"Picture each
vaccination team
walking through
dense slums,
across garbage
troughs, and
through
drainpipes and
all manner of
debris, animals,
and structures
to vaccinate
needy children,"
Beck says. "Add
air thick with
dirt and
pollutants, so
that we often
could not see
the end of the
street. Then
include the
smells of decay,
garbage, and
insects, and you
have what each
team encountered
each day."
Beck is quick
to add, however,
that there was
more to the
scene.
"One must
also draw into
that picture the
smiling faces of
beautiful people
and especially
children,
mothers dressed
in colorful
native clothes,
and their offers
of food and
drink and their
sincere thanks
for our
efforts," he
says. "Only then
can you see why
we went back
each day. We
really believed
we were making a
difference, even
if it was only
one child at a
time."
While in
India, Beck and
his team also
visited several
Rotary
club-supported
projects,
including:
- A
hospital in
Delhi where
surgery is
performed to
rebuild the
deformed
limbs of
polio
survivors,
usually
without
charge
- A
Rotarian-sponsored
vocational
training
center,
where young
women learn
to make
clothing
designs and
patterns to
obtain
better jobs
- An
advanced eye
care center
established
by Rotarians
in India and
the United
States
- A school
that
provides
hearing-impaired
children
with hearing
aids and an
education
"My Rotary
PolioPlus
experience has
given me a
profound
appreciation for
what it means to
be a Rotarian,"
Beck says.
"Rotary programs
are empowering
local people,
communities, and
governments to
create local
solutions in
which all may
derive pride.
PolioPlus and
my fellow
Rotarians have
made me proud to
be a Rotarian
