Day 4 (Feb 12) What we Accomplished

Who could ever have imagined the amount of work we would get done in these few short days. We started out with objectives of preparing an old building as a Learning Centre and another room in it as a Day Care. At the last minute, it was suggest we build a watering trough for the water buffalo. Here's what we actually did ...

1. Learning Centre - we painted the inside concrete wall twice. The outside was fully painted with a yellow and reddish brown that really looks great. A group from Australia are coming in a couple of weeks to complete the project.

2. Day Care Unit - the mural was completed on the inside of the building - the remaining inside walls will be painted by a team from Australia who arrive in a few weeks. The outside walls were painted the same as the Learning Centre - yellow and reddish brown.

3. Brick Walls - these were built of brick and covered with a coat of mortar to finshing them off. Each is about 4.5 feet high around each of the Learning Centre and Day Care. Inside the walls, a green space will be created to make it a pleasant environment for those attending.

4. Water Buffalo Water Trough - This was built outside the walls of the school compound and will be fed from the water resevoir. While the coat of mortar on the outside has started, the mason still has to be completely cover it.

5. Steps to the Well - The government supplied well had no steps so the women would put their buckets and water jars on the top and crawl up the 4-5 feet to fetch their water. Now there are steps in place.

6. Drainage System around the Water Supply - Because we noticed water spillage running into the playground, we talked to the village elders and they agreed to us intalling good drainage. We dug a 6-8 inch trough all the way around the water supply, filled it will small stones and covered it with concrete. It was draining away to the normal area for overflow of water. This should dramatically improve the area.

Day 4 (Feb 12) Final Day at the Village

Woke at 5:00 am after a full and very sound sleep. Continue to have problems with "Delhi Belly". We got the buses to the farm and had eggs on toast for breakfast. Not really hungry with this upset stomach.

We had a big day ahead of us to finish the mural before we broke for lunch. Ray Sykes (England) has stayed up until 2:00 am drawing a Rotary wheel that we could transcribe onto the mural. He used charcoal from the fires at the farm over the back of the paper to help stencil onto the mural.

We were lucky to get a very small brush so we could outline the wheel. Ray did all the lettering and I completed the wheel. While Ray was lettering, I finished all the flowers on the outside and put the finishing touches on each of the animal, water and birds.

We took some pictures of the mural and we are very pleased with the final result.

Day 4 (Feb 11) Lizard, Banners & Camel Ride

THE LIZARD - Woke at 5:00 am and could not get back to sleep so I cleaned up and got ready for the day. We washed out some clothes. As Cathy was walking out of the bathroom, she looked up on the ceiling to find a lizard. She immediately went to the hotel desk to get them to remove it from the room. I was in stitches laughing at her reaction when the hotel guy came in. He was more queezy that she was - his face gave away his fear. He got a long handled sweeper and knocked it off the wall and removed it from the room. He would not touch it with his bare hands. The tears were streaming down my cheeks listening to the two of them talk about getting it out. Finally Cathy gave the guy some tissues and he carted it off with the weirdest look on his face.

0930 - we had breakfast at the farm and spent the full day working on the mural.

1230 - we broke for lunch.

BANNERS - There were two polio baners that everyone on the team signed. Don Fink auctioned off the two banners - Rick Mutchier and Darlene Howard paid $6,000 each for the banners. The funds will go toward next year's project in the village.

We all gathered for a full team photo - thanks to Roger and Susan.

CAMEL - We returned to the village and worked on the mural for the afternoon. While we were inside, one of the village men brough a camel into the school yard, dressed it for ride and took several Rotarians and Team Members for rides. Shirley McCaughey got on but slid down.

5:30 pm - we arrived back at the farm for supper. We were told the wheelchair and commode had arrived. Several went to get them ... Logan Roberts got the first ride as he was wheeled from the house to the tent in it.

We had a sing song, then supper. Most of us were pretty tired and it was quite cold. I was shivering and just could not get warm.

10:00 pm - Because there was a traffic jam on the hill again, Sanjiv escorted our buses down a backroad to the hotel. I went right to bed.

Day 3 (Feb 10) The Wheelchair & Commode

Joanne Larson (Nippagon, ON) was invited by Mr. S.K. Kaushik, the person in-charge of polio in the area to visit the home of the latest identifed polio victim - 14 year old Igbal and a 2 year old Sakil Khan, sons of Zahid Hussain and Hussan Buseri. She along with several other members of our Rotary Team went to the home.

Igbal simply sat in a chair. Joanne passed him a crayon which he just rolled in his hand. She asked if pictures could be taken of the boy. They removed the blanket covering his lower body so we could see his legs.

One of the Rotarians quietly said this boy needs a wheelchair - immediately, the polio workers said he needs a commode more. For the child to use the bathroom, he has to be carried outside.

