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AFUW-ACT
Inc. Meeting Report
Topic: SUMMER HOLIDAYS IN INDIA AND THAILAND
Speaker: ROSEMARY EVERETT
Rosemary told us of her work with Rotary International in India and
Thailand. She gave us a splendid, moving, illustrated account of the
weeks she spent in central India and Northern Thailand. Rotary has a
number of projects round the world - in India it is to help eradicate
polio and in Thailand it is to provide a home for children whose parents
have been murdered by the Thai military. INDIA – and getting there -
After flying to India, they travelled by car for 4 days through the
centre to Moomby. They had 6 hours sleep, toured Moomby and then had
24 hours sitting up in a train where they were fed on omelette and bread.
They arrived at Raipur and thence to Jagdalpur where they were billeted
out to stay with Indian families. Rosemary stayed with a Sikh family
for 5 days - Jutenda the husband, Bobby his wife, his mother Rabelene,
and their daughter. Bobby is not allowed to leave the house without
her mother-in-law’s permission. She has no rights so her ambition is
for her daughter to study overseas and choose her own husband. No grog
was allowed in the house although Jutenda owns a grog shop; he offered
Rosemary a drink but they had to go into a special room and shut the
door. She was given an Indian dress to bring home and a metal statue
of a cow.
POLIO ERADICATION - Information about the immunisation program
was told to the village through a loud speaker carried around on a motorbike
- there was no money for posters or photocopying. Helpers from UN doing
the vaccination work go from door to door. THE MARKET - food is on the
ground and vendors come 7 days a week to sell their produce. The village
is small if there are less than one million people. Rotary is putting
in water wells; Rosemary and Jutenda opened one. Even though poor, hospitality
is important. Farewell presents were given to everyone and a large breakfast
was provided.
THAILAND - The aim of the project was to build dormitories for
homeless children in Northern Thailand. They had seen their parents
murdered by the Thai military; the dormitories would allow them to stay
in the hills so they could attend school; the alternative was for them
to go to Bangkok to work in the sex trade. It took time for the children
to accept the Rotarians as friends - they had experienced so little
kindness in their young lives.
LIVING CONDITIONS - There were 20 to a dormitory, so no privacy;
pillows and mattresses were HARD. There was no power after 8pm so candles
and torches were used; it was very hot. The Rotarians were there for
2 weeks to tile floors and paint walls. Rosemary escaped these tasks
but the job of Treasurer was not easy when you couldn't speak Thai.
MEALS - Breakfast at 7 was fried egg in bread; lunch rice and
vegetables; tea rice and vegetables, sometimes chicken. Everything was
dusty. There were 90 people to cook for on 3 small stoves. The washing
up was done in cold water by the children who never grumbled did.
THE CHILDREN - were up at 5 to clean toilets and paths and make
beds. They travelled, standing in an overcrowded ute to school. When
they came home they prepared dinner for 7pm and went to bed at 8. To
give the children a feeling of ownership of the building, they were
given painting of the roof tiles before installation - they enjoyed
it immensely. One13 year old Leli, who had seen both parents murdered
was very keen to have Rosemary come back.
The Thai government refuses to give these people of the Arka tribe citizenship.
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