21 Prosthetics to disabled - 28th Dec 2011

On the morning of 28th of Dec 2011 members of the Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk gathered at Mukti at Meenambakkam to hand over prosthetics to poor and needy disabled. For many of the beneficiaries this was the first time they were receiving prosthetics. The first timers needed to be trained in maintenance, usage and car.

At every camp that is held for prosthetics there are always stories which need to be told and this camp was not different. The suffering of a disabled person is much, while we provide them with mobility aids, these people still suffer, a prosthetic alone does not take them to a normal life and this may never be possible for many of them.

The need is so much that even after we take many steps forward the target has been pushed further away. There are still so many disabled in remote and far flung villages who live without hope and in misery. If Rotary cannot help them who will?

This Artificial Limb Camp was funded by a Matching Grant with RC of Strathcona Sunrise.

Technicians at Mukti giving finishing touches to artificial limbs to be handed over to beneficiaries.

A beneficiary trying out his new limb.

Some of the beneficiaries

Waiting for their limbs

An old limb of one of the beneficiaries, could not be repaired

An improvised limb of one of the beneficiaries, the limb was heavy and difficult to use as there was no flexibility. The owner of this limb was relieved to get a new limb that works well.

Rtn. Varadarajan's Speech

5 Tricyles to poor and needy disabled

5 Tricycles were distributed on 24th of Dec 2011 - Christmas eve, these beneficiaries were identified by Snehithan a NGO which works with the Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk in reaching out to the disabled.

Rtn Ravindran with the beneficiaries

 

 

 

 

Hearing Aids - Xmas Gifts

24th of December 2011, Xmas eve, the members of the Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk gave away hearing aids to 12 children who were suffering from impaired hearing. The aids were given away just before the Christmas Eve party organised by the Club for its members.

The children and their parents travelled from villages about 80 Kms from Chennai to get their hearing aids. Most children heard continuous speech for the first time in their lives.

The hearing aids were distributed Mrs Palicha mother of Rtn. Divyesh Palicha, who had funded this project.

Hearing Impaired

We had received requests from 15 people for hearing aids. These children were not able to hear and their parents believed that they would start hearing if they were able to get them hearing aids.

The date was fixed for the 13th of December and these children came into Chennai with their parents. Rtn. Divyesh Palicha had arranged for audiometry tests at Eljay Agency- a business that deals with hearing aids. Tests were carried out and results were ready and Divyesh called me and said "Let us meet at Eljay so we can go through the results and make a decision on the apparatus and further tests if any are required"

Children waiting for their audiometry tests

We met at Eljay Agencies and sqw the results, 11 were ready for haring aids, 2 children had to meet a ENT and 2 had to go through BERA tests (Brain Evoken Response Audiometry) this test was required as the 2 children were actually infants and were not able to respond properly to the audiometry tests.

Sukanya after experiencing sound

Sukanya a girl who was ready for her hearing aids was called in to see how she responded,a hearing aid was taken and affixed to her ears and then she experienced magic, she was for the first time in her life able to hear a sound though it was only our voices. She was asked what her name was and she could not answer, she was asked what her father's name was and she responded "sgumpore" mumbled, unclear. She had never spoken continuously in her life and now she had to listen and then speak, a great and wonderful task. Sukanya was used to sign language and now she could hear and the sounds in her ears made her cry. She could not belileve that it was possible. Sukanya ran out with the hearing aid to her father and mother and asked them to speak - for the first time she heard her mother's voice and then her father's, this was joy and a smile quickly followed by tears. Sukanya then heard something that we tend to ignore, a passing car playing music, she listened and then turned to look at the car and then she heard for the first time in her life, music. It did not matter  that the song was in a language that she did not know, it was music and a new experience.

Emotions were high and many children who had come for the tests realised that they too would be able to experience sounds soon.

the orders for the hearing aids have been confirmed and these 11 children will get their hearing aids on 23rd of December evening. A few days before Christmas, the gift of sound, the gift of music. To be able to listen to music, listen to the voice of their mothers', to be able to respond to ones own name.

Great project and very very satisfying.

Thanks to Rtn Divyesh Palicha for making this happen.

Washing Hands Posters

The Community Services Team handed over 300 posters to the Interact Club of Thiru vi Ka School. The posters have been designed to create awareness about Washing one's hands to bring down the incidence of infections.

Rtn. Vasanthi spoke to the Interactors about the project and what they need to do.

The President of the Interact Club accepted the posters and said that he would ensure that these posters would be put up in strategic locations not only in the school but also in the community.

Vocational Service awards

This evening at Thiru Vi Ka School the Club presented Vocational Service Awards to
1. Ms. Jayanthi - a nurse form the Kilpauk Medical Hospital who speacialises in nursing terminally ill patients.
2. Sudhakar - security guard with Group 4 Securities, for his kindness and generosity to a destitute male and for his dedicated, committed and sincere service as a security guard.
3. Krishniah -Conservancy worker with the Chennai Corporation in Kilpauk locality.
4. Arumugam - watchmen at Thiru Vi Ka School for his over 50 years of continuous dedicated service to the school.

Each was chosen for dedication to their respective vocations over many years and for their huge contribution to the Institutions they work for. Every organisation they work for was well represented at the awards function and their respective Boss spoke well about everyone of them.

