Promoting Literacy
Over 800 children across eight government schools benefitted from Project Pragathi Prothsaha of RAC Vidyaranyapura, RID 3192. The Rotaractors raised ₹4.5 lakh to support students from economically weak families around Bengaluru.
The project helped to distribute customised academic kits based on a detailed need analysis carried out in various schools. “We visit the schools and understand the students’ needs from the school head. Some schools placed a request for stationery kits and one of the schools in Tiptur wanted us to provide the students tracksuits for sports purpose,” said club secretary Aparna Sajjaiah. Tracksuits were gifted to 120 students in that government school with support from RC Tiptur.
This is the second version of the project, the earlier one having been carried out on a large scale last year. “We had supported around 1,221 students across 12 schools last year,” said Dr Bhavana Dama, former secretary of the club. Seven Rotaract and two Rotary clubs partnered with the host club which raised ₹3.5 lakh for the initiative.
The kits were carefully curated to provide students with everything they need for the academic year, empowering them to focus on their studies without worrying about school essentials. This year, the first phase concluded on Aug 26 with a distribution of 300 educational kits including 1,800 notebooks and textbooks at a government school in Doddaballapur. Each kit included essential school supplies consisting of notebooks, geometry boxes, colour pencils, drawing books, water bottles, book labels and bags. Uniform sets were also gifted to students in one of the schools. “The goal is to support holistic development beyond just academics. We are gearing up for the next phase and this time we will be focussing on schools in Chikkamagaluru,” said Aparna.
The club’s volunteers would hold motivational talks in the schools they visit, “raising awareness about the importance of education and inspiring students to grow into responsible citizens, and recognise the value of giving back to their communities.”
‘Eco-friendly Clay Ganesha Workshop’ is another flagship project of this eight-year-old club. The project, into its seventh consecutive year, has been inspiring communities to embrace eco-friendly practices during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival when Ganesha idols in plaster of Paris are widely used for worship. “Our aim is to promote cultural preservation coupled with environmental sustainability and community involvement. This year we addressed 1,650 participants. Professional artisans were engaged to teach school and college students to craft Ganesh idols in eco-friendly clay devoid of any harmful paints or accessories. They were delighted to create their own idols in various avatars. It was interesting to witness their creativity — one child crafted the elephant god playing veena, and there was another Ganesha striking a pose with an umbrella, and many more, ” said club president Rahul Raj M Singh.
Workshops were conducted at 10-plus schools, as well as at the Mantri Mall, NTI Grounds, and at the Heeranandani Apartments. Cultural performances, such as Yakshagana and storytelling about Ganesha’s origins, were integrated into the workshops at the Mantri Mall.
