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.

**********

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.

Day 2 (Feb 9) The Mural

Up at 6:30 am, dressed and ready for pickup at 7:30 am. To give us more time to work, we were given a bucket of egg burritos on the van and we went direct to the school compound to begin our work day.

Ray Sykes (from England) and I began work on the mural for the Day Care Centre. Ray had chosen an animated picture from his grandson's religious studies book. It depicted animals, birds and plants.

The wall had already been painted so we decided on a blue border and marked out four - two foot blocks so we could more easily copy the design. It took most of the morning to recreate a reasonable facimile of the drawing and we started to paint. We got some help from Cari Roberts and Anna Looby. We finished around 12:00 noon.

Paint is mixed by dropping different dyes into white paint. The paint itself is terribly runny and not like you get here in North America.

Outside the blue border, one of the local boys drew a number of flowers that really compliment the picture. It will take us several days to get this done.

The local young boys were very intrigued by the young females on our team. They crowded into the room and became very pushy in trying to get close. Parents came in several times quite concerned for the girls but we assured them Ray and I would make sure they were okay.

12:30 we were back to the farm for lunch of cole slaw and lentels.

Day 1 (Feb 8) Village Tour

As we drove back to the village, we stopped at a large rocky pit to take pictures. Several women were up on the hill digging at roots of trees for firewood. They came running towards us with their wood on their heads - at a distance from us, they stopped and would come no closer.

At the edge of the village, we got out of the van and decided to walk through the back roads and see more of what it is like there.

The women collect cow dung in large metal bowls, bring it to open areas near their homes and flatten them into dung pies. These are dried on the ground then put into dung houses. These houses have very intricate designs on the outside. The dung is used for both heat and cooking.

We saw several homes from the outside and many families agree to let us take pictures. Along the way, we met a very old, very feeble man walking with a cane. It took him a very long time to walk the distance of a truck.

At another home we noticed cots under the overhang. Elias explained that the people lay on the costs and when they die, the cots are hung from the wall in memory of the person who used it. No one else ever uses the cot.

We saw a vendor with his family selling eggs. On a portable gas stove he made a bread omelette that smelled delicious and looked very good.

As we walked through the village, urine was everywhere. There are small channels made of concrete along both sides of the alleys. People urinate and deficate in these troughs.

At one home we passed, we noticed a young girl and boy playing marbles in their very small yard - amongst feces - they were oblivious to the contamination.

At one house, a lady stopped us & was talking in Hindi - the young man who accompanied us on our walk told us what she said. Her son is accepted to go to the new computer centre. She thanked us over and over for what we are doing for their village.

Near then end of our journey through the village, we noticed a lot of young people playing in what appeared to be some form of quarry. They played cricket, toss ball, a game with sticks and running games.

We returned to the worksite and worked on the walls until it was time to return to the farm for supper (around 5:30 pm).

We had a presention on Polio from the Regional Health Director and comments from RI Director, Kjell-ake.

We got back to our hotel quite late - after a day of hard work, I wanted a shower before hitting the bed. The shower head was not on tight and water went everywhere - a real mess but it sure helped me sleep.

Day 1 Morning (Feb 8) At Chahalka Village

Not a good start to the day - I'd set my watch but was off by 1.5 hours - so there was a big scramble to get ready in time to meet the bus. We had breakfast, Indian style at Sanjiv'v farm (as we now call it) - eggs, coffee and a special bread that was very good.

As we drove in our vans to the village, my first impression of Chahalka is - poverty is unbelievable yet people seem happy enough. Our first task was to start a brick line to move a four foot high pile of bricks to the location of the first wall. Our mason began laying the mortar and bricks.

We have these projects to complete:
1. Paint the Learning Centre inside and out
2. Paint the outside of the Day Care
3. Paint a mural on the inside of the Day Care
4. Construct 4 foot high walls outside the Learning Centre and Day Care
5. Construct a water trough for the water buffalo (to keep them outside the school yard)

All day, people from the village, elder, young men, teenagers and children came by to watch us. We sing songs and they laugh. To have some fun with the children, Mark Little started playing "Patty Cake" with the children - they laughed heartily and tried their best to play.

