A 125 km ride along winding, climbing roads brought us to
the site of the third distribution, Mahabaleshwar. Local villagers gathered on balconies and
along the roadway to be part of their first visit by the SCAW-Rotary team. Climbing to an elevation of 4000 ft., all
team members appreciated our skillful driver.
Terraced farming became quite evident. Many of today’s bedkit
recipients’ families survive on the crops grown on these small tracts of
land. Schools are scattered throughout
this rural district.
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Travelling as far away as 40 kms to receive their kit was a
big event. Families arrived by truck in
groups of approximately 10. Emotions of
joy and trepidation showed on the faces of both child and parent.
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Included in the 800 students today were 20 children from the
P.C. Alwani School for the Mentally Challenged, named after its founder. Daily
school bus transportation is provided for these “specially- abled” children,
whose challenges were both and physical and developmental.
The reward in distributing the kits is not in the flowers
presented to us but the sincerity of the practiced “thank-you” and the firmness
of the handshake from adult and child.
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Team Pune 2015
