project, when Past Club President Girdhar Rayani came across 15 families living in conditions he found difficult to ignore. They lived in makeshift shelters patched together with wooden poles, sacks and flimsy sheeting. The children had barely enough clothing and no access to education.
Rayani began working closely with five families, helping them develop more dependable sources of income. Three families received auto-rickshaws to earn a livelihood, while employment was arranged for others in nearby fields.
As their circumstances improved, he took the next step: funding a permanent 12×12-ft one-room home for each family at a cost of ₹1.25 lakh per unit. Three more families have since become part of the initiative. Eight homes now stand complete, and seven more are planned so that all 15 families in the settlement can have permanent shelter.
Rayani’s involvement extends beyond housing. Three times a week, he travels 40 kms from Rajkot to Gondal to teach the children at the settlement—a routine he has continued even when summer temperatures in Gondal reach a scorching 45°C.
“I am thankful to my Guruji, who inspired me to undertake this noble work, and to my mentor, PDG Dhirajlal Ranpariya, who opened the doors of service to me through Lions,” says Rayani.
Eight homes now stand in Veri Talav. Seven more, Rayani says, will follow.