At one point, while laying brick with the mason, a group of young people came up to us - likely the oldest was 12. The tallest girl began singing "A-B-C-D". I jumped right in and along with her. We did that several times. It was fun and she kept coming back throughout the day. While quite shy, she was very interested in us as were her friends.

While the painting was going on inside and the bricks were getting laid, children would get in our way. The elders would yell angrily at them and they would scatters. Minutes later they were back again watching and observing us work.

The people of the village watched as we passed the bricks in the line and laid more and more wall. We'd encourage the young people to step in and help. They would shy away but some would very gingerly help.

As the rows of the wall grew higher, we'd encourage the teenagers to lay bricks - we wanted them to feel a sense of ownership and pride in helping their village. Many did but we also found it most interesting to watch their reaction when we asked them to help. A couple of the young men toook right to it and stayed a long time helping.

While others went back to the farm for lunch, four of us remained behind and used all the mortar before going for lunch.

Lunch was curried potatoes, rice, chicken vegetarian soup and chick pea balls with sauce. Every day we had beer for lunch.

Several people lead by Tom and Shirley stayed behind to sort the tremendous number of gifts brought by team members. In the end, there were nearly 20,000 items.

The Flight to Delhi

Feb 6 at 4:00 pm we took the shuttle to the airport, met the organizers and packed our team shirts and work gloves. With some minor adjustments, we were assigned seats 41E and 41F on the 777 aircraft.

We cleared customs and met more of our team members inside. We visited Duty Free in hopes of getting some wine for India but there was none available. 22 of us went to the restaurant for supper. One of the team members' company picked up the tab for all of us.

9:33 pm our plane departed Newark - 9 seats across. Newark to Delhi is 11,776 km or 7,317 miles with a flight time of 12 hours and 32 minutes.

10:30 - we travelled up the eastern seaboard of the USA and passed over Fredericton NB

11:25 - We crossed over the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland somewhere between Port Saunders and Flowers Cove (as best I can tell).

3:30 am - we are between Oslo and Lillehammer, Norway and we pass south of Helsinki Finland.

5:30 am - we pass south of Pakov, South of Kaluga, South of Tula and north of Kharkov (all in Russia)

6:40 am - we pass just south of Astrachan on the Caspian Sea. The temperature is -79 C outside. We are travelling at 579 Kph and have gone 11,125 miles. We have 3 hours and 33 minutes left to reach Delhi.

When we first took off, there was mild turbulance. We were not out far when the flight attendant told us to stay seated and that the "moderate" turbulance would last for a little while - it lasted just over on hour and was like driving over a rough gravel road.

We were served 3 meals during the flight including a chicken or vegetarain meal that was quite tasty. Around 5:30 am, they came around with a very reasonable snack plus drinks.

9:00 am - travelled over Afghanastan - mountains cover the entire area. It is now dark here. As we flew, we could see lights from a small village but nothing else for miles. The land is very rugged looking. We passed just north of Mashad, Kabul is to the north as is Peshawar. Karachi is well south on the sea.

7:33 pm local time - we are 1 hour and 21 minutes from Delhi travelling at 1024 kph (111 mph). The temperature outside is -24C and we have a tailwind of 65 mph.

10:40 am - we are on our decent into Delhi - lots of lights.

9:15 pm Delhi time we arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport. It is 57F.

We collected our luggage and gathered in the airport where we were presented with a lei. We boarded buses and headed for Sanjiv's weekend home.

Noticed - military were everywhere in the airport with uzzi's hung over their shoulders. Outside as we boarded the buses, there was a concrete bunker with sandbags and a guard inside with a large machine gun trained on the airport entrance.

As we drove through Delhi, I noticed what appeared to be many small shops or garages. The area seems to be very poor. There were numerous small fires along the road with men standing around them trying to keep warm.

As we drove along, I noticed several large multi-national office buildings for Alcatel, Erikkson etc.

