In a bid to support slum children of the city and promote their hidden talents, lions Club of Ranchi Capital began the Children’s Dignity Week on Sunday. The Week, continuing till September 5, will be observed in slums of the city along with villages and schools adopted by the organisation.

After the inauguration ceremony attended by about fifty children from Islam Nagar, lohrakocha and Edalhatu, a football tournament was organised by the Club at Jagannathpur Ground in Dhurwa.

“The Children’s Dignity Week is being celebrated by lions Clubs across the world. As the week progresses, we will be conducting several programmes for the welfare of underprivileged children,” stated the Club president Rajesh Kasera.

He further added, “We are planning to adopt Tharpakna Primary School in Old HB Road on September 3 during this Week. We will also be installing a water purifier system and painting the classrooms in a school that we have already adopted, St. Gabriel and Monica School. A library for the students will also be set up there.”

The Club has also adopted five villages – Semra, Harhi, Mahugaon, Gatiyatoli and Neori – under the Smart Village initiative and the children in these villages will be given books, stationary and sports kit will by the Club during the week-long campaign, said Kasera.

Since its inception in 2001, the Club has been working for the wellbeing of the needy. After a bit of slow time, Kasera became the president of the Club in July this year. The Club has been focussing on the development of urban poor and villages in and around Ranchi.

“We are planning to provide multiplex grade popcorn machines in villages that we have adopted. With this, we want to offer a taste of the cities to the children of rural areas along with providing employment to a villager. We have also conducted plantation drives in the five villages that we have adopted and will carry on with the efforts in the future,” stated Kasera.

“Our objective in near future is to adopt more schools so that we can work for the betterment of students there. Our work will be more centred on uplifting the poor and development of rural regions of Ranchi. It can be achieved, given the fact that we are the fourth biggest lions Club out of 64 operating in 322A district of lions Clubs, encompassing Bihar and Jharkhand,” he added.