PETERSBURG – Petersburg Rotarian Rick Braun traveled to India recently to administer polio vaccines and help build two dams to create a water retention reservoir. The reservoir will provide both crop irrigation water and raise the underground water table, enabling area wells to store more water for village residents.
Braun has been a member of the Petersburg Rotary Club since 1987. The club has carried out fundraising projects for the organization’s Polio Plus project for decades.
Braun said polio has been eradicated in India for the past five years, but cities and villages located near the Pakistan border have to continually provide vaccinations to residents due to unimmunized Pakistan residents crossing the border.
Braun said indelible ink is painted on the pinkie finger of residents, to track people that have been immunized.
The Indian government manages the vaccination program and vaccines are administered every six weeks. Local technicians worked with the group when giving the immunizations.
Braun administered vaccines in the village of Punhana in the Haryana Province. The village is a two hour drive from Delhi. Locals turned out for vaccinations following a loud noise parade, including drummers, marching through the village to attract attention to the Rotarians’ arrival.
“You really have to be quite dexterous to administer the vaccine drops,” Braun noted. The drops are placed in the mouth using a glass vial with a rubber tip that has to be precisely squeezed when the person’s mouth is open. Braun added, “Plus you have these little hands pulling away. Luckily when they cry, their mouths are open. It’s quick and painless except for the emotional part.”
The following day the group began work on the dam project in Anandpur Sahib in the Punjab Province. For three days the group worked with contractors and locals to build one of the two dams.
While a backhoe was used to prepare the site, building the foundation and dam face were carried out by hand.
Braun was a member of a 22 person group from the U.S., Yukon Territories and Australia, led by the International Project Leader Elias Thomas from Maine. Thomas has raised funds from across the United States and raised $19,000 for the dam projects. The Rotary Foundation matched the club’s money, giving $38,000 to the dam projects. Thomas works closely with Rotary Clubs in India to carry out the work.
Along with the projects the group also participated in tours.
At Ranthambhore the group toured the national tiger park which was a reserve offering protection for 25 adult tigers and 20 cubs who feed on antelope, deer, wild boars, gazelles, as well as neighboring cows, goats and sheep from neighboring farms, that wander into the park.
Braun said his group saw a tiger right by the jeep. Another group just ahead saw a tiger kill an antelope. The group got dramatic videos of the kill and the tiger consuming the kill.
“The tigers prefer the blue bull antelopes, which are a slower animal,” Braun explained.
During the 19-day trip Braun was also able to tour the Taj Mahal, and the Royal Fort at Agra as well as ride elephants in Jaipur.
Braun paid his own travel expenses including the 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Delhi, India.
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