ROTARY FOUNDATION MATCHING GRANT - January 16, 2006

This morning, I met with Ashok Kantoor, immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Delhi – West. I was welcomed to his home by his wife, Alka, and as is the custom in India, we enjoyed a brief snack of juice and sweets that Alka had made for the recent Lori celebration. Following that, we drove to a center, which was established as a result of a Matching Grant through the Rotary Foundation and Rotary Clubs from several districts across the United States.

The project was initiated as a result of our visit in 2004, when members of my team were taken to a vocational center, which was supported by Rotarians from the Delhi-West Club. At that time, the hope was that through cooperation among several Rotary Districts, we would be able to fund the establishment of a larger center that would serve many more people in one of the outlying areas of Delhi. After yeoman’s work by Past District Governor Bill Hawkins, a classmate of mine from 2000-2001, we were successful in being approved for a Matching Grant, the funds from which would help to outfit this center.

When we arrived, the students, mostly girls from thirteen to nineteen years, were all outside in the schoolyard, sitting on the ground. There was a sign at the entrance, welcoming me, and the members of the staff placed a bindi on my forehead, first rubbing a bit of paste made of crushed rose petals, and then adding a few grains of rice. They then sprinkled rose petals over my head, and the manager of the center wrapped rakhi strings around my right wrist. I recall with great fondness this tradition, and appreciate the warm way in which I was welcomed. Following a brief presentation of a song and an official welcome by one of the students, we were led into the building to view the various classrooms.

First, we viewed the bulletin board, filled with photos from the official opening of the Vocational Center, and then visited the Computer Class Room. A young man from the area comes every day to work with the boys, and a few of the girls, in teaching the fundamentals of computer technology. Currently, the students work on somewhat obsolete equipment, but it is the hope of the Rotarians from Delhi-West that future Matching Grants, as well as local fund raising efforts will serve to update the equipment and purchase additional computers.

Following this, we entered the stitching classroom, where I was pleased to see that three regular sewing machines and one special stitching/embroidery machine had arrived. A dear friend of mine, Anne Russell, a member of the Rotary Club of Hampton, New Hampshire, donated them. Anne had traveled with me to India for a National Immunization Day (N.I.D.) in 2004, and was so taken with the young women who were attending classes at a different center, that she asked if I would please carry some funds from her and purchase some sewing machines. The young ladies who were taking stitching classes work through theoretical and practical classes, and within six months to a year, many of them will be placed for employment in the general vicinity.

The final class I visited was one in beautician training. There are actually two full classes, each with about fifteen students, the first being theoretical and the other being practical. In the theoretical classes, the girls learn about various products and how they are used on the face and hair and body. In the practical class, one student was practicing threading of the eyebrows – something, which I had never seen before, and something that looked terribly painful to me. Rather than using tweezers to pluck” the eyebrows, one student twists thread around her fingers, and holds one end in her mouth and then very deftly removes the unwanted hair around the eyebrows. I asked the “victim” if the process was painful and she said, that it was. I then asked why she did it and she told me it was because it made her look more beautiful. I agree that it did.

Before departing, we gathered in the “office” and enjoyed another cup of chai with some cookies and other snacks. It was such a pleasure to see what a difference a few thousand dollars can make to positively impact the lives of these young people. I inquired if there was any plan for adding courses to the curriculum, such as carpentry, plumbing, electrician classes, etc. and was pleased to hear that the club is making plans within the coming months to investigate adding such classes, as well as possibly expanding their facility to include the adjacent property (currently owned by the government) and adding a class on gardening, as well.

When the Club acquired the building from the government, they did so with the understanding that it was in “AS IS” condition. Until the monsoon season set upon them, they had no idea that the roof leaked like a sieve and fortunately, due to a quick response by several Club members, equipment was saved from damage. The building roof is now waterproofed and the computers and sewing machines are safe.

This project serves as the SHOWCASE PROJECT for the Rotary Club of Delhi-West and it is hoped that they will be able to provide for the center to be self-sustaining within four to five years, so they can move on to another center in another area of the city. Additionally, there is hope for including a medical clinic room on site, in order for the neighborhood children, as well as adults, will have the chance to see a medical support staff person on a regular basis. CONGRATULATIONS Rotarians from Delhi-West!