At Sanjiv's home were were met by he and his wife. We had a curry supper and departed for our hotel - Suryansh Hotel, Sohna Road, Guygoan. It was very very very cold. Slept in a t-shirt, sweater and socks.

To Newark & Super Bowl Parade & Times Square

On Feb 4th, we had some last minute activities. My suitcase is overweight so I had to repack to drop weight - down to just over 40 pounds. We pack our case and head for the airport. The flight to Toronto was uneventful so we cleared customs - our flight to Newark was delayed to just after 7:00 pm and it was just 59 minutes long.

Newark Airport is "interesting". We put our bags on carts, jumped on the train to another terminal and grabbed a shuttle to Holiday Inn, Newark. After we settled in, we met for a glass of wine and made plans for the next day.

Feb 5th - just now realizing we are actually on our way to India. After breakfast with Tom and Shirley, we bought a Quick Pass for the train to downtown New York getting off at the World Trade Centre (Ground Zero). It was an unbelievably busy spot. I cannot recall seeing so many people all at once heading for the subway trains.

Then we realized - this was the day of the "Ticker Tape" parade for the Super Bowl Champion - New York Giants. No wonder there were so many people. We walked along Broadway and were shocked at the amount of paper on the streets - and in awe of the process used to clean it up. It sure did not take too long.

We wandered down to have pictures taken with the Bull near Wall Street, looked over the bay to see the Statue of Liberty, Memorial to those Lost at Sea and Ellis Island (where all the immigrants went as they came to the USA). We even had pictures taken with the Statue.

We did some shopping and eventually sat at the Amish Market for some rest before heading back to the hotel.

We did take time to see the progress on Ground Zero efforts. It is an eerie place but lots of activity going on. I stood several times from different vantage point imagining what it must have been like the day the planes slamed into the buildings killing so many innocent people.

Feb 6 - after a good night's rest we went to Penn Station, grabbed a train and headed into the city again. We did some shopping, had a beautiful lunch at Ruby Foo's Dim Sum & Sushi Palace (excellent food), then headed back to the hotel for a late check-out.

DONATIONS BY CO-WORKERS & FRIENDS

Who could have imagined the support you get when doing volunteer work. I am absolutely in awe and very humbled by the outpouring of generosity from friends and co-workers. It is unbelieveable what you have done.

Last night I pack one duffel bag with the gifts you asked me to carry to Chahalka Village on your behalf. To say I was moved is an understatement. There are nearly 1400 different items you have given.

I cannot name everyone at the Office of the Chief Information Officer because the list is on my desk and I am afraid I will miss someone. Corinne Elliott sent out an email to staff and did you ever step up to help.

We have:

• 26 Calculators
• 441 Pens
• 124 Pencils
• 70 erasers for the tops of pencils
• 14 sharpeners
• 6 markers -including two with invisible ink (should be fun)
• 73 bracelets of either metal, plastic or rubber (the children will love these)
• 33 balls of various types and most with the Canadian Maple Leaf
• 2 Canada Banners
• 45 sets of stickers
• 228 gift bags
• 3 packages of Flash Card (for use by the school)
• 5 souvenier spoons with Canada
• 3 packages of hair bands
• 1 sketchbook and pencils
• 12 key chains with Canada or Newfoundland

As well, a good friend with Shallaway Choir, Kathryn Atkin, donated more than 30 t-shirts of various sizes and 34 music CDs from the Juno Awards or Festival 500.

Judy Vanta from the Canadian Labour Council donated 200 red rubber wrist bands with "Safe Work Place".

Canada Revenue Agency staff donated 30 t-shirts and a number of pens.

I also have to mention that an anonymous donor came to my door the other night and handed me a cheque for $250 to use as I see fit during the trip.

I am humbled by the tremendous generosity of all who helped out. Thank-you, Thank-you !!

Photos of Chahalka Village

Where Have the Last Four Months Gone?

by Tom McCaughey, President Rotary Club of St. John's Northwest 2003-2004

It seemed so far away when Mark Brown first told me about this proposed adventure to India. Now, it's February 1st already.

