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DISTRICT SEMINAR ON THRUST AREAS (DISTRICT 3170) PDF Print E-mail
The News - District 3170 News

Host: Rotary Club of Hubli

Venue: PDG Dr R.B.Patil College, Hubli

Date: 03/08/2008

RI President: D.K.Lee                              

District Governor: Dr Pranesh Jahagirdar

Moderators: PDG Dr Rajan Deshpande (Children at Risk and Child Mortality and Literacy)

                    PDG Dr P.V.Datti (Health and Hunger and Permanent Projects)

 

District Governor Dr Pranesh emphasized the thrust areas of RI president D.K.Lee  and appealed to the Rotarians to work in that direction to Make Dreams Real. He gave emphasis on Child Mortality, Children at Risk, Girl Child, Literacy. In the first session.........,

on Children at Risk and Child Mortality, PDG Dr Rajan Deshpande quoted RIP D.K.Lee, “We know that being united in Rotary, we can make dreams real for all of the worlds children by reducing the child mortality”. He challenged Rotarians to use their knowledge, working with water, health, hunger and literacy. By addressing these issues we can improve the lives of children around the globe and inspire others.

 

The panelists were Rtn Dr Prakash Sanghavi, Rtn Dr Vinaykumar Pai Raikar, Rtn Madhuri Deodhar, Rtn.S.G.Biradar.

 

Child Mortality:

Rtn Dr. Prakash Sanghavi made his presentation on child mortality and highlighted the causes of infant deaths and told that this mortality can be prevented by various means and this can be provided by the Rotary Clubs of the area.

The common causes of Child Mortality are:

  1. Maternal Malnutrition
  2. Repeated pregnancies
  3. Unsafe deliveries
  4. Daai cutting umbilical cord with knife or blade and apply cow dung
  5. Non immunization of children
  6. Inadequate neonatal care
  7. Sickness in children (there are preventable diseases like hepatitis, diarrhea, dysentery, dengue, chickengunia, typhoid, T.B.)

He said majority of the children die at the time of birth and hence the mothers must be encouraged to have hospital deliveries. Neonatal resuscitation kits can be given to the health centers in the area.

Following points were noted during the breakaway meeting:

  1. Awareness to the expectant mothers
  2. Family awareness
  3. Ante natal check ups, advice on food habits, exercises, immunization, environment, screening and blood tests, hygiene
  4. Insistence on hospital deliveries
  5. Immunization of babies immediately after delivery
  6. Awareness of Grihalaxmi programs and other Governmentt schemes.

 

 

Children at Risk:

Rtn Dr Vinaykumar Pai Raikar told about the children which are at risk all the time. He elucidated with power point presentation the problems faced by these children.

 

The children at Risk are:

  1. Preterm Babies
  2. Low birth weight babies
  3. Poor living conditions, sanitation
  4. Child labor, beggars, rag pickers, children in fire crackers factories
  5. Child abuse
  6. Sex abuse
  7. Teenage Pregnancies
  8. Physically disabled children (Congenital or acquired)
  9. AIDS affected children
  10. Lack of educational facilities
  11. Orphans, abandoned children
  12. Mentally challenged children.
  13. Substance Abuse like ghutaka, alcohol, drugs
  14. Accident prone outside school premises
  15. Population growth

Rtn Dr Vinaykumar quoted RIP (1932-33) Clinton P. Anderson, “Let every club adopt one special project most needed in the community … A Rotarian ought to think his home town the best on earth … and that it is his own fault if it isn’t. A serving Rotarian is more than a man with pen in hand to write a check and wish the project well. He is a man willing and ready to lend a hand to the task- give something of him to the undertaking. More important than the purse is the person.”

To help these children at risk, the ideas suggested are:

  1. Immunization of all the children in the community can be done by motivation and by the help of Government agencies.
  2. Adoption of schools
  3. Providing safe drinking water facilities
  4. Provide midday meals in schools
  5. Provide medical aid to physically handicapped
  6. Talks on hygiene and community education
  7. Eye and deafness checkups
  8. RYLA for rural children, mentally challenged children to improve vocational skills.
  9. Population control programs
  10. Aids awareness programs
  11. Educational programs on Drug abuse

 

 

 

Girl Child:

 The problems faced by girl child are:

  1. Discrimination right from birth
  2. Lesser education offered to children
  3. Lesser importance in family, society, society
  4. Girl Child Trafficking
  5. Devdasi system

Rtn Madhuri Deodhar spoke about the girl child. She said that we should help the girl child for education. We call nature as Mother Nature, earth as mother earth, our country as mother India and say “Matru Devo Bhava” and worship goddesses in our country. All this throws light on the crucial role of mother in our lives.

The girl child coming from socio-economically backward home bears the brunt and is the victim of child abuse, child labor and child trafficking. The child is abused by her own family members and sold by uncles, at times even by her father. A girl child is more prone for school dropouts in comparison to the male siblings.

Educating a girl child will help in improving education in her children as well and will be a continuous cycle for generations. The future mothers of our country will become mentally better than the illiterate. We can adopt and help a girl child from Devdasi family (whose mother is a sex worker), a girl from a single parent home, orphaned child, a girl whose parent is in jail, who is below the poverty line. A girl child may need Rs 700 to Rs 800 for uniforms, shoes, books, tuition fees, umbrella, school bag etc. It is better to choose a girl child who is in the 7th standard as that is the age when you have maximum dropouts (when the girl attains puberty).

 

Literacy:

Rtn S.G.Biradar spoke on what Rotary can do promote literacy.

