INTERNATIONAL SERVICE – January 9th Meeting

Isabella opened with a brief rundown of some of the international projects that the club has undertaken since 2004 and Dan Gallant followed up with an update on the Rotary World Help container programme detailing the latest stats for containers shipped since the inception of RWH.

Dan explained that in excess of 250 containers have been shipped worldwide with an estimated replace value of the good of approximately 350.000.00, should the donated goods have been purchased.  Each container is estimated to touch approximately 30,000 people.  Port Moody shipped three containers to South Africa last year alone, two to East London and Grahamstown and one into Cape Town.

We then showed two short videos, one of the RWH operation and the other was a visual thank you note from the various clubs in Cape Town that were recipients of the goods in that container.

The following is an outline of some of the other international projects.

SOUTH AFRICA HAS BEEN THE MAIN FOCUS OF OUR INTERNATIONAL WORK SINCE 2005

THIS IS NOT THE ONLY FOCUS THOUGH WE HAVE TAKEN ON OTHER SMALLER PROJECTS IN OTHER AREAS SUCH AS BELIZE AND GUATAMALA AND HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO DISTRICT WIDE INTERANATIONAL PROJECTS SUCH AS THE WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION AND THE ROTOPLAST PROJECTS.

THE REASONS BEHIND THE SOUTH AFRICA FOCUS IS MAINLY DUE TO THE RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE ESTABLISHED WITH THE ROTARY CLUBS IN SOUTH AFRICA.  

WE CAN TRUST THAT WHEN WE FUND PROJECTS WITH THE CLUBS THERE WE KNOW THAT THE MONIES WILL GO WHERE THEY ARE INTENDED TO GO AND THE PROJECTS ARE FULLY COMPLETED.  WE DETERMINED THAT WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO TRACK THE PROGRESS IN THE REGION RATHER THAN GO IN DO A PROJECT AND THEN MOVE ON TO A NEW PROJECT IN A NEW REGION.  BY FOCUSING OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE OUR EFFORTS HAVE MADE IN BOTH THE GRAHAMSTOWN AND EAST LONDON AREAS. 

PROJECTS WE HAVE FUNDED INCLUDE: 

UNIFORMS AND EDUCATIONAL TOYS AND SUPPLIES FOR ST MARY’S DAYCARE CENTRE

ST JOHN’S EYE CARE CENTRE 

PROVIDED BEDS AND SUPPLIES FOR HOSPICE IN GRAHAMSTOWN

PROVIDED SUPPLIES AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LIVING WATERS,  AND REFUGE FOR ABUSED WOMEN AND CHILDREN.  SUPPLIES INCLUDE SUCH THINGS AS SEWING MACHINES, COMPUTERS FABRICS AND SEWING SUPPLIES.   THE CENTRE HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR MEN AND BOYS TOO SO WE HAVE SENT TOOLS OF ALL KINDS AND EQUIPMENT TO AID IN THE TRAINING.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPLIES OF TOYS FOR GLADYS WILLIAMS CRECHE AND EBENEZER HOUSE DAY CARE CENTRE. SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR ACADEMY FOR LIFE SCHOOL TO NAME JUST A FEW PROJECTS.

TWO YEARS AGO WE FINANCED A MATCHING GRANT FOR THE GRAHAMSTOWN AND AREA SCHOOL SYSTEM.  THIS GRANT PAID FOR A 5 YEAR TRAINING PROGRAMME THAT WAS DESIGNED TO EDUCATE TEACHERS IN A NEW READING SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED INTO THE PRIMARY SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE AREA.  WE VISITED ONE OF THE SCHOOLS IN THE PROGRAMME TO SEE FIRST HAND THE SUCCESS THEY ARE HAVING.  THE READING CAPACITY OF THE CHILDREN IN GRADES ONE AND TWO IS AMAZING, THE PROJECT HAS BEEN A RESOUNDING SUCCESS. 

THE CURRENT GRANT WE ARE WORKING ON IS TO UPGRADE THE KITCHEN AND TOILET FACILITIES AT ST MARY’S WHICH HAS NOW GROWN INTO A FULL COMMUNTITY CENTRE.  IT IS A DAYCARE CENTRE IN THE DAYTIME AND COMMUNITY CENTRE IN THE EVENINGS AND ON WEEKENDS.  THEY FEED CLOSE TO 100 CHILDREN BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND AFTERNOON SNACK EVERY DAY.  THE GRANT ONCE MATCHED WILL BE APPROX. 25,000.00 DOLLARS WHICH WILL COVER THE COST OF THE INSTALLATION OF A NEW KITCHEN, UPGRADED TOILETS AND A NEW POTTERY KILN IN ANOTHER SCHOOL CLOSE BY.  THE OLD KITCHEN WHICH IS BEING REMOVED FROM ST MARY’S WILL BE INSTALLED AT THE OTHER SCHOOL WHICH CURRENTLY FEEDS APPROX 45 TEENS DAILY WITH AN OLD STOVE WITH ONE OR TWO BURNERS IN A RUN DOWN KITCHEN.

IN ADDITION WE HAVE FUNDED MANY CONTAINERS OVER THE YEARS INTO THE AREA AND MORE RECENTLY INTO CAPE TOWN.  DAN WILL NOW GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND ON THE ROTARY WORLD HELP NETWORK AND WE WILL FOLLOW WITH A SHORT DVD ON RWHN AND A SHORT VIDEO SHOWING THE RECENT CAPE TOWN CONTAINER GOODS BEING DISTRIBUTED.