Sarada helped

Sarada comes from a village located South of Chennai in the interiors of the State of Tamilnadu. She is disabled and finds it difficult to move around her house. With great difficulty her parents have pooled in much of their resources and have sent her to school and she managed to come up to the 10^th when they gave up due to lack of funds.

Confined to her house, in a village with a population of about 1500, she is unable to stand the loneliness and the prospect of a bleak future. Unable to study in a school nor able to take on any work due to lack of skills and opportunities Sarada slipped into depression. Her parents try to talk to her but this is of no help and the condition worsens. Life becomes unbearable.

In a couple of months Sarada who is unable to study, go out to play or get herself a job hears of a computer centre in the city of Chennai which provides free training for disabled girls and to make it even better she would get a place to stay and food for the six months she has to stay in Chennai for the training. She talks to her parents and enrolls.

In the next batch at the centre Sarada registers and her training on computers commences. To Sarada everything is a new experience, Chennai a metropolis with a population of over 8 million, the vehicles, the traffic, the lights so different from a sleepy village which has 2 streets and no street lights, no cinema halls and only one resident has a car. It takes her 2 weeks to come to terms with her new surroundings.

The next six months at the centre is heaven for her, she has made friends with the other girls, she is now able to talk as an equal with other people and participates in discussions. Her time at the computer centre not only teaches her new skills but also develops her personality and opens hitherto unknown opportunities for her.

Then comes the sad day, the day when the training is over and Sarada finds that she does not want to go back home. She does not want to go back to a home where there no people who will treat her as an equal, a home where even a smile is difficult, happiness is difficult, though her parents her not to blame they will never be able to duplicate the experience she had at the centre.

Luckily at the graduation ceremony her prayers are answered, a business person interviews a few of the girls and then shows her willingness to offer three of them jobs in her factory. Sarada’s life has changed and today she is a dedicated worker and is now confident of her future.

What made this possible was the Chip Ross computer Centre at Andhra Mahila Sabha sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk.

Make a difference to a disabled girl’s life for as little as USD 200 per year.

Contributions in USD :

Pay:American Express,Bank New York;Swift code :aeibus33

Contributions in UK Pounds:

Pay National Westminister Bank;Swift code: nwbkgb2l

For the credit of Indian Bank, Overseas Branch, Chennai ;Swift code :idibinbbmas

For further credit to :S.B. Account No. 27162
Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk Charitable Trust - Foreign Contribution Account.
Indian Bank,
Kilpauk Branch,
New Avadi Road,
Chennai 600010,
India

Water tretament plant in Mahabalipuram

In collaboration with RC of Dublin, Trivalley in Califirnia RCCK will work on a matching grant application for setting up a water treatment plant in Mahabalipuram a town close to the city of Chennai. The water treatment plant will primarily serve a fishing hamlet close to the town. It is expected that this plant will over time serve over 4000 people, providing them with clean potable water. The fishing hamlet was wiped out during the Tsunami and is now being rebuilt. More information will be posted here as the project prgresses.

Physio therapy equipment

A set of equipment of donated under the banner of Helping Hands to Bala Vihar, an institution for special children. This equipment will help these kids stand and walk and Rotary would have taken many many steps forward by helping these children.

Giving away of tricyles - Helping Hands

Over 20 tricycles and 14 wheelchairs were handed over to an NGO to be given to beneficiaries living in backward areas of Villupuram District. Much of the work on co ordinating this was done by PP Sreevatsa.

Subbu takes over as President

N. Subramanian a Chartered Accountant by profession takes over as President of the Club for the year 2006-07. The installation function was presided over by the Incoming Governor J. B. Kamdar.

Not in order

The next few posts may not be in any particular order, in fact the order will be assigned by my remembering the events, the first event I remember will get posted first and so on. I may not even be able to give dates of happenings. I shall however post most of what has happened in RCCK which can be shared.

It's been a long time

Almost a year and no posts. Geeez! what have you been up to, so busy that you can't keep your club's blog updated? This and that has kept me going with the updation of the blog going down on priority, I know its not right, not right all, so let me get this thing started again.