Partners in fighting poverty

By Lia Bichel
RESIDENTS in India have long been benefiting from the continuous work of a Narre Warren couple.
Lyn and Ian Pickering recently returned from a month-long, self-funded trip to India where they wore two hats- one as members of the Rotary Club of Narre Warren and another as Honorary Board members of Partners in Aid, a small non-governmental organisation, which has operated in Australia under different names throughout its 50-year history.
It was the 16th trip for Mr Pickering and the 14th for Mrs Pickering to the country where they facilitate and help with several community projects.
In the past 17 years, the duo worked on countless projects through Partners in Aid, with partner country partner SEDS (Social Education and Development Society), including the re-vegetation of barren hills, installation of bore well, seeding of tanks and creating a child sponsorship program.
Through Rotary matching grant projects, they have helped facilitate the drilling of bore wells, fitting pumps for villages and schools and provided 120 bright pink bicycles for secondary schools.
On the most recent trip, the duo continued their hard work and carried out a project made possible by the joint rotary matching grant program.
With Mrs Pickering’s persistence and determination and the help from five other Rotary clubs and the District and International Rotary, the Rotary Club of Narre Warren managed to expand $3000 to $55,000 in three months.
They used the money to purchase school uniforms, desks, computers, sporting equipment and a plate and cup for students to eat their lunches, provided free by the Indian Government.
Rotary Club of Narre Warren members Phillip McMillan and Steven Shutt made the trip to India for about a week to help distribute the goods.
Mr Shutt said he wanted to support the Pickerings, see what non-Rotary projects they were doing and see what projects Rotary was contributing to.
“We also took part in the presentation of schools uniforms and sports equipment as part of the joint Rotary matching grant program,” Mr Shutt said.
“The presentation of the schools was the highlight as I had not experienced anything like that before.”
Mr McMillan, who has travelled to India about 25 times for work, said this trip helped him gain a better understanding of village life.
“I left India feeling that the Rotary Club of Narre Warren had a very good partner in the local Rotary Club and that projects were making a difference to the lives of the rural people,” he said.
“I left feeling that I could contribute in a positive way.”
Mr McMillan said they were starting research for a project on the possibility of rubella vaccinations for local Indian girls.
Mrs Pickering said she believed they were not being heroic; rather they were providing necessities to people in need.
“We are not doing anything wonderful, just what we think of as normal,” she said.
“We are not crazy or heroes, we are passionate about raising money and we are making a difference.”
The Pickerings hope to return to India in 2013. Their granddaughter Kirra, who has made the trip to India three times in the past to help out her grandparents, also hopes to return.
Mr Pickering said he hoped more people would jump on board.
“People have choices,” he said.
“They can sit and do nothing or they can do something to make a difference in their own lives and other people’s lives.”