If you want to learn more or get involved somehow email me at Theelman360@gmail.com
Steve my brother is responsible for this initiative. He is a Rotarian. A former President of the Rotary Club of Courtney. When he retired and ended his career owning a travel agency he made a trip with colleagues to India. He decided to support some of the rural villages in Odisha India. The villages needed new fresh sources of water and needed support to build wells. Steve with Rotary International could do that! Long story short. He met a village named Kassini Padar. This village is supported by a group called Grace Life Ministries and his friend in BC Kel Frandson. The village wanted a health and training centre. A building that could be used to care for those who were ill. A place that could also accommodate visitors. Steve got to work with personal financial support and time and energy. Eventually the building was built. In the time it took the village to design, find funding and build my and Steve’s sister died. Eve spent a career advocating for better health care and public health services. Steve and the people of Kassini Padar decided to dedicate the new health centre to her. I was honoured to visit Cassini Padar with my oldest son Jadon and Steve and his wife Jan for the dedication of the building. On the trip we met people in Visakhapatnam India and in Nepal. Jadon and I knew when we returned that our hearts were tied to those we met. We are committed to support children in Cassini Padar and Komadi ( a tenement community outside of Visakhapatnam). Scroll down to the latest update. What to know more? Email Theelman360@gmail.com
January 2020
(This post from my friend and quite the human being Himakar Tata in Visakhapatnam India. I worry a great deal about him, my friends and the children of country should the freight train that is the virus hit the country hard. Thoughts and prayers. Here is a link to Tata’s travel blog spot
http://himakar-tata.blogspot.in/)
There cannot be a greater leveller than Convid 19 ! It has hit both rich and poor nations alike. Each one is tackling his/ her problems in a different manner. Some of us are turning philosophical/ spiritual. Some of us are beating the stress through poetry or corona inspired jokes! ( But for WhatsApp messages we could not have coped with these dark days of ” social distancing ” & uncertainty, wherein we are forced to miss our daily dose of social interaction!!). We have had a complete lockdown in Vizag since March 22nd. In fact , march 22nd was a day of total curfew. I have been more or less at home since 21st March. Today, I came out to purchase groceries from the nearest store ( instead of a bigger departmental store which I normally patronize). There have been three cases of COVID in Vizag out of a total of 7 in the entire state of Andhra Pradesh. Fortunately , they seem to be responding to the treatment. The situation in Orissa is also grim. In fact in Berhampur , they had imposed Section 144 a day earlier than Vizag. Several districts in Orissa are under lockdown. I have just confirmed from Karuna that everyone's O.K. at both the Vizag Home and at their village in Kasini Padar. The children at the Home have been sent to their respective hometowns. Lockdown is prevailing in Phulbani district too. The good news is that no one is stranded outside his/ her home. So at this juncture each one of us has has to count one's blessings ! We hope, especially in India, that with greater discipline, resolve and patience , we are able to surmount the problem of Corona Virus. Since all national and international flights and domestic rail and bus transport services have been halted till 31st March, we hope we can now have greater control of the localized movements within the city. We are trying to prevent an escalation of the cases by postponing the advent of Stage 3 to the extent possible. We are keeping a sharp look out of the movement of Indian nationals who have already arrived from COVID affected countries prior to the closure of international flights . The three cases in Vizag (so far) belong to this category. We are therefore having a wait and watch policy till 31st March. I sincerely hope that the increasing awareness among people for social distancing will bring in the desired effects. Indians are not so disciplined as Canadians . We need greater self restraint. At this juncture, I suppose , focusing on saving one's own skin, keeping oneself and one's neighbours healthy takes priority over our long term world wide agenda of community service. We have stopped all Rotary get-togethers and meetings from last Friday, 20th March. We are all in the same boat! the only difference is that the leakages are greater in some boats vis-a vis others. It is only hope, humour and positive thinking that will keep us afloat till we see light at the end of the tunnel
Yours sincerely,
Himakar Tata,
It evokes so many thoughts and feelings. I am in awe of the grace, strength and resolve of the people there and so many around the world. It is a lesson that money is not always a solution. Supplies could not get there in time to be useful and money might not be able to buy anything. Our economies are built around profit not need and well being.
Please keep the adults and children of Visakhapatnam in your hearts like I will as well as all the others facing seeming immeasurably difficult circumstances around the world.
In Visakhapatnam India the lockdown was eased and my friends and colleagues were able to provide some food to children in their community. Tough times. Strong people. April 2020
My heart is with them.
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