KURNOOL: Veera Sekhar is a businessman from Kurnool. He is into real estate, finance, settlements and runs a PDS ration shop. However, the 35-year-old is popular for another reason: he helps the poor and orphans in all possible ways.
Through a volunteers' organisation, 'Friends Society', started by him in 2003, he donates clothes, rice and other essentials to the poor. Apart from donations, he spends at least 20 per cent of his income on service activities.
"I am the only son of my daily wager parents. My parents wanted to send me to school, but unfortunately, my father passed away soon after I completed Class 10 at a local government school in Kurnool. After that, I was forced to do daily wage work to help my mother run the family," Sekhar recalled.
Being from a poor family, he understands how difficult poverty could be. "Several families, particularly those in the slum, are not even able to provide food to their children. I understand their situation," Sekhar said.
During the peak COVID pandemic, he helped around 50,000 people tide over the crisis. Even now, he distributes essentials to 2,000 families every month. "I know the value of education. I conduct education awareness camps at slum areas to motivate people to send their children to school," he said.
He regularly visits orphan homes, old-age homes, schools in slum areas and helps people financially.