In an interesting initiative, Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM) has launched a motivating programme for prison inmates in West Bengal through a comprehensive literacy project. “Thanks to the initiative and help from my friend Imran Zaki, an eminent social worker in Kolkata and Sanjay Singh, ADG, ­Correctional Homes, West Bengal, RILM has been able to give the gift of literacy to about 800 prison inmates from eight correctional homes in West Bengal through our adult ­literacy programme,” says past RI President ­Shekhar Mehta.

Ophthalmologists in Nigeria will now take ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) seriously, thanks to a team of eyecare experts undergoing a vocational training programme (VTT) at Radhatri ­Nethralaya, an eye hospital in Chennai.

On July 1 this year, RC Thane Ghodbunder Road, RID 3142, launched Project Annapurna at the St Jude Childcare Centre in Parel, Mumbai, to provide nutritional support to 100 children undergoing cancer treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. “We aim to provide nourishing diet packs to 100 families with children battling cancer every week for the entire year,” said project coordinator Shankar Bhagat. Each carefully curated pack costs Rs.500 and the total project cost is estimated at Rs.26 lakh. The initiative will benefit less privileged children undergoing treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital and staying at all the 20 St Jude centres across Mumbai.

In order to provide free and quality heart care to the villagers in all the seven revenue districts that come under RI District 3212, the district has acquired a state-of-the-art healthcare bus costing over Rs.1 crore.

A 70-year-old architect was on a morning walk along Bandra’s Carter Road; he suddenly fumbled and collapsed on the pavement. Onlookers rush to him and respond in the usual way, some

Fellowship and service mingle seamlessly at RC Bangalore, RID 3192, as its 300-plus members enjoy doing mega projects that infuse bonhomie in the club which is celebrating its 90th year.

RC Kottayam East, RID 3211, along with RC McKinney, Texas, RID 5810, provided an ambulance and kidney dialysis equipment worth $118,450 to two hospitals in the city. Over 40 underprivileged people are benefitting from the facilities.

Rajiv Bhalla, past president of RC Ranipur, RID 3080, expresses immense joy and pride as he reflects on a programme which “began by chance and  has given new life to over 1,000 people who were suffering from burn injuries.” Since 2008, the club has been organising an annual camp to treat the physical and mental scars of burn survivors.

With focus on screening and testing patients for tuberculosis, RC Rasipuram, RID 2982, has donated a molecular testing machine to the Government Hospital, a fluorescent microscope to GH, Namakkal, and a microscope each to 10 primary health centres in and around Rasipuram to enhance the TB testing facilities through a global grant project worth `27.4 lakh. Rasipuram is a town in the revenue district of Namakkal in Tamil Nadu.

Club president Saratchandra Singh Phijam explains, “This project provides a consistent source of nutritious food for the children…

The Rotary Foundation and the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education have partnered to award scholarships to water and sanitation professionals.