Many of the children living in city slums have a poor diet lacking in essential nutrients. One widespread problem is consuming insufficient iron causing iron deficiency anaemia. Iron helps the body to produce haemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen around the body. This form of anaemia can leave sufferers tired and short of breath. On 9th September, CRS organised an iron deficiency anaemia clinic at Bibibagan which was sponsored by the Indian company, Larsen & Turbo. Prior to the event, the health team spent two days making the community aware of anaemia and the importance of having their children checked. On the day, 80 children between the ages of 4 and 14 were checked by Dr Sumit Shaw. They received iron supplements, along with deworming tables and syrup. 23 of the children showing particularly low haemoglobin levels had blood tests, administered by pathologists from Good Health Diagnostics, and will receive follow-up treatment.
Author: Karen Laister
Students gather to thank teachers
Across India on 5th September, children report to school as usual but classes are replaced by activities of celebration to show appreciation for teachers. Events took place at all the CRS Education Centres including the Training Center for Differently-abled Persons (TCDP). The young people with different physical and mental disabilities normally learn skills such as chalk making and book binding. But Teachers’ Day provided them with an opportunity to thank their instructors, give them gifts and entertain them with dance. The students were also watched by their carers, usually their mothers, many of whom travel some distance to attend the TCDP. They greatly value the opportunity that the CRS Centre gives to nurture their children in a positive atmosphere.
Youngsters learn about the environment
A two-day event at Basanti Devi Colony school saw 60 members of the community learning about the importance of caring for the environment. CRS’s Education Centres teach basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as encouraging artistic expression through dance, music and drawing. An additional strand of learning is environmental awareness so that youngsters appreciate the world around them and the need to care for their local environment and its resources. Children from Basanti Devi Colony school and nearby Sukantanagar school, along with women from the community, attended sessions that culminated in the planting of saplings in the compound of the school. Children from the Environment Club have committed to caring for the trees as they grow.
Cathedral service focuses on CRS
On Sunday 2nd August, the whole of the morning service at St Paul’s Cathedral in Kolkata was given over to CRS. Members of the congregation learned more about the activities of CRS through presentations from Rig and other staff members. They heard choral pieces by children from some of the slum-based Education Centres and from young adults who attend the Training Centre for Differently-abled Persons. After the service, women from some of the self-help groups held an exhibition of their wares including embroidery work and tailored items.
Raising the roof
CRS works in partnership with neighbourhood organisations. These organisations provide premises while CRS funds and staffs programmes for the community. However, many of the buildings are either small or in poor condition. Over the years, CRS has supported infrastructure improvements through special fundraising. Different centres have received brick walls, new floors and flushable toilets.
In April, Jono Marcus took part in the 10k Mercy4Mankind run in Hyde Park, London. The aim was to raise money for CRS, specifically to replace the damaged roof of Mullajan Welfare Society in Bibibagan. The new roof is now complete. Inside, children from the surrounding slums can once again attend a school run by CRS both in safety and protected from the monsoon rains.