School toilets revamped in Punjab
Clogged drains, pathetic washrooms and a neglected handwash station were giving a foul odour with entire campus stinking at the Government Public School, Kotla, in Tapprian village of Rupnagar district of Punjab.
Step in RAC Rayat College of Law, RID 3080, and “Project Happy School has given a new makeover for this government primary school which has over 300 students till Class 6. Our team of 6–7 Rotaractors worked for a week to set aright the sanitation facilities that were bizarre to say the least,” says Urvashi Sharma, club president.
First, a two-day cleanliness drive was held with five Rotaractors working to stem the leaking drains as the pipeline was blocked. “We hired three government labourers to remove the sewage blocks and regulate the gutter flow in the line. A sewer removal machine was pressed into service,” she explains. Next, three washrooms (for teachers, boys and girls) were renovated. A western commode was installed at the boys’ washroom, followed by cleaning of tiles at girls’ toilet block, “where we repaired the flushing system and installed new taps.” For staff toilet too, Rotaractors cleaned the tiles and fitted new taps. All the washroom walls got a fresh coat of pain after repair work.
In the second phase of Happy School project, a library cupboard was donated to the school for them to keep books of all genres, “we also gave a set of books to their collections.” As the handwash station was in disuse, the blocked drain line was repaired and new taps were fitted to make the sanitation unit functional. The playpen (enclosed play area) was given a facelift as its walls were painted giving a radiant look.
Teamwork
While Rotaractors worked for seven days, “it took us a month to complete the restoration project as we had to take breaks in the schedule due to festival holidays at the school. Uniforms and shoes were distributed to 10 meritorious students,” says Urvashi.
The club used its own funds, plus a grant from Rotaract district 3080, for the Happy School project which cost ₹30,000. There were also some key sponsors including Kulwant Singh, president, RC Roop Nagar, Gagandeep Kaur, club’s youth service director, and Rotaract club advisor Harsimar Singh Sitta. RC Chandigarh Mid Town president Nitin Kapur sponsored the uniforms and shoes for the students.
In the coming months, a pink toilet block for around 150 girls will be set up at the S D Senior Secondary School, Chamkaur Sahib, with Rotaract District 3080, providing the bathroom fittings including tiles, commodes, taps etc as it is a “district-wide project taken up by the Rotaract clubs.” Project Bachpan Bachao (Save the Girl Child), which got a certificate of appreciation from the SEARIC MDIO last year, is under planning stage for its upcoming edition. “It will be held at the Institute for the Blind, Chandigarh, with an official from the Human Rights Commission giving a special talk on preventing abuse of girl child, POCSO Act and the precautions to be taken to avoid such gender crimes. “We will be doing the project with the support of RAC Positive Abilities and 2–3 NGOs will also be roped in to have a wide variety of sessions like MHM seminar, fun activities and demonstrations by experts,” explains Urvashi.
Doing her fourth year Law at the Rayat College, Urvashi Sharma is looking forward to become a Rotarian in the near future. “I love public speaking, and being a lawyer, will advocate on issues that are dear to Rotary in future,” she smiles.
