Ian and Lynne Pickering are captivated by the grace and dignity of Indian people in difficult circumstances.By Jim Mynard
ROTARY past district governor Ian Pickering and his wife Lynne are passionately involved in things India.
They are particularly focussed on sponsorships to support Indian children.
Mr Pickering, who was guest speaker at a Rotary Club of Berwick dinner meeting, said he had been to India 11 times in 15 years and had learnt to understand the situation of villagers in that country.
He said the maledominated society made life difficult for women, but this was slowly changing through the work of women’s collectives.
He said the provision of water bores and hand pumps in many villages had eased the daily grind of walking miles for a jar of dirty water.
“One school with 2000 female students had no sanitation.
“Homes are very modest with seven people living in 15 square metre houses.
“Cooking is done outside in all weathers, 40 degrees or raging monsoons.
“Across India there are many thousands of very basic villages of around 2000 residents who struggle to eke out a subsistence living.
“Action Aid and Rotary are working together to help ease the poverty, disease and ignorance that beset so many Indians,” he said.
Despite this portrayal of everyday life for most of India’s people, Ian and Lynne are captivated by the simple grace and dignity of the Indian people.
Mr Pickering said change would come very slowly because cheap labour was a component of farm production, not likely to be easily overcome.
He said Action Aid ran a program that sponsored children for $20 a month for each child.
“This will help a kid with clothing, schoolbooks and food,” he said.
Further information is available from Mr and Mrs Pickering on 9704 6315.
