CHENNAI: The Rajasthan Cosmo Club Foundation (RCCF) distributed 23,501 sets of new school uniforms to students of 305 schools from all over Tamil Nadu. This was done under the Sri Badalchand Sugan Kavur Chordia Uniform Scheme. Each student is given two new sets of uniforms a year. Different colours and patterns required for the uniforms are procured by the RCCF and tailors are hired to stitch them.More than 54,200 meters of fabric was used this year, at the cost of `70 lakh. The uniform project has been on since 1994, and has grown in its reach over the last 14 years. The packing was done by the women and children who are part of the Rajasthan Cosmo Club. President of the RCCF, TR Achha said, “Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders. We want them to be happy.”Sunil Chopra, the project manager of the new uniform scheme says that 47,000 pieces of uniforms have been given out in total. “Besides this scheme, we also have family packs of clothes which can be given to victims of natural disasters and fire accidents within 24 hours,” he says.The Cloth Bank is a major project of the RCCF. Collection drives for used clothes are held on a regular basis. These are sorted and if any mending has to be done, it is taken care of. The clothes are then washed, ironed and packed, ready to go out in case of any emergency.In a DVD showing the Cloth Bank’s growth and achievements, which was released by Member of Parliament N Balaganga, Achha says, “In each stage, we provide employment opportunities for hundreds of people. We are not only thinking of the children, who are the architects of India’s future, but also of the people who need jobs.”Speaker of the Tamil Nadu State Legislative, D Jayakumar was the chief guest at the event. He lauded the foundation’s work of providing people with one of the three most important things necessary for survival — food, clothing and shelter. “By taking care of this need, they are also providing dignity for the school children,” he said.Annai Indira Nagar School has been helped by the RCCF for the last four years. This year, 25 needy students have been selected. A teacher of the school says, “This scheme has been very useful for the children, especially for those children whose parents work in low paying jobs. The quality of the material is also good, and it lasts them for the entire year.”Sanjay Bhansali, event coordinator, says that the foundation conducts an inspection of the school, and selects those who are most in need of their help. “Some schools hear of our scheme and apply to us. Our members know of people who need this help. This is how we come to know of the students who require help,” he says.PAM Middle School and National Middle School, in Pallavaram, are under the same management. Sujatha, a teacher, said, “We are a government aided school. For the past two years, the RCCF has been providing our entire school, more than 400 students, with uniforms. This is a great help to us because 80 per cent of them are orphans, living in one of our five hostels.” Students who represented their schools were happy that their uniforms were taken care of. Priya, a Class 5 student, said, “They gave me uniforms free last year as well. My father does coolie work and my mother stays at home, so this is really helpful.”
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