Children receive their toys in Badami Bagh, Lahore, Pakistan.

By Rotary Voices staff

A girl clutched the new purse she had just received during the annual toy giveaway in the community of Badami Bagh, Lahore, Pakistan.

Another child examined the coloring books and colored pencils with interest, while a crowd of other children and their parents surrounded a table in the market square, waiting their turn to select a free toy.

On 11 July, about a dozen members of the Rotary Club of Lahore Sharqi (East), Punjab, Pakistan, took part in the club’s annual event that distributes toys to the needy children in the community. Longtime club member Asim Qadri started the tradition more than two decades ago.

Each year, club members spend several months collecting toys from businesses, soliciting donations, and raising money to purchase new toys. The looks on the faces of the children when they receive their toys makes all the effort worth it, notes Amir Sultan Rana, who served as the project’s publicity chair this year.

This project is just one of many that Rotary members have posted on Rotary Showcase.

Other notable projects include:

• The Rotary Club of Patumwan, Thailand, partnered with the Rotary clubs of Taipei Lungmen, Taipei, Taiwan; Yuki, Ibaraki, Japan; Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA; and the E-Club of 9920 Francophone, French Polynesia, on a grant project to install a lighting system for the pediatric operating room at Rajvithee Hospital in Patumwan. The state-owned hospital lacked funding to purchase the equipment. The donation will help save the lives of newborns and children diagnosed with heart diseases who need surgery.
• The Rotary Club of Pisa Pacinotti, Italy, is combatting cyberbullying by launching an educational campaign that will target secondary school students in the city of Pisa with information about what constitutes cyberbullying, how it hurts people, and what they can do to prevent it.
• The Rotary Club of Pretoria East, South Africa, is using a global grant to provide a curriculum of lesson plans, activities, and timetables to preschools in communities of Pretoria where resources are tight and teacher training is minimal. Club members hope the learning program will make these community preschools not only safe environments for the children while their parents work, but also places for them to get an early start on education.
• The Rotary Club of Narayanganj Shitalakshya, Bangladesh, gave away sugar, milk, and sweet vermicelli (shemai) to villagers in Boktaboli who are facing a daily struggle to survive and feed their families. The club is hoping their well-publicized effort will encourage others to help improve the quality of life for the village.
• With the help of Rotary members throughout District 3060, India, the Rotary Club of Junagadh purchased school sweaters and distributed them to 50 students in the village of Chokli. The uniform sweaters give the students a sense of pride in learning and keep them warm on chilly mornings.

Is your club’s project on Rotary Showcase? Find out how easy it is to share your project.