As I have told several people, since joining Rotary in 1993, I have heard that Polio is almost eradicated - soon, another year or so, maybe five. We make our donations, we talk about polio being almost beaten. There are still four pockets in the world where polio exists. If we don't beat it, it will come back in this small world we now live in. I have always been interested in participating in a National Immunization Day (NID) but always assumed that I would be too late for the opportunity. That opportunity has arrived and I feel that I have to do my part to finally rid the world's kids of that dreaded, crippling disease.

I also have an added bonus in the fact that I can also participate in what is turning out to be a great humanitarian effort in the Indian village of Chahalka.

I was President of the RC of St. John's Northwest in 2003-2003. RI President Jonathon Majiyagbe, had as his motto Lend a Hand that year. We know that Rotary is an international humanitarian service organization comprised of business and professional men and women; leaders who volunteer their time and resources to help others in their local communities and throughout the world. We do well locally - our club should be very proud of our achievements - but I have always felt that we do not do enough to help in the international community. I now have an opportunity to Lend A Hand where it is really needed.

I am glad that my wife, Shirley, decided to come along on this adventure. She has been very excited and is very much looking forward to doing her part. We are not sure what tasks will be assigned to each of us when we arrive in Chahalka. We will do whatever needs to be done. Probably, we'll use what little talents we may have to best advantage but Shirley wants to be ready for whatever may come along. These past few months, she has been very regularly working out at the gym to ensure she will be in the best condition possible to handle whatever tasks she may be handed. I've been slacking off in this department recently.

It has been difficult to sleep lately. With the pressures of planning and organizing at work and for other commitments that I have made, combined with the excitement of our upcoming trip, my head spins a lot. Some will say that a spinning head is typical for me so I may as well beat them to it.

I was up until midnight, slept till 4:00 am and got up to compile lists of gifts to the children of India from the various participants in the trip from around the world. I am impressed. There are already over 8400 itmes - pens, pencils, computer games, calculators, bracelets, toothbrushes, balls and toys of all kinds; the list continues. Such a variety. Such generosity.

During our trip, we will be hosted by Sanjiv Saran and his wife, Jyotsna, who will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on February 8th. A celebration is planned at their farm for February 10th, after the NID. A concert, of sorts, is planned to showcase the many talents of this diverse group from around the globe that we are travelling with. I have volunteered as a member of the audience, a very important function for any production, but I have been having my arm twisted a bit to leave my seat. Who will then watch and applaud? There has been talk that a Newfoundland delegation will be orchestrated into doing some class act. We'll see.

Tom

Rotary Donations to the Project

The Fourth Objective of Rotary International is ... "The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service".

All projects of this nature have to be funded. Since this project was initiated by the Rotary Club of Sanford-Springvale, Maine USA, the coordination of project funds is handled by Elias Thomas. All team members are asked to do what they can to secure funds to help out. Those of us in Newfoundland and Labrador decided to let local Rotary Clubs know about our project and if they wished to offer donations, they were encouraged to do so.

While all of our clubs have financially supported international projects in the past, to our knowledge, this may be the first time any serving Rotarian from an eastern Newfoundland club has physically participated in an International Service Project.

Here are the donations our four Rotarians have either received or are pledged to the 2008 Project:

• $500 - Rotary Club of Avalon Northeast (in 2005 awarded Rotary's Significant Achievement Award for work on a park)
• $300 - Rotary Club of Waterford Valley (known for their work on trails)
• $200 - Rotary Club of Clarenville ( celebrate their 30th year in 2008 )
• $500 - Rotary Club of Gander (this club and community played a big role in helping those stranded following the events of 9/11 - known for their park and trail)
• $500 - Rotary Club of St. John's (Newfoundland's oldest club established 23 Nov 1921 and home of our District Governor Dennis Knight 2006-2007)
• $1,000 - Rotary Club of St. John's East (youngest club in our area)
• $5,000 - Rotary Club of St. John's Northwest (home club of two members of the Team - awarded Rotary's Significant Achievement award in 2006 for its Skatepark Project)
• $500 - Dental and Hearing Crafts
• $750 - personal donation from one of the participants

$9,250 from people or organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Building Materials for Vocational Learning Centre

The anticipated cost to refurbish the old buildings for the learning centre and day-care is approximately $50,000 USD. Within the last few days, Elias says we are very close to our goal. The funds will be gathered by Elias Thomas' home Rotary Club - Sanford Springvale, Maine USA and sent on to the The Rotary Foundation for delivery to this project.