The Rotarians immediately told the family they would get a commode and a wheelchair. The wheelchair would allow his to be wheeled out and see the village - see the shops, see things - interact with people. Now he only sits in the chair - all day long - no stimulation whatever. As one Rotarian said, this would give him some dignity

It is uncertain if this young man has mental issues or not because he has never had stimulation of any kind. He just sits.

The team members were told the latest victim, the 2 year old, was coming. The man carried the boy into the house. Joanne asked his name, was shown the leg and the young boy cried.

The family said they need more medical visits. The doctor comes to the village once per week as he has 15,000 people under his care in a large number of different villages. There is no doctor in this village.

The family wanted the boy to have surgery but were told that a doctor needs to say so. If he does, Rotary will ensure the required surgery is performed.

Shirley McCaughey gets on her bus and tells the story. Immediate people started giving money.

At the farm, Joanne and Shirley ask Sanjiv to buy the commode and wheelchair.

On February 11, we returned to the farm for lunch to find the commode and wheelchair were there.

February 12, a selected number of the team, including all the young team members went to the home of the boy and delivered the commode and wheelchair. The family were elated.

With the money collected from team members, we have a good head start on the funding to perform the surgery. A doctor has committed to conduct a full exam of both children and recommend what should be done. He is convince that a simple surgery will correct the badly turned foot of the youngest boy.

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This is what Rotary is all about. Someone saw a need, quietly went about finding a way to make it happen and did it. This story has had a huge impact on every one of our team. This is exactly why we are Rotarians - Service Above Self - To Make Dreams Come True. I am so proud to be a Rotarian after contributing and being part of this story - and there are so many more just like it.

Day 3 (Feb 10) - Polio Immunization Day (NID)

Woke early and organized for the day. We all gathered in the dining room for breakfast of jam and hot spicy veggie pickles, egg omelette, toast and round bread.

0910 - arrived at the hospital in NUH - we were dispursed from here. To make sure we were ready for the long day, we used the washroom at the hospital - I was amazed to see the urine go from the urinal to a trough in the floor to some outside place. The electrical panel on the inside wall was wide open and a jungle of wires.

FIRST POLIO STATION - From here the day was very much a blurr of activity. We drove from the hospital to a larger village, parked the vans and walked to a Polio Station set up on the street. There were literally hundreds of people waiting for vaccines. Right away, Cathy Coole (NL) and Jill Woolacott (Australia) got into the vaccinations and finger markings. Getting the drops from the vials was difficult - need strong fingers.






THE POLIO ADMINSTERING - The drops come in a small vial with a plastic tweegy that fits over the end. Each child is administered two drops and then their finger is marked with a permanent marker to show they have been treated. Each child is then given a small but simple gift - maybe a whistle or pencil.




MY FIRST DROPS - I soon had my first chance to place these life saving drops into the mouth of a child. I expected the first experience to be emotional but it would be later in the day before the impact of what we were doing would hit me. I went through 3 or 4 vials of drops in no time - doing child after child after child. Some were very small children, other a little older.

It was so hard to tell how old the children are. Elias said we should look for molars in older children. If they have them, the drops are not given as they are only effective up to age 5.

10:00 am - a group of 4 or 5 stayed at this station while the remainder moved on. We walked as a big group with our Indian Team Leads to a point where we were split into two teams. Our team was Cathy Coole, Jill Woolacott, Cari Roberts, Pam Roberts, Elias Thomas and myself.


THE REAL SCENE - We walked through the streets, alleys and back lanes to a new Polio Booth. The lanes were dirty, smelly and the smell of human urine and feces everywhere. There are concrete trenches along both sides of all the streets. This is where everyone either deposits their human waste or actually use the bathroom outside. We noticed a small boy likely only 3-4 years old squatting by the side of the lane moving his bowels right on the walkway. It is like this everywhere. As we passed along and I noticed this more often - a man with a scoop was digging out the gutters and piling the dirt, feces and other material in piles on the walkway. I can only assume this was then cleaned and taken away.

At this station we were given our Polio Vests and a souvenir vaccine vial. We did a small number of vaccines. I was asked to sign the vaccination register.

CHILDREN DESCRIBED - The children who gathered around had dirty clothes, hands and feet - many wore not footwear. Many had runny noses; still others had cuts - one young boy had a terribly infected eye - red and caked with goo. It did not appear that he was receiving medical treatment for the problem.

NEXT STATION (MAIN ROAD) - We then walked throught the lanes and alleys, past tiny shops to the main road in the community. In the middle of the merchant district was our next Polio Station. The group here had already administered to about 80 children. I was invited to sit in the registration chair but opted to look for children to vaccinate.

We pointed out several children so the station workers went and fetched the mothers. We did maybe 10 to 15 vaccines here.

