Chennai Rotary Club Visits Auroville
By Binah Thillarajah
Binah Thillairajah, our AVI USA Director of Development, connected with a local branch of the Rotary Club in the US a few years ago. Inspired by that first meeting and the potential for support for Auroville projects, she pursued the connection between Rotary Clubs, both in the US and abroad, and is currently facilitating relationships between Rotary Clubs and our Auroville project partners. Read more below.
At AVI USA, we cultivate institutional partnerships to support our project partners. Sometimes these partnerships involve sharing information and making connections, while other times they create opportunities for funding. One such partner is Rotary International, which has local clubs all over the world. In the past few years, we’ve been reaching out to Rotary clubs to build relationships and raise awareness of Auroville projects in the USA, India, and more recently, Ireland. In Denver, I regularly meet with members of one of the local Rotary clubs to discuss Auroville projects. Other AVI USA board members are also reaching out to Rotary clubs in their states, including one in New Jersey. This February, I had the opportunity to visit with members of clubs from Chennai and invite them to visit some of our project partners in Auroville.
After several weeks of coordinating schedules, I was thrilled to host an incredibly active and passionate Rotarian from Chennai, who has been deeply involved in many Global grants for Rotary in India over the years. One of the highlights of her visit was attending a heartwarming Eco Femme training session for young girls at Isai Ambalam. In just three hours, she witnessed the transformation of these young girls, who went from being shy and reserved to curious, confident young women. It was an inspiring moment to witness, and she was genuinely moved by the experience.
Under the warm and expert guidance of Kalvi, an Eco Femme facilitator who affectionately referred to herself as the girls’ “big sister,” the girls became more comfortable and engaged. They asked thoughtful questions and handled the various menstrual products with a sense of curiosity and openness. During the break, our Rotary partner was impressed by the nutritious ragi and sprouts snacks that were offered to all the children at Isai Ambalam, and she couldn’t help but mention how much she wished children in urban Chennai could experience such care and beauty. She was deeply touched by the nurturing environment of the Isai Ambalam campus, with its beautiful trees and peaceful atmosphere. She also appreciated the attentive teachers and the incredible work being done by the Eco Femme team, and she was inspired by the high level of local engagement and thoughtful expertise on display.
We also had the opportunity to visit Wasteless, where she was once again struck by the quality of the curriculum materials on plastics being shared with schools through their Sea Change program. She was particularly impressed by the ambitious goals of Auroville projects, which are making a systemic impact by reaching young people in crucial areas such as education, women’s empowerment, and environmental awareness. She admired the dedication, passion, and attention to detail that our project partners bring to their work and immediately recognized the importance of continuing to support and learn from these initiatives. She promised to return to Auroville soon, eager to spend more time with our project partners and explore new opportunities for collaboration and support.
Her visit reinforced just how impactful and transformative the work of Auroville projects is, and we are excited about the future possibilities for partnership and growth. We are grateful for her enthusiasm and commitment to building connections that will strengthen and elevate the work we’re doing together.