Once funds arrive in India, our Rotarian friends there will purchase the items needed. These items include:

• New windows, doors, screening and iron grating for the windows
• concrete mix
• lumber
• paint
• classroom furniture including chairs and fabricating kits for desks
• blackboard and associated materials
• computers

Specific items for repairs to the rooms and buildings, external repair and painting as well as waterproofing the terrace.

For the electrical needs:

• 6 light points including light fitting
• 2 fan points including fans
• 15 of the 5 ampere sockets
• 2 of the 15 ampere sockets
• 1 telephone point
• wiring for the computers

Specific furniture items:

• Teacher's chair
• 5 computer tables
• 20 chairs for students
• a 6 foot by 3 foot cupboard
• an 8 foot by 4 foot pinup board
• a 4 foot by 3 foot blackboard

Specific equipment includes:

• a Generator - silent diesel GenSet 20 KVA for power outages
• 10 computers ( AMD 3600 )
• 10 monitors ( 17 inch )
• one printer
• one UPS ( Uninterruptible power supply )

To operate just the Learning Centre for one year we will provide funding for:

• $7,895 computer teacher salary
• $3,158 computer assistant salary
• $789 each of two security guards to provide 24 hour security of the premises
• $789 for a cleaner salary
• $7,684 for diesel for the electric generator approx 8 hours per day
• $1.055 to cover inflation and drop in USD to the Indian Rupee.
• $22,160 total

Gifts for Children

Elias and Sanjiv suggested bringing items to India that arouse curiosity and creates enthusiasm to learn more and study more. As well, items to encourage the children to participate in the National Immunization Day on February 10, 2008.

NEW IDEAS - I spoke with my Club President, Gail Gosse who visited India a couple of years ago related to her work. She said "Talc" is highly valued as it is very expensive in India. Another item that might be a good purchase as gifts are wind up Radios or Flashlights (dynamo).

I also spoke with Murali Prabhakar who is originally from India and has children aged 9 and 12. He suggested any computer software that has a learning component such as Typing Tudor or similar job based software. He also cautioned us to be sure any gifts do not interfere with cultural beliefs. Murali thinks the solar calculators are a good choice.

NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION DAY - Enough cheap give-aways for general distribution to about 1000 pre-school children. About 20 items for each team member.

DAY CARE - We are trying to contribute to the betterment of the children's Day Care Centre by encouraging pre-school children (under 5) to spend more time there. We need about 50 take home gifts for individual children as well as common learning toys and games that are not too dependent on prior knowledge of English.

The Rotary Club of Delhi-West has 50 stuffed toys they will take to the Day Care Centre.

OLDER CHILDREN - About 500 children 12 years of age and above attend the school adjacent to the computer centre. Common educational toys and games as well as computer games for the learning centre will be useful. Anything that arouses their curiosity and enthusiasm to learn more; study more. This age group does study English as a subject (at which they do very poorly because they have no exposure to the language other than at school! They are familiar with written English but may not be able to understand spoken English because of the unfamiliar accents etc.

Most important are gifts to encourage children to attend school regularly and to arouse curiosity in studies. In addition, gifts for individuals for the top 5 scorers in each class at the school (about 50 items in total). These prizes can be announced while we are there and awarded to the students after their scores come in following the next exams.

They suggesting the following types of items:

• solar calculators (small) - highly recommended
• educational toys
• educational games
• trinkets like bracelets, rings or earrings
• unusual pencils, pens or erasers

Obviously we have to carry all these items and our luggage weights are limited to 40 pounds. If each one of us take a few things, we will be able to meet the needs.