 

The points to ponder in Literacy are:

  1. School dropouts
  2. No teachers, no black boards, no desks
  3. No water, no food, no library, no computers
  4. Low literacy rate in parents
  5. 300 million people in India cannot read their own name
  6. Literacy rate was 28% in 1961, and 66% in 2006
  7. 9 out of 10 who enroll for 1st standard wont make it to college
  8. Out of 460 millions children and youth between 6yrs-24 yrs only 63% are studying
  9. Unemployment in youth
  10. Educated unemployed become gangsters.

 

 

The highlights of his talk are as under:

  1. Encourage local organizations to take up adult classes in the evening.
  2. Conduct workshops for parents to create awareness of the importance of giving good education to children especially to girl child.
  3. Organize Functional literacy for illiterate especially for women at home
  4. Adoption of schools for the overall development of schools. If possible start your own school.
  5. Give training to teachers under the schemes like CLE etc
  6. Provide desks and benches to schools
  7. Provide teaching aids like, blackboards, scientific models, charts, OHP etc
  8. Provide sports goods o schools
  9. Provide safe drinking water facility and construct sanitary blocks o the needy schools under Matching Grants/District Simplified Grants
  10. Provide library books to schools and colleges
  11. Provide computers to schools under Matching Grants Projects
  12. Celebrate Teacher’s Day on 5th September and honor the teachers for their meritorious service and give the coverage in the local media to create awareness among the public of the importance of education especially to the girl child.

 

 

 

Cancer Screening Programs/Cancer Camps:

(Rtn Santosh Kamat, Rtn Dr Suraj Pawar)

 

Following conclusions were drawn at the end of the session.

  1. Involve Government Infrastructure, Health Department, Anganwadi workers, health workers, panchayat, PHCs in the project
  2. Focus on rural areas where cancer awareness is minimal
  3. Create awareness by all means of education and publicity. Have public forums, audiovisual presentations, print publicity material, handbills, news papers, TV or local cable network
  4. Clear misconceptions regarding cancer; convince them that cancer is curable if diagnosed early
  5. More awareness to be created in urban areas also.
  6. Dissipate information about signs and symptoms of cancer so that they are diagnosed very early
  7. Early detection should be followed up with appropriate treatment which should be offered at free/ concessional  rates to the patients
  8. To have permanent projects for cancer detection,e.g. Permanent mobile cancer screening units; linear accelerator radiotherapy unit to give advanced therapy at affordable cost on charitable basis.
  9. To put slide-show in all movie theatres, cable TV.
  10. Involve family planning associations for further and better reach
  11. To appoint lady counselors at village level for counseling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community Empowerment:

Rtn Peter Alexander

 

  1. It was decided to emphasis all the thrust areas creating awareness among people about the programs and facilities provided by the Government and how best we can support the deserving population.
  2. Creating awareness throughout the district with programs, pamphlets etc to know the rights of the public
  3. Holding seminars, camps to create awareness among the women and children about their rights
  4. To avoid adulteration and trade malpractices by having consumer awareness projects

 

Permanent Projects:

Rtn Durgesh Haritay

 

  1. Having a permanent project in the city, town or village will help improve image of Rotary and hence will involve more members from the community to tie up with Rotary clubs.
  2. The permanent projects can be a) construction of school or college, b) Gymnasium, c) vaccination centre, d) matrimonial centre, e) eye hospital, f) blood bank, g) cancer detection centre, h) heart foundation centre.
  3. Formalities for such projects are:
    • Register the society
    • Include members who can give minimum 3-5 years to th project.
    • Get permission from the govt dept concerned
    • Construct the building from donations, MP fund, local politicians, philanthropists
    • Matching grants for benches, computers, tables, sanitation.
    • MG application- find partner
    • Involvement of dedicated Rotarians is a must.
    • Maintenance to be done by the club/clubs
    • Vocational centre
    • Registration with WCS

 

Health and Hunger:

 

Rtn Ravi Hunje

 

For improving health in the community, following programs may be conducted:

  1. Health Camps:
    • Children; Ophthalmic, dental, deafness, general checkups.
    • Women: Breast cancer detection, gynecological check ups with Pap smear tests, blood groups, anemia check ups
    • Adults: Diabetes and hypertension camps, bone density or osteoporosis camps, HIV awareness, Obesity camps, eye camps, oral cancer detection, heart health check ups, general health check ups

For Hunger following programs can be carried out.

  1. Nutrition to children in schools
  2. Providing food to orphanages, old age homes.
  3. Technology transfer for higher food production
  4. Technology for white revolution in rural areas
  5. Awareness about vegetarian food and consumption
  6. Community kitchen for street children and beggars
  7. Agro forestry promotion in deforested or arid areas.
  8. Skill development for farm mechanization
  9. Better utilization of water to increase productivity
  10. Water harvesting in rural areas

 

Tuberculosis Control program:

PDG Dr P.V.Datti (Member, national committee for T.B.)

 

The following points were discussed:

  1. Awareness of Tuberculosis control program to the general public acting as a catalyst or mediator.
  2. TB affects the economy of the country
  3. Drugs are expensive, hence patients should be told that they are given free of cost by the Governmentt under DOTS program
  4. Each club can take up these activities.
  5. Adopting the hospitals for distribution of drugs
  6. In India, a special committee for TB is formed like Pulse Polio
  7. Any cough not cured in 3 weeks with low grade fever must be investigated for TB
  8. Adopt three families per club to check whether the patients are taking the drugs or not
  9. TB can spread with coughing, sneezing specially in open cases
  10. TB is not hereditary
  11. Improve living conditions by allowing fresh air (well ventilated house)
  12. provide good nutrition

 

Compiled by

 

Rtn Dr Vinaykumar Pai Raikar

Rotary Club of Panaji Mid-Town

RI District 3170
 
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