An Interact club for the hearing, speech-impaired
The Rotary E-club of Empowering Youth, RID 3132, has chartered the Interact Club of Jankibai Apte Mook Badhir Vidyalaya, a school for children with hearing and speech impairment in Ahmednagar.
“We had visited the school last year, when our club was chartered, to hand over a cheque for ₹50,000 donated by our club member Harshita Tapariya from the US. We spoke to the school principal about Interact and the opportunities the students will get by being in an Interact club,” says club member Dr Bindu Shirsath.
This year the club donated green boards for classrooms and stationery kits for the students at the Jankibhai school. The principal expressed interest in forming an Interact club with 25 students from Class 9 and 10. “It was heartwarming to see the children ‘sing’ our national anthem in sign language. They interacted with us in sign language which the teachers translated for us,” says Bindu. The new Interact club led by its president Manish Gandhi and secretary Sainath Dudhale implemented service projects such as cleaning the school campus and developing a kitchen garden in the backyard of the school. The Interactors involved the students in a mega seed ball project and, with guidance from the parent Rotary, they imparted lessons in environmental care to the younger students.
With the objective of introducing the new Interactors to other Interact clubs, the parent Rotary club encouraged them to participate in an international poster competition on mental health which was hosted by a Rotary club in Gujarat. Interactor Ganesh Bhakand emerged the fourth best among contestants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other parts of India.
“We are glad we were able to give these students an opportunity to engage in various activities through the club. This will enhance their self-confidence and develop their personality. Next year we have plans to organise a RYLA for these Interactors,” says Bindu. The club also gifted a sewing machine to a girl student who was trained in tailoring at the school’s vocational training centre. “She completed Grade 10, and as she was skilled in sewing garments, we decided to help her with a sewing machine so that she could support the family with her income,” says Bindu.
The E-club has 10 members, including two members from the US and Canada. It has chartered a cause-based eco club that executes projects related to environmental care in Ahmednagar.
