Projects
THE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE COMMITTEE: continued
Raising funds:
Currently we are organising a Garden Party, Quiz evening, Austerity meal, Book stalls, Game stalls at various events, Raffles and Christmas entertainment. Additional funds and grants are available through Rotary Foundation. One of the simple ways in which members help is by contributing 50 pence per week per member and this money is used to support our three children in developing countries.
Shelter Boxes:
A club in Cornwall have developed an emergency aid box to help those who are victims of natural disasters A box supplies ten people with tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, and filters for clean water as well as many others small items. We respond as soon as we can by sending boxes and also if finances allow we send two boxes annually to keep stocks available for immediate despatch.
Life Boxes and Aqua Boxes
The club will be purchasing Aqua boxes and Life boxes this year. They both contain items to keep a family equipped with eating / cooking utensils thread, rope, tarpaulins and chemicals and filters for water purification. Some boxes contain differing items to suit the disaster situation and in particular, Life Straws which can be hung around the neck for an individual to cleanse surface water for human consumption.
Disaster Fund
This fund enables us as a club to respond quickly to disasters either by sending suitable boxes and gifts as above or by direct financial aid if it is deemed more practical and cost effective to get supplies locally and more quickly. The fund was set up and made possible by a current Worthing Rotarian. It is ‘topped up’ by donations and additional club funds when monies are available in excess of budget.
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
Pattaya Street Children:
The aim of this charity is to advance the education of children under the age of 18yrs living in the Pattaya region of Thailand. They have several projects in the region which include, street kids needing accommodation , food and education, a children’s home needing expansion and the continuation and expansion of a large community centre . It is hoped that they can get at least 40 more children off the streets this year and into safe accommodation with beds, hard standings for washing and eating as well as all the ancillary equipment needed .In the past we have been able to supply school uniform for children and it is hoped that this year we will be able to fund all the equipment needed for the new dormitory.
We have a new link with the Rotary Club of Hawthorn, in Melbourne, Australia and they can help us to reach our goals.. We aim to provide all that is necessary by the beginning of 2008 . By working closely with this club we can achieve so much more for the Street Children of Pattaya (www.pattayastreetkids.org)
SOS Sahel
SOS Sahel has demonstrated that they can achieve wonderful results in rural Africa when communities are given the right support .Families are lifted from poverty whilst regenerating the environment. SOS Sahel take a long term approach to tackle the cause of poverty and environmental degeneration. This year we aim to support them financially to demarcate cattle routes and train 200 women in vegetable gardening techniques.
Sally’s Children
This charity works alongside Camp Kenya Trust and its main objective was to build a school for children at Shimba Hills in Kenya which is virtually complete and being used . We at Rotary are hoping to finance most of the building of a water tower at the school so that the children will have clean purified water .The next phase will be to build a kitchen at the school so that meals may be prepared.
POKOT Kenya
We were able to support this charity in 2007 and contributed largely toward the building of a village school for 100 children in partnership with other Rotary clubs and a local church community . We are now anxious to help build a water tank in the village to ensure that the school children in particular get clean water .With the aid of a District Grant we are able to gift enough money to build a rainwater tank and also we are hopeful that we will raise sufficient funds to help provide guttering at the school before the rainy season. Our continued personal relationship and contact with them has enabled us to see exactly what progress has been made with the ongoing help of many volunteers both from UK and Chemakewa village in West Pokot.
Literacy Resource Group
Our main objective will be to support the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI). Their aim is to narrow the gender gap in primary and secondary education so that both boys and girls receive equal opportunities for education. We can help with direct finance or specific teaching aids.
SPONSORED CHILDREN
We continue to sponsor three children in third world countries. Our contribution helps them to get an education and to learn about the outside world and discipline.
At present we sponsor Roshidul in Bangladesh, Josef in Kenya and Emanuel in Dominican Republic. We receive regular updates and photographs from them or their partnership agency and we hold small events or collections to finance these. We also send them birthday cards Christmas cards and a small gift each year.
FOUNDATION PROJECTS
Annual Giving
Each year we as a club work together to try and achieve maximum giving to the Annual Foundation fund which is worldwide and Rotary’s own charity. The money donated to this fund us invested for three years and then used to finance various projects and give grants .This year we are giving the equivalent of $100 ( US) per Rotarian which is the recommended level for the Foundation to meet its requests and commitments.
The monies come back to clubs in the form of grants, scholarships and supporting humanitarian projects around the world.
District Simplified Grant
In the current year we will be endeavouring to obtain a grant to help us with one of our projects. We have to meet the criteria and raise at least half of the funds needed for the project.
Polio Immunisation Campaign
This is the largest project ever undertaken by Rotary, and the aim is to eradicate Polio worldwide. In 1985 more than 350,000 people per year caught Polio. Since then Rotary have given funds and resources to immunise over 2 Billion children. Today only five countries remain with polio. The task is almost complete but funds are still needed to complete the task and ensure that we are totally worldwide free of this disease. Any additional funds and contributions will go to this cause from Worthing Club.
Paul Harris Fellowships
This programme was established in memory of the founder to recognize outstanding contributions to Rotary from people who help those less fortunate in the world. Either Rotarians or members of the public may receive this award. They are made through Foundation and we are hopeful that such an award will be made to someone locally in the current year.