Winters will be warmer for children at Bal Ashram Ghar
On their first visit to Bal Ashram Ghar, an orphanage in Moradabad that houses 24 children in the age group of 3–9 years, members of RAC Moradabad Central, RID 3100, were “heartbroken. One child told us that during winter she would tuck her feet into her dress to keep warm because the orphanage had no blankets,” says Aayushi Agarwal, the club president.
The club assessed the needs of the orphanage “with blankets on top of our list. We pooled money for purchasing bedsheets, toiletries, oral hygiene products and cleaning material to start with,” she says. When the blankets were being distributed Aayushi saw them “hugging the blanket, and they asked us if it was supposed to be shared. The joy in their eyes when we told them that each of them gets a separate blanket, is something I will never forget in my life.”
All thanks to Rotaract, “we get to be part of their joy and that pushes us to do more. We learn so many new things each time we organise a project or conduct an event. On the outside it’s just a blanket distribution programme; for us it’s a learning experience. It has taught us the spirit of giving, and to apply ethical practice in our personal and professional lives,” says the club president.
In association with RSD Hospital, Moradabad, the club conducted a blood donation camp. The camp was part of Mahadan, a project undertaken by Rotaractors in India to encourage youngsters to step forward and donate blood. The club collected 50 units of blood which were given to the hospital’s blood bank.
Rotaract taught us the spirit of giving, and to apply ethical practice in our personal
and professional lives.
– Aayushi Agarwal, club president
The club also conducted a medical camp at Ganga Mandir, a slum area in Moradabad. Over 300 people were screened for blood pressure, diabetes and ENT issues. A paediatrician screened children at the camp and educated the parents about nutrition and hygiene.
