Rotaractors extend tarpaulin roofs to homeless families

With the proliferation of urban slums in Ahmedabad leading to rise in homeless families, RAC Indus University, RID 3054, took up a maiden initiative in providing a roof over those living on roadsides and in shanties. “There are some who dream of having a good night sleep without facing the hassles of floodwater or chill weather. Our Chhat ki chahat par Project has extended tarpaulin roofs to over 10 families in August as they were some of the worst hit during the monsoon,” says Krupali Patel, club president. “We will be doing this project every year during rainy season.”

In August, Rotaractors visited an area at Satya Marg in Ahmedabad and installed the tarpaulin covers to the beneficiary families through a group effort. “We did it all by ourselves. But we could not reach out to more needy families due to the pandemic restrictions. Next time, we are aiming to cover major areas in the city,” says Krupali. The project was sponsored by Rtrs Nishant Patel and Panjari Mehta who instead of celebrating their birthdays with a gala collected a sizeable amount and gave it to Krupali for taking up this novel initiative.

A different Raksha bandhan

Instead of sisters tying rakhi to their brothers on Raksha bandhan, the club members, male and female, did this sibling ritual to their sisters within the Rotaract families. “Our sisters were tied with rakhi as a token gesture for their commendable role as frontline warriors against coronavirus. Whether they are nurses, teachers, housewives or in any other profession, their role during the pandemic is noteworthy,” says Krupali.

A video presentation on the greatness of India with its multicultural diversity and heritage was uploaded on the Facebook and Instagram handles of the club to remove the misconceptions and myths about the country that prevail among foreigners. “Each of the 10 Rotaractors was given 10 myths about India to work on and they came out with their own set of videos with screenshots and factsheets to dispel such wrong notions. I collected their work and made a common video that was uploaded on the social media for the benefit of foreigners,” she explains.

Krupali initiated this India video project as “I felt there are many people living abroad still thinking our country as an illiterate, backward, caste-based and tribal society which we are not.” And the video created by the Rotaractors addresses these misconceptions with facts and proofs taken from the common source. The institution-based club with 26 members is mentored by its parent RC Ahmedabad Metro. “Our Rotarians are supportive of our plans and guide us in our projects. They have assured us that they will provide funding to our Chhat ki chahat par Project from next year and make it reach out to more beneficiaries,” says Krupali.