Rayanis love to care for children

People
Ekbal Rayani with wife Nureen at their home in Port Moresby.

By BERRY DINGHAN
EKBAL Rayani and wife Nureen believe every child is a gift of God and has the talent and potential if helped and developed in the right way to become a productive and useful citizen.
They regard themselves as humanitarians as it is in their blood to care for others, especially children.
They have orphanages in Kenya. In Port Moresby, they are behind programmes which help street children such as the Born Free Out of Home Care Centre. There is also the Laila Foundation which is a medical ship funded by Indians in PNG to provide basic health care in the remote areas of PNG. It is based in Lae.
Ekbal himself is from India but born in Kenya before moving to Canada. He holds a dual citizenship in Kenya and Canada.
He loves PNG as he has been in the country in the last 25 years. He hopes to also get a PNG citizenship once the arrangements are finalised between PNG and Canada.
Ekbal is the managing director of the Shady Rest Hotel in Port Moresby. He and wife Nureen are both third generation orphanage care providers.
Ekbal’s family had set up orphanages in India and Kenya, taking in and looking after abandoned children found on the streets.
He believes Papua New Guinea can solve its street children problem by establishing orphanages.
He wants to help children through special programmes to provide them education from elementary to tertiary levels. He believes it is the only way to convert street children into useful citizens.
He views PNG’s social setting to be easier to manage than in India or Kenya where parents and immediate family members force children out of their homes and into the streets.

“ Every child irrespective of his or her background has the capability to succeed to be someone great, and contribute to society.”

In PNG, children choose to leave home and are not forced out by their families. In many cases, they leave home because of poverty or domestic violence or both.
“The social structure in India in families is based on a dislike for girls. Parents are burdened with the payment of dowries or bride prices to the groom’s family and his relatives to get married. It is the opposite in PNG.
“Sometimes dowries demand are too high that the girl’s family couldn’t afford. The groom walks away which is embarrassing for the bride and her family. The girl can be forced out of home or worse, commit suicide.
“Families in India generally don’t want female babies. They sometimes leave them at the doorsteps of other people, or Catholic sisters and churches. Most of these girl become orphans.”
Ekbal’s father started an orphanage care centre called Grajkot Girls Hostel in India in 1935. He took in 400 baby girls, cared for them and gave them education from elementary to university.
So far, 8000 girls have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, accountants, tradeswomen.
“Kenya was bit different from India as girls were more valued than boys. Girls do more useful jobs in households than boys. Boys were often removed from homes and ended up in streets.”
In 1993, his family started an orphan care centre in Kenya called Scant for street children. He also took in 165 boys in various age groups. The centre was funded by the family.
Rayani came to PNG in 1995 from Canada for a project in East Sepik and East New Britain. He later decided to stay in the country.
He was about to start a street kids and orphan care centre in Port Moresby but cancelled it after being told of the “wantok” system where children still live with their relatives.
In 2001, he and a friend founded the Pacific International Hospital (PIH) in Port Moresby and became its director from 2003 to 2015 before retiring to go into private business.
Ekbal wants local companies to own shares in the hospital. So far, the Mineral Resource Development Company and the Mortor Vehicle Insurance Ltd have bought shares.
They regularly travel back to Kenya to visit their orphanages. They remain passionate about looking after children.
“Every child irrespective of his or her background has the capability to succeed to be someone great, and contribute to society.”