Thirteen physically-handicapped couples were excited to receive the keys to their newly-built houses from RC Chennai Sun City, RID 3234. “They expressed their gratitude to Rotary for such a lovely, life-long gift,” says M Krishna Sai, primary contact of Project Happy Shelters done jointly by his club with RC Chennai Port City and the National Association for the Blind. Both the spouses of the beneficiary families are either visually or physically challenged.
Each of the houses with a built-up area of 350 sqft has been given 1,200 sqft of land “gifted by the state government. So, we have 850 sqft of open space in front and back, in each plot so that fruit trees such as mango, coconut or guava can be planted and nurtured in this Rotary colony,” explains Sai. He is the managing trustee of RC Chennai Sun City Charitable Trust which built the houses at Pakkam village in Thiruvallur district near Chennai. Out of the project cost of ₹65 lakh, CSR-funding of ₹58 lakh has come from Anjan Drug, and the partner clubs have contributed ₹7 lakh. Among the 13 beneficiaries, nine were visually impaired.
A flagship project
Looking back on the journey so far, Sai recalls that they have been building houses for the last four years, beginning with the Covid pandemic. “Till now, our 16-year-old club has built 28 houses across three project sites at Kalpakkam (near Mahabalipuram) with eight units for fishermen; Padappai in Kancheepuram district for seven visually-challenged families; and now Pakkam in Thiruvallur benefitting 13 marginalised families.” The total value of the completed projects is ₹1.7 crore, raised through CSR funds and member contributions.
It all started when club member V Ganesh, a committee member of NAB, floated an idea to the club “to help the blind association in providing affordable shelters to families with visually-challenged members across Tamil Nadu.” While doing joint research with the NAB, “we came across an NGO, Nivasa, engaged in building rural facilities like community halls, schools and toilet blocks in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. With the help of Nivasa, we built houses for fishermen’s families in Kalpakkam, our first housing project,” explains Sai. Henceforth, the club plans to build at least 8–10 homes (₹60 lakh) every year in the neighbouring districts of Chennai, funded jointly through CSR grants and member contributions.
Two borewells were dug by the club to provide running water through overhead tanks at each house. “Eleven more wells will be provided, and will be funded by the families themselves. We have ensured there is plenty of water for the bathroom, kitchen and gardening.”
After going through decades of great hardships, the family of James Selvaraj (47, physically challenged) sees, “the new house as a god-sent gift to us. It has given us dignity, security, and hope for a better future. I thank Rotary and all the donors who made the dream come true for families such as ours,” he says.
Another project beneficiary, N Vijayalakshmi, 40, and visually challenged, says, “receiving this new home feels like a blessing from god. It gives us safety, comfort, and peace of mind that we never had before… I am deeply grateful to Rotary for this noble initiative that has brought happiness and stability into our lives.”
The club has done projects worth ₹1.53 crore across the seven Focus Areas of Rotary this year, says Somesh Balakrishnan, its president. “We have set up a dialysis centre with six machines at the Right Hospitals, Kilpauk, in which patients covered under the CM’s Comprehensive Medical Insurance Scheme are given free treatment.” A dialysis machine was set aside for HIV and hepatitis positive patients at the centre which was set up at a cost of ₹52 lakh, funded by a CSR grant and member donations.
RID 3234’s Happy Shelters
So far, 28 houses have been built by various clubs in Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts near Chennai under the district’s flagship Project Happy Shelters. Forty more dwelling units will be ready by June 30, all for the differently-abled families, “A total of ₹3.4 crore has been spent on building these 68 houses. Our initial target of 100 houses will be completed next year,” says district project chairman C Muthusamy from RC Chennai Port City. He inauguarted the new houses.
The housing project is funded by an amalgam of CSR funds, global grants, member contributions and donations. RID 3234 has partnered also with the state government to build seven houses.