Dahlias seemed to be the theme of these distributions. The first day on the road we visited
Gangadharpur, for a distribution at a college.
On the same site, Rotary is building a hospital to care for patients
with eye problems, particularly cataracts.
We had lots of volunteer help, and our photo site was in front of a
garden featuring dahlias. It was a beautiful
backdrop to the lovely children we saw.
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| Student Teacher Volunteers |
Children and parents were fed before each child received its
bedkit, a testimony to the extra effort
that our Overseas Partners make to ensure the success of the distribution. Many children had travelled considerable distances to reach the
distribution site.
After a short drive we visited Howrah for another
distribution. It was the first time the
Rotary Clubs in that area had hosted a distribution and they put a great deal
of effort into it, with good success.
The children were tired, and the sun was casting long shadows by the
time we finished. But they were extremely pleased with their bedkit and it was
satisfying to know that they will now have a good night’s rest after
a long, weary ride home.
We stayed overnight in Kharagpur where we were very well-treated
by the Rotary team. The following day
there was a distribution at the Tata Bearing Factory compound. It was another well-run distribution and the
photo backdrop was a row of potted dahlias.
They were a compliment to the bright colours of the girls' dresses.
After the long drive back to Kolkata, today is our rest day. More than half of the 5,000 bedkits have been
handed out to needy children, and tomorrow we're looking forward to the start
of giving the gift of a bedkit to the rest of the children.
Judy Dryden for Team Kolkata 2015
