SHIPBUILDERS FROM MUMBAI HELP REBUILD ANGANWADIS

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Broken benches, toys that have been reduced to a lump of mud and classrooms covered in slush.

This is the sight in many of the anganwadis and schools in Kerala’s flood-affected districts.

Citizen groups and government teams are at work in most of the areas to rebuild it.

Aiding them is a team from the defence public sector shipbuilding company, Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai who have landed in the state with the sole objective of cleaning anganwadis and schools. “A team of MDL executives are stationed in Tiruvalla. They have mobilised local NCC and NSS volunteers to get many anganwadis and schools cleaned,” says Commodore TV Thomas, director, corporate planning, MDL.

The team has so far cleaned 42 anganwadis, 11 schools, 1 taluk hospital, 1 community health centre, 2 primary health centres and 2 relief camps.

After the first phase of cleaning that’s likely to get over this week, the team will distribute toys, ration and other essential items to these anganwadis.

“The idea is to help little children overcome the trauma of floods. We are also looking to mobilise teams of youngsters who can tell stories, sing and dance for the tiny tots in anganwadis to pep them up,” says Capt Ramesh Babu, general manager, MDL, who is leading the team.

The project under Kerala Can Clean banner is a Swachh Bharat CSR initiative by MDL. “We couldn’t even look at the anganwadis after the water receded. It was in such a bad shape. They have done a great help, which we will never forget,” says Sreekumari VK, an anganwadi teacher at Tiruvalla.

THE TEAM FROM MUMBAI HAS SO FAR CLEANED 42 ANGANWADIS, 11 SCHOOLS, 1 TALUK HOSPITAL, 1 COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE, 2 PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES AND 2 RELIEF CAMPS