Rotary Ankleshwar celebrates TRF Centennial

RC Ankleshwar, D 3060, dedicated four social projects to mark the TRF Centennial. The mega event was ­presided over by RI Director Manoj Desai. EMGA Ashok Panjwani extended his support and guidance for the successful implementation of these global grant projects.

Literacy

The club, in association with ­Jhagadia Industries and ONGC ­Ankleshwar Estate, provided secondary ­education to 100 tribal women aged 18–40, under its project titled ‘Second Chance’. RID Desai distributed ­certificates to these women who had successfully completed the course.

While an excited Mahida Hiraben of Boidra village “want to teach and motivate other girls from my ­locality,” her friend Pathan Sabiha from Jitali expressed a desire for higher studies, although she had to overcome stiff resistance from her family.

“One common feature among these women was that they had to overcome social hurdles with grit and hard work. We will support them to study further,” said Jinendra Kothari, the past president of the club.

Sanitation

Jitali will soon become the first open defecation free village in Bharuch district if everything goes as planned. Under its ‘Gram Kalyan’ project, the club, along with the Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Ltd (BEIL), is ­constructing 478 toilet blocks at a cost of Rs 86 lakh in this village. RID Desai inaugurated the first phase, where 200 toilet blocks have been completed.

Waste management

The club, along with Shroff S R Rotary Institute of Chemical ­Technology and BEIL, has installed compost facilities in Jitali to convert solid waste from the households which can be used for agriculture.

Firoj Hasan Solanki, a villager from Navi Nagari said, “Not only is our village clean, the whole exercise gives us organic manure for our crops too. Now we are spreading this idea to our relatives in the neighbouring villages too.”

Another villager Ammar Goman felt proud that they were actively involved in the Swachh Bharat ­Mission and thanked Rotary for ­setting up the waste management system.

100 Four-way Test plaques

The club distributed Four-way Test plaques to 100 schools in and around Ankleshwar to expound Rotary’s ­principles and shore up its public image.

Apart from these projects, the Rotarians distributed course ­completion certificate to 100 women who had completed vocational ­training at the Rotary empowerment ­centre. The event also marked the third ­anniversary of a mobile education van that was commissioned under a global grant.