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| Health & Hunger |
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For most of us who are used to eating something or the other at least four times a day, it would be very difficult to understand what sleeping on an empty stomach means. Most Rotarians would have only read about "pangs of hunger". Even those amongst us who fast on a particular day would admit that it is the "dinner" that our mind keeps veering towards. Looking at the lifestyle of the "creamy layer" of the society to which all of us belong, I often wonder whether we eat to live or live to eat.
It is estimated that about 150 million people in our country sleep on an empty stomach. No amount of speeches or conducting ICFs will help us understand their psychology. The only way we could experience their pain and suffering is by doing this ourselves. Why don't we decide to sleep (just once) on an empty stomach, tonight?
As Rotarians, it is our primary duty to alleviate sufferings related to "Health & Hunger" issues through innovative service projects done under "community service". Keeping this in mind, RI President Wilfred Wilkinson has constituted the "Health & Hunger resources group" and has identified this as one of his main thrust areas of this Rotary year. In our country can any community service project not be related to either Health or Hunger? I would even go to the extent of saying that irrespective of where in India you are located, there is a relevant "health and hunger project" waiting to be taken up, every 500 meters.
Rotary clubs can take up many diverse and innovative projects. They could buy health insurance for daily workers, drivers, door to door salesmen, gardeners, cooks, domestic servants and other segments which are vulnerable to losing their daily income due to illness. They could undertake projects to ensure electronically filtered clean drinking water to school children or could build toilets and latrines in rural areas where people still have to pollute open spaces, due to lack of these basic amenities. You could provide mid day meals to school-children or even educate cholesterol-heavy Rotarians about their improper food habits. Your imagination is the only limit for how innovative you can be.
But for God's sake do not fall into the trap of conducting cosmetic projects which do no good to anyone. Before undertaking any project, just ask yourself one question: "If I was one of the beneficiaries of this community service project, would I have got some real benefits?" If the answer is "Yes", go ahead; if it isn't, pause and think if you are doing it only for the sake of that photograph in tomorrows' newspaper. |
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| Your friend |
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PDG Prakash Shesh
RI District 3030
Zone V coordinator: Health & Hunger resources group |
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