NEXT STATION (MEWAT) - Our Polio leader, Nooruddin Noor, walked us to another Polio Station in his home village. On the way we saw a man praying on his prayer mat and numerous dogs and cattle. The station was staffed by two veiled Muslim women. We encouraged the women to bring their children and ended up doing a half dozen or so children. Most had already been done before we arrived. We took lots of pictures with the people, children and station workers.







HOUSE VISIT - We were invited to Noorudden's home for chi Tea, Cookies and something I can only describe as looking like rice but was crispy and spicy (chuada). He has a beautiful home which is shared with three brothers. Noorudden has 4 children - his daughter, Nailah Khanam is studying for pre-Med exams. She wants to study and practise in India. She is a beautiful and very dignified young lady. While in their home, Nailah explained the significance of the signs inscribed over the inner doors.

We then returned to the buses and made our way back to the hotel at 1:00 pm, freshened up and returned to the farm.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION - Sankiv and Joeshna celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on February 8th. Many of us brought special gifts from our native countries as a token of our well wishes.

We had beer, finger foods of ground meat, chicken and round vegetable patties.

Led by Mark Little (England) several of the team had prepared skits, recitals or songs as part of the celebration. After the concert we had supper.

By 6:00 pm everyone was tired so we headed for hour hotel and an early bed time.

Day 2 (Feb 9) Barbers, Ironing, Traffic Jam & Dance

BARBERS - As we turned into Sohna coming from our hotel to the farm, we noticed barbers on the side of the road. They had a simple wooden chair and a mirror hung from the fence. Here men were getting haircuts and shaves.

IRONING - We also noticed the very old fashioned heavy irons and wooden tables where men were ironing and folding shirts while customers waited. The shiny white shirts glistened in the late evening light. As the shirts were moved to new positions, you could easily see what a great job was being done.

THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE - You really need to experience driving in India. They drive on the left and there are really just three things you need to negotiate traffic - Good Horn, Good Brakes and Good Luck. The number of times we heard people at the front of the van shout "Whoa!!" cannot be counted. Vehicles pass one another with wreckless abandon - yet we never saw a single accident during our time in India. Vehicle coming slow down; vehicle passing speed up; motorcycles and bicycles are driven off the road. It is definitely someone everyone should experience. I suspect patience here at home will be much improved after seeing the way it is in India.

TRAFFIC JAM - After passing through Sohna and to get to the farm, we drive up a long winding road to the top of the hill overlooking Sohna. The population of this town is approximately 80,000 souls. Part way up, we encounter a huge traffice jam. A large truck was transporting steel beam and was really too wide to get down the hill easily. Folks were getting annoyed and traffic was one big huge snarl.

A little beyond the truck, two other transport trucks were broken down.

The army arrived and gradually moved vehicles out of the way to allow a reasonably slow flow of vehicles up and down.

7:50 pm - We arrived at the farm to much cheering from those of us on the bus. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to drive what was normally a 25 minute ride.

DANCE - Sanjiv had a new tent enclosure attached to his weekend home. Roses lined the edge of the patio and a pattern of flowers graced the centre.

His daughter, Pallivi, is a professional dance who has performed all over the world. She was in the USA for a fundraiser to help build new home for those affected by the sunnami. She performed three dances but explained each one before performing so we would understand the movements. She also noted how pleased she was to perform for Rotarians willing to come so far at their own expense to help - she encouraged us to keep up the good work.

Pallivi's dress was beautiful and adorned with items and flows that had significant meaning. It was most entertaining to see these beautiful Indian dances.

11:15 pm - We then had supper and boarded the buses for the ride back to the hotel. There was still a long line of vehicles on the hill from the earlier traffic jam. The drivers pulled into the passing lane and flew past hundred of lorries. We were blocked at one point but that did not last long.

12:00 - arrived at the hotel and right off to bed.

Day 2 (Feb 9) Polio Rally

After lunch, we went to the Medical Facility in Sohna for a special rally. The head Medical Doctor spoke and there were presentations of flowers to key people involved in the Polio Immunization Day. The whole group was addressed by Elias Thomas and RI Director Kjell-Ake Akesson.

Students from the Sohna Rotary School - a school 100% funded by Rotary so that any child who wants to attend and cannot afford it can do so - dressed in their blue uniforms joined the rally. They were lined up with Polio Banners and led by a young man in a wheelchair who obviously was already strickened with polio.

After the speeches, everyone paraded through the streets of Sohna while the students led yells to eradicate polio. People lined the streets to hear what was going on.

It was quite interesting to see the array of little shops, children playing in the streets, the inquisitive faces of the people as we walked. The almost cobblestone streets were difficult for the wheelchair to manoeuver so on a couple of occassions we lifted the young lad and carried him to spots where it was easier to wheel.

4:45 pm - we were back at our hotel for a rest and clean-up.

5:30 pm - we were on the buses back to the farm for a special presentation by Sanjiv's daughter.