International Service

International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace. Rotarians can support International Service by sponsoring a project in another country, seeking international project partners to support projects in their own communities, or by personally volunteering at an international project site.

Our Plans for 2018 - 2019

For the 2018/19 year, the International Committee will again be supporting humanitarian projects throughout our local Asia / Pacific region as well as a long standing projects in Nepal and Uganda.

The committees focus is on building strong and lasting links with a number of non-government organisations (NGO) that provide access to education and healthcare for children, their families and local communities.

Our two club projects that we continue to provide financial support to are the Australian Himalayan Foundation in Nepal and the Tender Foot Self Help School in Kangemi, Kenya.

In the coming twelve months, we will also assist Rotary International in eliminating Polio through the End Polio Now program, help to publicise the plight of modern slavery, assist humanitarian efforts in Lombok through the Shelter Box campaign and support a local secondary school student who will travel to a North Cambodian village to provide assistance in building facilities for the community

Peter Brock

Chair

What we completed in 2017 - 2018

Milking Cow & Goat Project, Kenya – $500

This wonderful project initiated by Wilma Best of Healesville Rotary is transforming lives – feeding children and improving the health and well-being of villagers in Kariakoma, Kenya.

The project provides pedigree Friesian heifers-in-calf for the Primary School compound, thus milk is fed to needy and orphaned Day Primary School children and other orphans boarding in the compound.

End Polio $1,350

Unless we eradicate polio, within 10 years we could see as many as 200,000 new cases each year, all over the world. The disease is endemic in only 3 countries, but unless we reach every child with the vaccine, no child anywhere is safe.

$1,000 Operation Toilets WASH

The money has gone towards the construction of toilets and to provide hygiene and maintenance programs in India with the special aim of improving the educational opportunities for adolescent girls.

The students attending the schools selected for the project will be the direct beneficiaries. There are approximately 2700 students studying in 11 government schools out of which 1,302 are girl students. The program will bring far reaching benefits to over 2,700 families (around 10,000 people) living in different communities around the targeted schools leading to the elimination of practice of open defecation thereby reducing theincidence of water and sanitation-related diseases as the children sensitized at the schools will take good hygiene habits and practices to their homes.

$500 WASH Project to provide improved water and sanitation to Timor-Leste

The three communities of Mausoromata, Quiorema and Manumera are listed as areas of urgent priority for WASH intervention due to the high incidence of diarrhoea resulting in infant mortality and childhood stunting. Consequently, school attendance is poor and therefore education also suffers. The project will affect 1,200 people, including approximately 460 children, by providing safe, reliable water for drinking and hand washing and will be complemented by further work being done by Plan International to improve the sanitation aspects of these communities.

$1000 Interplast

Interplast sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region.

Their mission is to ‘repair bodies and rebuild lives’ and they do this through providing surgical services to those who could not otherwise afford or access these, and by building the capacity of local medical systems through our training and mentoring programs

Wheelchairs for Kids – $1,124

According to United Nations World Health estimates, wheelchairs are desperately needed around the world for millions of severely disabled children throughout under-resourced countries of the world. Wheelchairs for Kids is an organisation whose mission is to manufacture and distribute wheelchairs to some of these children assisting them with the means to raise them off the ground from where they are presently confined, and gain a new level of freedom and mobility.

For every $200 donated a child gains a new wheelchair giving him or her this new experience of freedom of mobility for the first time in their life, and often easing the burden for personal carers.

With thanks to the generous Community Benefits Scheme at Ritchies (Emerald IGA) that allows us to make this donation

Tenderfoot Self Help School, Kenya – $590

Tender Foot Self Help School was founded in 1996 by Esther Wamai, a former teacher at Mama Ngina Children’s Home. Ray Adams, a member of the Rotary Club of Emerald & District decided to begin a student sponsorship program in 2002. In 2013 Ray’s son, Greg Adams, a member of the Rotary Club of Diamond Creek took over the role of the sponsorship program administrator. Our Club continues to sponsor children in Rays name.

This year there are 90 students in the sponsorship program whose parent(s) or carer are unable to pay the school fees. Our donation will enable 2 children to continue to receive food, clothing and an education to ensure a meaningful, brighter future and to support the school’s future development.

$1000 In memory of our well respected and much loved past member the late Alfred (Greg) Gregory, we have donated $1000 to the Australian Himalayan Foundation. The foundation works in partnership with the people of the remote Himalaya to improve living standards through better education and training, improved health services and environmental sustainability. They strive to work with local communities in a long term, sustainable way.

Rotarians Against Malaria – $1000

RAGAS provides information about and promotes ways for people to engage and support anti-slavery and human trafficking projects, programmes and campaigns. It does this by …

Working with other anti-slavery organisations

Reminding Rotarians of their ethical responsibilities with regard to the rights of children

Encouraging Rotarians and Clubs to take action by:

a) actively supporting the work of anti-slavery organisations in their work combating slavery and human trafficking
b) directly supporting various projects e.g. Slavery Rehabilitation Centres through personal visits, participation in grant projects
c) identifying and boycotting offending products
d) supporting campaigns that highlight illegal activity and seek to bring justice for those offended

Influencing policy makers when considering the rights of children and adults held against their will.

Engaging Rotarians world-wide through Rotary’s social and other networks.

Many thanks to the members of our committee and the excellent fundraising of the club.

I feel we can be proud of our donations to international good causes this year and be confident that we have all made a difference to the lives of many less fortunate than ourselves.