So far we have over 14,000 different items. Some of the items include toothbrushes and toothpaste, pens, pencils, erasers, colouring books, crayons, flash cards for the school, balls, bracelets, t-shirts, toys of all sorts and so much more.

We are so grateful to the Rotarians, businesses and our collegues who have so selflessly given to this very worthy endeavour.

Medications and Travel

MEDICATIONS

We checked with Health Canada to determine what immunizations are required to be save in India. I've had shots for Hepatitus A and B, pills for Typhoid, and will take medications two weeks before leaving, while in India and for a week on return for Malaria. We are also taking along medications for diarrhea, heartburn, zinc lozenges for colds, sunscreen (SPF 30% or more), and insect repellent with deet (20-30%). We are also taking ointments for cuts and handwipes for cleansing. All in all, these medications will cost me around $500.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS FOR DEPARTURE

Thanks to organizer Elias Thomas and High Points Expeditions and Tours from New Delhi, all our flights, hotels, on ground transportations and meals are looked after when we arrive.

Because our Newfoundland weather can bring storms this time of year that cause flights to be delayed by days, our local group decided to leave early so we are in Holiday Inn, Newark, New Jersey in time to meet those travelling from there. It is our responsibility to get to Newark.

We travel from St. John's departing on February 4th at 12:45 pm and arrive in Newark at 1933 (7:33 pm) after a 3 hour stopover in Toronto. Cost $900 each. We are still in the process of making arrangements for accommodations in the Newark area. (likely around $200 per night).

As we all were affected by the horrific events of 9/11, I hope we get to visit Ground Zero. Many of the passengers on the Transatlantic flights were diverted to airports at Gander, St. John's, Stephenville and Goose Bay. Newfoundlanders have been highly commended for their friendliness and hospitality during the days following 9/11. It seems appropriate, if we are that close, we should go to the site to pay our respects to those that fell that dreadful day.

Then on to Delhi. We depart on Continental Airlines on Wednesday February 6, 2008 at 8:40 pm (2040) arriving Delhi India on Thursday February 7, 2008 at 9:20 pm (2120) - the travel time is 14 hours and 10 minutes. This part I am really not looking forward to. Sitting still is not something I do well.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS FOR RETURN

We return from Delhi leaving on Tuesday February 19, 2008 at 11:55 pm (2355) arriving in Newwark on Wednesday February 20, 2008 at 4:55 am (0455) - 15 hours and 30 minutes in the air. We are resting at the airport in Newark until 8:55 am (0855) when we depart on Air Canada for Toronto and St. Johns arriving home at 4:25 pm (1625). We will have spent an incredible 20 hours and 10 minutes in the air in such a short time. I suspect you will see some very tired folks arrive at St. John's International Airport but hopefully with some wonderful stories of our journey.

Chahalka Project India 2008

HOW I GOT INVOLVED

I have been a member of the Rotary Club of St. John's Northwest since 1994 serving on the Board and eventually serving as President in 2002-2003. Since then, I served three years as Trainer for District 7820 and since 2006 have been the Assistant District Governor. I am also founding Chair of the Atlantic Rotary Leadership Institute Atlantique for Districts 7810 and 7820. In 2006, I was presented my Paul Harris Fellowship by then President of Rotary International, Karl Wilhelm-Stenhammer.

In September 2007, while organizing a Rotary Leadership Institute session in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I met Past District Governor Elias Thomas from Maine USA. He told us he was returning to India in 2008 to continue work in a small, desolate and impoverish community near Delhi. He suggested I come along.

As a member of Rotary International for nearly 17 years, this was the opportunity of a life time. There are now 4of us from Newfoundland going - Tom and Shirley McCaughey, Catherine Coole and myself.

