Quenching thirst of schoolchildren
During one of their routine visits to schools to distribute stationery items and other miscellaneous educational aids to students, the Rotaractors of RAC Templeton, D 3000, learnt that the students in one of the government schools in Ayanpappakudi, a distant village on the outskirts of Madurai, were in dire need of a drinking water facility. “One of the students told us that they bring water from their home but by noon it gets over and they remain thirsty until they get back home,” said Selvakumar, the club president. The school has a borewell but water from it is saline and not fit for consumption.
After considerable groundwork, the members realised that a 250-litre RO plant will serve the needs of the 450 students and staff of the school. The market price was ₹1.1 lakh. “As we were wondering how to proceed further, Senthil Thandavan, a member of our parent club RC Madurai North, came up with a quote of ₹75,000 through his company.”
The Rotaractors approached their parent club where members agreed to sponsor part of the cost. They identified an organisation called People’s Comrades run by a group of Indian youth working abroad and supporting social causes. The group sponsored ₹60,000 and the balance ₹15,000 was sponsored by the parent Rotary club.
The water treatment plant was dedicated to the school in October and as part of the inaugural event the Rotaractors organised a talk delivered by Shakthi, founder of Rainstock, an NGO working in water conservation and recycling, to create awareness in children on the importance of saving water and preserving water bodies.
