With the bedkit distribution over there were just couple of items to complete before the team headed home. We held a post-distribution meeting with our Overseas Partners (Rotary Club of Pune Cantonment) when we reviewed the current distribution; followed shortly by a wrap-up meeting with members of all the Rotary Clubs involved in the "Children's Bliss Project" in attendance
Well deserved recognition was given to those Rotarians who had contributed their time, energy, and enthusiasm to make this project the success that it was. A classical Indian dance presentation was beautifully performed by Pankaj's daughter-in-law Abhidnya. An absolute honour to watch. Several Rotary wives demonstrated a local folk-dance ...encouraging team members to join in.
Our final destination was to a school in Ashtapur followed by visits to several of the children's homes. The school was well equipped for the thirty students in attendance. Brightly decorated classrooms, wall charts, books, and toys created a wonderful learning environment for the children.
Their homes were very similar to each other. One large room approx 15' x 15' served as the bedroom with the family generally sleeping on the cement floor. Alongside this room, a second area approx. 15' x 6' was for food preparation. An outside wood-fueled fire pit was used for cooking. One house did have a two burner gas stove. Electricity was in all these homes.
One child lived with her Grandfather as her Mum had died. She had all of her last year's bedkit items neatly stacked on her bed.
In a second home we found a Grandmother raising her two granddaughters, following the death of her daughter. She showed us some of the items from last years bedkit.
A third house was home to a Mum and her two children, husband, and Grandfather. Their fire pit was inside their home. The fourth visit was home to three children, Mother and Father.
The most basic shelter was a straw and twigs A-frame built by the family, with a dirt floor and no electricity. A Mother and two children lived here.
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