POLIO NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION DAYS (NID)

Since 1979, Rotarians have passionately worked to eradicate polio. In 1985 Rotary International pledged to raise $120 M USD to buy polio vaccines. This served as the catalyst for the World Health Assembly's decision in 1988 to initiate the Global Polio Eradication Strategy. Working with the World Health Organization, the US Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and UNICEF, Rotary remains a major player in the fight to eliminate polio. It can be eliminated by placing two simple drops of life altering medicine in the mouths of all children.

On February 10, 2008, an NID will be held in India. Our team of Rotarians and friends will immunize about 1000 children from this dreaded disease. As any Rotarian who has worked to raise money and donate to this cause, it will be emotional, exciting and humbling to provide the drops to a child so they never face the debilitating and crippling results of this horrible disease.


CHAHALKA VILLAGE

The real reason for our journey is to work with the people of the village of Chahalka India and members of the Rotary Club of Delhi-West to provide an opportunity for a better life. This small, 3000 person, poverty stricken, Muslim village is located near Sohna about 50 kilometers from Delhi. We are told it is about a two hour drive. Elias says the village is located in one of the most desolate wastelands he has ever seen.


THE FIRST PROJECT 2007

In February 2007, Elias Thomas led another team of Rotarians to this same village to work on a water project to fund and build two washing platforms. The platforms would allow the women and girls of the village to wash their clothes, household linens and cooking utensils (along with an occasionally water buffalo) by drawing water from the central well and having waste water drain away from that supply of good water.

The local government provided the village with a main water reservoir. Residents were contaminating their own water supply by washing dirty clothes and linens and cleaning kitchen utensils on a platform on top of the water supply. The waste water runoff from the washing heavily polluted the water supply and the entire area had become a dirty, stinking, breeding ground for water-borne diseases, mosquitoes and other insects. When the village was initially visited by Elias' team, a lot of spillage of dirty, tainted water was draining directly into the playground of the adjacent village school, creating further potential for disease and contamination.

Often up to their knees in filthy, stinking muck, the team carried sand, stone, bricks, mortar and successfully constructed the two platforms. Since then, the platforms are being used and the main water supply quality continues to improve.

When completed, the Imam presided over a prayer blessing ceremony with chanting, incense and sweets shared by all.

The project in 2007 was conceived by Rotarian Sanjiv Saran. Elias led a team of Rotary volunteers who worked with Indian Rotarians and village residents to build two washing platforms in Chahalka to avoid the water contamination that had been so prevalent. Now, villagers do their washing away from the water supply and the school yard no longer has tainted water flowing through it.


THE 2008 PROJECT

It is difficult for Chahalka's illiterate and impoverished families to be convinced of the value of educating their children, even though education is provided free by government, especially when families have to send their children out to work to subsidize the family income or they see other educated young adults sitting around unemployed. It is even harder when they see there are so many children at the village school with so few teachers (only 3 teachers for 350 children). Many children at Class V level can barely read and write.

While working in the village, the Rotary Team had talks with the Panchayat (elder council) and identified core areas where assistance is needed to protect the health of the village and improve the community's economic situation through education and vocational training. The village council has assured full cooperation and participation of the community in any project.

In describing what is needed to improve their lives, the elders said they are very concerned that young people are leaving school to help their families earn enough money to live. As a result, their futures lay in very menial work, if any could be found. Many stop going to school because they cannot see any future in it.

With the full cooperation of the village elders, Elias decided to return in 2008 to rehabilitate a delapidated village building to be known as The Rotary Vocational and Computer Training Center of Chahalka.

The elders feel this project will benefit the entire village by training young school dropouts in computer skills that could directly lead to entry level jobs in India's burgeoning IT industry, and by encouraging the younger children to study hard and stay in school once they see opportunities for jobs at the end.

Elders further believe it will benefit the village if vocational training, including tailoring and weaving, were available to young housewives as a way to earn additional income for their families. With the added income, families can afford to take their children off unskilled labour work and send them to free school.

Since Elias left the village, members of the Rotary Club of Delhi West returned to the village and, secured, a second, much smaller, building from the elders. As a result, our project will rehabilitate the smaller buiding, to be known as The Rotary Day-Care Centre of Chahalka.