Today is day 7 and sadly, our last distribution on this trip to Pune. Although this was a small distribution site, 64 schools came to collect over 700 bedkits. We happened to arrive early before any of the children and we found the organizers hard at work preparing shaded areas. It was such a pleasure to engage with the children as they trickled in. We looked at photos of snow, icebergs and sea ice which they were fascinated by but it was the videos of penguins, seals and whales which captured their imaginations.
As I was following my curiosity and poking around the classrooms, I came upon a small group of kids playing in a classroom. We shared a lively rendition of the alphabet song and counting to 30 before reviewing their vocabulary words on the chalkboard. They were very proud to practice their English skills with me.
Clearly, they have a talented English teacher at this school as this is the most English we have discovered. While many of the children (and parents) show their gratitude by saying thank you in English while collecting their bedkits, these kids wanted to practice engaging by answering my “How are you?” question with a “Fine” reply, and a “How are you?” grinning from ear to ear. What an advantage these children will have.
On this Valentine’s Day, the focus was really on the children and it was a heartwarming day all around.
Team Pune, 2025
Rotary Club of Pune Cantonment 🇮🇳 and SCAW 🇨🇦