Food for the people of Irukkum distributed

Representatives of the Chennai Food bank and from the Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk went to the island of Irukkum about 60 Kms from Chennai to distribute rice, dhal and oil to the residents of the village. We took the ferry from the mainland to the island where the rice and oil and dhal were waiting to be distributed. These provisions had been sent to the island a day earlier. We were greeted with smiles, happiness with everyone wishing us well in our lives, happiness forever and good luck to our children and families.

We left the island happily, knowing that a good job had been done to provide relief to these people.

Food for people at the Island of Irukkum in Pulicat Lake

30 Tricycles were distributed at Uthukottai on 27th November 2011, soon after Arumugam the boatman from Irukkum came to see me to give a CD of pictures taken at the tricycle distribution function. Arumugam made an appeal for food for his villagers at Irukkum, I immediately posted the following in facebook and also sent out an email to members of RCCK - 

The island of Irukkum in Pulicat Lake, the recent rains and the rising waters from the sea have flooded their agricultural land and all crops have been damaged. These people are suffering for want of food. I have received an appeal for food from about 300 families. When I asked them why they have not thought about a possible line of business that will sustain them throughout the year they looked blank and then said that they were islanders and not used to anything other than agriculture. If anyone could help them they would be happy to learn. Remember they live inside a bird sanctuary so there would be restrictions on what is possible. BUT right now, they need food, they are willing to eat rice KANJI, they do not want dhal, oil nothing they just want to fill their stomach for a few days and without having to borrow, which could be disastrous.

 Rajasthan Youth Association - Metro responded immidiately with an offer of 1500 Kgs of rice and RCCK will put together oil and dhal for 300 families. 

Arumugam is on his way to Chennai (11 AM on 3rd Dec 2011) to pick up the rice, oil and dhall. Members of the RCCK and RYA Metro will go tomorrow to the island of Irukkum to distribute the rice, oil and dhal and to assess what can be done for these people in the long term.

Tricycles Distributed at Uthukottai

We have over the last many years provided mobility aids to so many disabled people and every time we move to a new location to help the disabled it is always true that there are more disabled than we thought there would be. An Association for disabled people in Chithoor approached us for some help with the disabled and in the first stage we said that we would give away 30 tricycles out of a total of 67 that were requested.

The first batch of Tricycles were distributed on Sunday the 27th of November 2011. While members of the Club were not able to reach the location due to heavy rain and this coupled with road maintenance work being carried on.

The Chairman of the project Rtn Ravindran had just before the rains visited the venue and had inspected the tricycles while they were being assembled. He had a few weeks earlier met with all beneficiaries. As a process every beneficiary has to be  met and proper documentation collected, the documentation includes a disability certificate issued by the Govt, ration card copies were available, ID proof, photograph and details of disability.

Health awareness Programme

The Club launched a Public Awareness Health Programme, Washing Hands. It is known that most infections can be avoided if humans wash hands, posters have been printed and will be distributed to offices, schools and institutions to promote the habit of washing hands.

Inauguration of Interact Club of Thiru Vi Ka School

Helping Hands

Sunday, 27th November 2011 - 30 Tricycles and 3 wheelchairs will be distributed to poor and needy disabled. The distribution will take place at 10:30 AM at Uthukottai near Chennai. 6 Tricycles will be distributed in Chennai next week.

Club Election

I am happy to inform you all that the Club has its President elect for the Rotary year 2012-13 in Rtn.Nirmal Nahar and President Nominee in Rtn. Sudhir Thakker for the Rotary year 2013-14 – the first two links in our leadership pipeline.

Nirmal, Sudhir: My congratulations and best wishes. At this juncture, it is appropriate that we all rally around and pledge our support to them in enabling them discharge their duties as President in their respective years in office.

Rtn Ravi Krishnan was also elected Treasurer.

Pres. Velu Muthu

Mind Trek - Svasti

Mind Trek - Seminar on Mental well being was a huge success. The speakers where World Class, the audience were great, lots of interaction and exchange of information and knowledge and experiences. The feedback we have received has been fantastic. We now start work on the next in the series, Sugar Trail - Seminar on Diabetes and its complications.

The speakers for the evening were - 

Dr. Prabakar Thyagarajan MRCPsych., ABPsych..
Consultant Psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital, Chennai. (Anxiety & Stress)

Mrs Saras Bhaskar,Counseling Psychologist and Coach[Relationships]

Dr.N. Rangarajan DPM; MRCPsych.,Consultant
Psychiatrist, Fortis Malar Hospital and Psymed Hospital. (Addiction)

Dr. Suresh Iyer MD; MD Neurology (AIIMS); Fell.
Epilepsy (UCLA); Fell. Sleep Medicine (ISDA); Consultant Neurologist,
Fortis Malar Hospital. (Sleep Disorders).

First few days into the new Rotary Year

Rtn. Velu Muthu was installed as the 14th President of the RC Chennai Kilpauk recently and since then the Board of Directors have been very active the last few weeks.

Presenting their plans at the Club Assembly, arranging for  brainstorming session for Club Members at Bangalore over the last weekend. The objective being to create a vision for the Club for the next 5 years. This is something that the Club does every year and therefore we are able to change our directions keeping in mind the needs of the community and members. The session in Bangalore interesting and has created a database of ideas.

The findings will be presented to members who were not able to come to Bangalore to get their inputs and feedback.