Educational support for children
The Rotaract Club of RVCE (RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru), RID 3191, has launched Project Pustak to empower children from financially weak families to pursue education and excel in academics, without dropping out of school. Through this year-long project, the Rotaractors have reached out to 500 students across 15 government schools, providing them with school essentials such as notebooks, textbooks, stationery items, school bags, footwear and lunch boxes. The club ran a fundraiser drive in the college which got them an impressive ₹3 lakh. “We received contributions ranging from ₹100 to ₹350 from students and the teaching faculty, and their support made this project possible,” says Mahi Garg, club secretary.
Project Pusthak was more than a charity drive or material support, says project chair Ishita Poddar. “It was a means of instilling a sense of hope and determination among the students through lectures on how education serves as a tool for change toward opening up to a better life. We communicated this to the children, inspiring them to dream big, even when things seem uninspiring.”
Project Pusthak was a means of instilling a sense of hope and determination among the students.
— Ishita Poddar, Project Chair
The club observed World Food Day (Oct 16) and hosted Naivedyam, a global food drive in collaboration with 21 Rotaract clubs worldwide. The initiative provided meals to underprivileged communities, with some clubs donating funds, and others organising localised meal-distribution efforts. In Bengaluru, 15 volunteers from the club, along with Rotaractors from RACs Bangalore Orchards, JNC, NMIT-MBA, Marathahalli and APSCE participated in distributing packed food to 700 people residing in the slum localities of Banashankari.
“In all, the initiative made a meaningful impact by serving food to 1,300 individuals with the collective efforts of 80 volunteers worldwide,” says Mahi. This is the third year the club is hosting this event.
The Rotaractors volunteered with the college’s NSS unit to pack relief kits to be distributed to the people affected by the floods in Wayanad in Kerala. The kits comprising grocery items, clothes, blankets and other essentials were provided by various NGOs.
Project Hello Grandparents! helped the Rotaractors connect with the senior citizens staying at the Aarna Aayu Foundation in the city. They spent an afternoon with the elderly people, cheering them up with drama, dance and games. The club provided groceries and portable wellness equipment to the old age home.
